Reparations for Africa

Students can read any of the essays below. Afterward, write a 1-page essay and email it to HumanistMutualAid@gmail.com. In the essay, please highlight the three most important ideas or contributions of the author and share your own reflections, thoughts, and reactions to their views. You can write about as many of the essays as you wish.

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“Beyond Compensation: Reparatory Justice as a Structural Economic Imperative for Africa” - by Cristina Duarte (UN Special Adviser on Africa)
This essay reframes reparations as more than financial restitution. It calls for systemic economic reform—trade, finance, governance—to dismantle structures that still extract value from Africa today.

“The African Holocaust: Should Europe Pay Reparations to Africa for Colonialism and Slavery?” - by Ryan M. Spitzer (Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law)
An academic legal analysis of reparations, exploring potential judicial and treaty-based avenues between European powers and African nations post-slavery and colonialism.

“Coming to Terms with the Past? Reparations as a Test for Africa–Europe Relations” - by Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP – German institute)
This piece examines Europe–Africa reparations diplomacy, balancing material compensation with symbolic acknowledgment, and the legal as well as political complexities involved.

“Wole Soyinka on Reparations for Africa” - Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka (UN Address, 2025)
Soyinka argues reparations cannot be quantified. He emphasizes moral and symbolic justice, linking historic injustices to modern forms of exploitation, and calls for dignity-centered reparations.

“Africa is Uniting in the Call for Reparations for Historical Injustices” — This article highlights African-led proposals—ranging from financial restitution and land rights to institutional reforms and cultural restitution—and discusses existing challenges in estimating and delivering reparations.

“The West Has a Moral Obligation to Pay Reparations” — An impassioned argument asserting that colonial powers have ongoing moral and economic responsibilities toward Africa, stemming from centuries of exploitation. Emphasizes narrative repair alongside formal compensation.

“Reparations as Philanthropy: Radically Rethinking ‘Giving’ in Africa” — Le MondeReinterprets reparations through the lens of visionary collaboration—reforestation, knowledge exchange, and centering Africa in global solutions—suggesting reparations as transformative, future-focused philanthropy.