Multiple Distinct Proposals for Reparations to Africa

  1. CARICOM 10-Point Plan (2013)

  • Originally created for the Caribbean, but adapted by some African scholars.

  • Demands include:

    • Full formal apology

    • Debt cancellation

    • Technology transfer

    • Direct monetary reparations to nations affected by slavery and colonialism

CARICOM Reparations Commission

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2. Debt Cancellation as Reparations - Thomas Sankara (Burkina Faso, 1987)

  • Called for complete cancellation of African debt, arguing it was illegitimate and rooted in colonial exploitation.

  • Proposed that repaying such debt would perpetuate neocolonialism.

His famous 1987 OAU speech

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3. Jubilee 2000 & Debt Relief Campaigns

  • Promoted canceling debt as a form of moral reparations.

  • Argued African debt was odious and tied to colonial or Cold War regimes.

Jubilee Debt Campaign

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4. Legal and Institutional Reparations - African Union Panel on Reparations

  • Suggested establishing a reparations tribunal or international legal mechanism to claim reparations from Europe.

  • Encouraged each African state to draft claims based on loss of wealth, life, and cultural destruction.

🔗 AU discussions have been referenced at several African Union Summits.

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Cultural and Educational Restitution - Return of Stolen Artifacts

  • Demands include:

    • Return of art looted during colonial era (e.g., Benin Bronzes).

    • Reparations through cultural institutions and museums.

Examples:

  • France committed to returning 26 artifacts to Benin (2018).

  • Germany pledged to return Benin bronzes to Nigeria (2021).

🔗 BBC article on Benin Bronzes

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6. Pan-African Education Fund

  • Proposal to fund education systems and universities across Africa.

  • Support for decolonized curricula, African languages, and historical research.

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7. Infrastructure Investment as Reparations- South Centre Proposal

  • Suggests using reparations to:

    • Build sustainable infrastructure

    • Support health systems

    • Provide universal education

🔗 South Centre — Think Tank of the Global South

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8. Climate Reparations for Africa

  • Advocated by climate justice organizations:

    • Reparations for disproportionate climate damage caused by industrialized nations.

    • Calls for climate finance and green technology transfer to African countries.

Major Voices:

  • Vanessa Nakate (Uganda)

  • Climate Justice Resilience Fund

🔗 Nakate's speeches

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9. Lawsuits Against European Corporations

  • Civil society organizations and descendants of enslaved people have demanded:

    • Corporate reparations from companies that profited from the slave trade, forced labor, or colonial exploitation.

    • Examples: De Beers, Barclays, Unilever, and others.

🔗 Africans for Reparations

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10. UNESCO “Routes of Enslaved Peoples” Initiative

  • Supports symbolic reparations like apologies, truth commissions, and memorials.

  • Sometimes combined with financial commitments (e.g., France, UK aid pledges).

🔗 UNESCO Routes of Enslaved Peoples

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11. Reparative Trade Agreements - Fair Trade and Re-balancing Terms of Trade

  • Advocates propose shifting trade relationships to favor African nations.

  • Cancel unfair WTO restrictions and support African industrialization as reparative justice.

🔗 Third World Network Africa