President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Mahama has asserted that the transatlantic slave trade was orchestrated to strip Africans of their humanity, emphasizing that the system was founded on misguided beliefs of racial superiority.
Speaking at a United Nations event focused on slavery at the United Nations Headquarters yesterday, he argued for a reevaluation of the historical narrative surrounding slavery, beginning with the terminology used to describe it.
“The entire transatlantic slave trade was designed to deny African people their humanity,” he stated, explaining that the system was based on a racial hierarchy “with no foundation in fact or science” that positioned whiteness above blackness.
President Mahama insisted that referring to individuals as “slaves” risks diminishing the identity and dignity of those who were subjected to this inhumane system.
“There is no such thing as a slave. They were human beings who were trafficked and then enslaved,” he remarked.
“Not if you acknowledge an individual’s humanity and respect their fundamental rights to dignity.”
He pointed out that the atrocities committed during this period and the subsequent inequalities were facilitated by the perception of enslaved Africans as property rather than as individuals.
“The injustices stemming from slavery and perpetuated into later social systems occurred because those individuals were regarded as objects, not human beings,” he added.
The President called for a transformation in global dialogue, urging that discussions about slavery must begin with a conscious effort to restore the dignity of Africans and acknowledge the humanity of those who suffered.
“When addressing slavery and its repercussions, we must always commence by reclaiming the dignity of Africans, recognizing the humanity of our ancestors who were enslaved, and, consequently, affirming our own humanity,” he stated.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong