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.
Below Are student essays. you can write an essay that compares or contrasts or references at least three of these essays.
Three Major Ideas Supporting African Reparations - by Leila Dunde from Angola - https://thefreehuman.academy/leila1
Wole Soyinka's UN Address on Reparations for Africa (March 25, 2025) - by Elizabeth Ouma from Kenya - https://thefreehuman.academy/elizabeth4
My Response to the Call for Reparations - by Ali Machava of Mozambique https://thefreehuman.academy/ali1
What does it mean to repair a wound that has never truly healed? - by Sabkara of Nigeria https://thefreehuman.academy/sabkara2
How long can Africa carry the weight of unacknowledged history? - by Sabkara of Nigeria https://thefreehuman.academy/sabkara3
Wole Soyinka and Reparations - by Aisha Suleiman of Nigeria
Examining Reparations from Three Main Sides - by Adam Bashir Kalli of Nigeria
Examining Reparations from Three Main Sides - by Abubakar Sheriff Mele of Nigeria
Coming to Terms with the Past? - by Abubakar Bulama of Nigeria
Beyond Compensation: Reparatory Justice as a Structural Economic Imperative for Africa - by Ibrahima Faye of Senegal
The African Holocaust: Should Europe Pay Reparations to Africa for Colonialism and Slavery? - by Ibrahima Faye of Senegal
Coming to Terms with the Past? Reparations as a Test for Africa-Europe Relations - by Ibrahima Faye of Senegal
Africa is Uniting in the Call for Reparations for Historical Injustices - by Ibrahima Faye of Senegal
The West Has a Moral Obligation to Pay Reparations - by Ibrahima Faye of Senegal
Reparations as Philanthropy: Radically Rethinking “Giving” in Africa - by Ibrahima Faye of Senegal
Wole Soyinka on Reparations for Africa - by Ibrahima Faye of Senegal
Christina Duarte’s essay on Reparations - https://thefreehuman.academy/koroma1 - by Koroma Ibrahima (Sierra Leone)