Africa and Africans have being plundered enough by the Europeans and Americas over four hundred years ago to deserve restitution. The development of Europe and the new world was achieved on the blood, sweat, deprivation, strength, psychological trauma, torture, abuse, molestation, sodomy, genocide of black Africans.
African ancestors were dubiously and forcefully stolen by European slave merchants and invaders who were buying and selling defenseless men, women and infants along costal areas and the hinterlands.
A traumatic period in the history of the once flourishing continent. When men, women and children were sold and bought under gun point as mere commodities. When Africa's traditional religious practices were used as slave trade tool powered by deceptive religious manipulations by those Priests whose sacred duties was to mediate between the gods and man, but became compromised using threat of annihilation of their communities to dispose those human cargos found guilty in their respective customary courts and worship centres.
African ancestors were in chains, shackles dragged along to muster points in dehumanizing forms like dogs and wide beasts. Mothers and daughters were caged together with rodents, mice and other dangerous reptiles. They were raped, denied food and water for days, sodomized and mutilated without recourse to human dignity. Black Africans were practically reduced to the lowest breathing creation, subjected to brutal savagery ever witnessed. The brutality, murder, deprivation, genocide perpetrated by the slave dealers and slave owners was worse than the callousness of a heartless tyrant. The blood of little African infants forcefully snatched from the cuddle of their mother's arms, who were butchered before their protesting and helpless mothers and fathers, was worse than the psychological trauma of a hopeless and entrapped man facing a hungry lion unarmed. Europe and America slave dealers legalised the system of cruel injustice, dehumanization and corruption in Africa.
To imagine the carnage, natural resources plunder, economic strangulation, dehumanization, deprivation, decimation of our cultures and traditions , savagery, brutality, torture etc ought to be enough driving factors towards agitating for indemnity to Africa and Africans by Europe and America.
Most times I wonder as an African whose ancestors were degenerated, why African leaders seem to keep in abeyance the reparation issue that ought to restore the stolen dignity of Africans. Again I ask, was Europe and Americas deliberately avoiding the issue?, or are they twisting the arms of African leaders as usual not raise the issue?. Who is found wanting on these despicable evil perpetrated on Africans and chooses to conceal it inside a cemented well never to be heard. Yet the pre- colonial wickedness of the highest order still subsit.
African Union (AU) member States , ECOWAS head of States, African leaders, her legislators, State and regional governors, captains of industries, media houses, journalists, academicians, international human rights institutions, non- governmental organizations, religious bodies, social organizations and individuals who refused to speak and stand against the pyramid of injustice and the barbaric puncturing of Africans human dignity during Trans- Atlantic Slave Trade, is like spiting on the memories, blood, bones, sweat and graves of those men, women and children butchered, raped, molested, fed to the dogs and pigs and burnt alive on the stake to the amusement of slave owners.
There are no divisive comments here, I am driven by Afrocentric tendencies as a Black African. If America and Britain two of the many beneficiaries of Trans- Atlantic Slave Trade could champion the cause for reparation to Israel by Germany and to Japan by USA which were all genocide related. Why can't they champion the same course for Africa's restitution coupled with a public apology. Is it their intention to continue with the plunder of Africa through Neo- colonialism and polished form of slavery? It is deeply disheartening.
Few notable African Nationalists who were driven by Alex Harley's novel "roots" of 1976 and personal knowledge and convictions of the heinous crimes against Africans, initiated the mechanisms for reparations from Europe. Unfortunately they were both silenced in incomprehensible circumstances by the powers that dictate the European and African economic politics ..a case study of Patrick Lumumba and Chief MKO Abiola. If Chief Abiola was declared winner of the Presidential elections and was allowed to be sworn in as President of Nigeria, I believe he would have gathered enough fearless African leaders then, to pursue Africa's right for compensation and restoration.
However, it seems most African leaders and their legislative arms are totally scared or deeply compromised to individually or collaboratively resurrect the indemnity issue with European powers through the United Nations. Either, for fear of being deposed and wealth stacked in foreign banks confiscated. It is expedient therefore, that African leaders should have alternate means by which the development of Africa will take centre stage in the global community. Definitely not through the pending indemnity pursuit but through self developmental strides.
Like Nigeria, Ghana has a slave route project aimed at reuniting Ghanaians back home and diaspora, the project is tagged " Joseph Project". Former Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings set the pace for Ghana's economic and social stability. And the advancement of the Joseph Project in every strong measure aided Ghana's improved political stability. Kudos should be given to the Ghanaian National Assembly for adopting the Joseph Project and giving accelerated hearing to the bill requesting for the assimilation of Ghanaian diaspora and passing it into law without denting their legislative dignity or outright refusal for fear of competitiveness. They succeeded and that's one of the contributing factors why Ghana was chosen to house the New Africa Free Trade Zone Headquarters and complimenting the Free Trade Zone is a brand new Airline Hub for Africa to be built in Ghana (my candid opinion). What a colossal achievement by Ghana's leadership with the support of the country's upper legislative chambers; who have realised what Africa precisely Ghanaian ancestors went through during precolonial slave trade.
Having established facts relating to the exploitation of the black man's human dignity and the need for reparation to Africa for over 400 years of exhaustive use of African blood, sweat, strength, deprivations in developing Europe and building Americas. There is absolutely need to look inward (within Africa) for self economic, social and political development. The Trans- Atlantic Slave Trade was largely responsible for the African Diaspora in the Western hemisphere, however, stands- out, and occupies a unique place in the psyche, history and culture of Africans, be they home in Africa or in the Diaspora.
Presently, in most parts of Africa were slave trade took dominance, for instance the Niger Delta Region. There are only few relics of this controversial trade and culture in the regions and communities that participated in it. The "Niger Delta Slave Trade Routes Project", a replica of Ghana's "Joseph Project" aims among other goals, to identify, preserve, protect and develop some of the outstanding sites, relics, monuments, and routes associated with the Trans - Atlantic Slave Trade.
But then, the question maybe asked, why don't the Africans just lick their wounds and forget the offensive and inglorious aspect of the Blackman's past?. The reciprocating answer is, Africans can not afford to throw away such memory of inestimable value to the trash bin. What will posterity hold onto as their history. Won't posterity curse present and near future generations for not developing back Africa for Africans while driving the restitution case from Europe and America?. As anticipated, the slave route project will enhance sociocultural rediscovery and revival of the now lost or dormant, but rich cultural heritage and historical links between those at home and diaspora.
The project is intended to increase and enrich Africans knowledge base of the project areas, all trade routes round communities and villages were there were invasions, selling and buying of human cargoes to the new world.
Interestingly, a group of Nigerian historians, archeologists, social anthropologists, anthropologists and historical linguists in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Tourism Culture and National Orientation partnered to foster a project that will reunite Africans and African- Americans.
The Centre for Promotion of Peace, Tourism and Culture in Nigeria (CEPTAC), a research - oriented organization in my view is bound to benefit the intellectual community enormously. CEPTAC will cooperate closely with historians, archeologists, social anthropologists, anthropologists, demographic experts, major drivers of the Niger Delta Slave Trade Routes, the Lagos State Black Heritage festival, administrators of the Badagry Slave Trade Museum, Cross River State Slave Trade museum, slave sites, slave routes, lyrics, creative artists and culture resource managers both within and outside.
Especially, the African - Americans, who had demanded to be assisted in their unassuaged thirst for self- knowledge and to be relinked with their African roots.
Actualizing these economic development benefits for African States, calls for effective management of the potentials of slave trade relics by effectively weaving them into UNWTO's program for sustainable tourism and for elimination of poverty (STEP).
A program that requires the collaboration of Africa's leadership, governors, legislatures, NGOs, private enterprises, development partners and the diaspora. Alex Harley's novel "roots" of 1976 and the film that was produced based on it, like the Nationalists, it also ignited the passion for the back-to-roots spirit and desire to develop Africa among Africans and African diaspora. It is imperative to state that, black African- Americans have invested so much to identify their ancestral roots through the science of DNA testing as a catalyst to the slave route project.
In response to this demand, some business- minded medical scientists and technologists have began floating laboratory facilities in genetic genealogy to assist descendants of African slaves with the use of decoyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing to reconnect them with their African roots. There are over two dozen of such organizations in the United States selling genetic ancestry test. Among them is, "African Ancestry", it is a black- owned firm which carters basically for African -Americans. Gina Paige is the founder of this laudable project.
It is worthy of note that, the actor who played the slave Kunta Kinte in the movie "Roots" discovered after a DNA test that, genetically, he has a link with the Hausa in Northern Nigeria.
Hon Andrew Young US statesman and civil rights leader traced his lineage to the Mende people of Sierra Leone and believed to ba a distant relative of one of the 1839 Amistad slave ship mutiny. Kimberly Elise, a film and television actress traced her root back to the Songhai empire in prehistoric Nigeria. Popular African- American actor, Forest Whitaker was made an honorary Chief of Igboland with the tittle " Nwannedinamba of Nkwerre in Eastern Nigeria. These are concrete evidences that other African countries who suffered slavery and slave trade should emulate and drive the call for reparation and development of Africa by Africans Diaspora and also to replicate the Gambia, Ghana and Nigeria efforts in slave route project, which is geared towards promoting colloquium on culture, customs and traditions of Africa via tourism and investment.
In my humble opinion, if the United Nations headquarter is in New York, instead of Brazil or Peru, it is so because, the member States unanimously decided it. Notwithstanding the fact that America provides world leadership or provides the bulk of UN funding. The same argument goes as to why America houses the World Trade Center and the world bank. Nigeria as the largest economy in Africa, who funds Ecowas and makes a significant commitment and financial contributions to the African Union was not awarded the right to house the headquarters of the African free trade zone, not because Nigeria doesn't posses the capacity and capabilities, but because Nigeria opened up herself to competition to developing African countries, should not even be in contention, or seen as a deliberate weakness. Besides, AU member States took their decision on the choice of Ghana to house Africa Free Trade Zone and Africa Airline Hub. This shows the dynamism in international politics.
President Buhari and indeed African leaders understand the value Nigeria holds in global politics and economic sphere, President chose to opt out on the race for housing the AFTZ for sake of fairness and encouragement to up- coming Nations of Africa. That doesn't connote that Nigeria has lost her place in Africa. Or that Nigeria should have taken it with pointed guns simply because AU and ECOWAS enjoys Nigeria's patronage in the area of funding.
My joy however, is President Buhari has graciously signed the agreement on African Free Trade Zone. I also believe PMB was adequately guided by his team of educated elite advisers who understands international politics. I strongly believe that one day, African Union member States will harness African leaders using the Africa Free Trade Zone as a launch pad to officially pursue massive transformation of Africa while in pursuant of the restitution for Africa.
Just one day and the day will surely come when Europe and the Americas will compensate Africa like the Jews of Israel and Hiroshima of Japan with public apology.
God bless African ancestors, God bless African heritage, God bless African- Americans.
Rowland Ndidi Orlu wrote from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
17th July, 2019
