President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama has dismissed arguments that the participation of some Africans in the transatlantic slave trade weakens the demand for reparations, maintaining that responsibility rests with those who created and profited from the centuries-long system of human exploitation.
Addressing a high-level reparations dialogue at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica during his official visit, the President argued that the involvement of a number of Africans as collaborators cannot erase the historical reality or criminal nature of the slave trade.
To illustrate his point, President Mahama drew a comparison with the Holocaust, noting that although a few Jewish individuals cooperated with Nazi authorities, such actions have never diminished recognition of the Holocaust as one of history’s gravest crimes.
He said isolated cases of collaboration did not alter the fact that millions of Jews were murdered, stressing that the same reasoning should apply to the enslavement of Africans across the Atlantic.
According to the President, the transatlantic slave trade remained a deliberate and organised enterprise driven by powerful governments, merchants and institutions that established extensive commercial and legal structures to sustain it.
He explained that the system extended far beyond the capture of enslaved people, encompassing shipping, insurance, auctions and financial networks that treated human beings as tradable commodities.
President Mahama insisted that focusing solely on the role played by some African intermediaries ignores the broader machinery that conceived, financed and maintained the trade over several centuries.
He therefore rejected suggestions that African involvement diminishes the scale of the atrocity, describing slavery as one of humanity’s greatest crimes.
The President further urged African nations to present future generations with a fuller and more accurate account of their history, saying political independence gives the continent the opportunity to shape its own historical narrative.
Reflecting on his education, he observed that classroom lessons placed greater emphasis on the achievements of abolitionists while paying insufficient attention to the suffering endured by millions of enslaved Africans.
Although he acknowledged the contributions of campaigners who fought to end slavery, he argued that historical accounts often overlooked the brutality experienced by those who were captured, transported and forced into bondage.
President Mahama also welcomed increasing international attention to the legacy of slavery, saying recent discussions at the United Nations had encouraged renewed interest in examining the historical foundations and long-term effects of the transatlantic slave trade.
He expressed optimism that expanding public understanding of the past would help societies appreciate the enduring consequences of slavery and guide efforts towards a more informed future.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong