Former President John Mahama has made a cogent assertion regarding the development of numerous Western countries, attributing it to the abhorrent slave trade that forcibly transported approximately 12.5 million individuals of African descent to the West.
Mahama emphasized that Africa suffered a significant loss of its invaluable human resources, which ultimately fueled the progress of the West at the expense of Africa’s own advancement.
During his keynote address at the inauguration of Universities studying slavery (USS) in Canada, Mahama eloquently highlighted the profound and devastating impact that slavery has had on the African continent.
“Think of the loss that the African continent suffered as its warriors, farmers, hunters, carpenters, jewellery makers, tailors, griots, seamstresses, chiefs, doctors and other healers, architects, artists and philosophers were lined up, with shackles and chains at their ankles and wrists, then boarded onto slave ships and carried across the waters—where they were forced to use all of those skills that they possessed to build another nation. To build several other nations—none of them on the African continent.
That’s the irony, isn’t it? When the Western world uses words like “poor” and “developing” to describe African nations; when they try to make Africans feel inferior—meanwhile… people of African descent have served as the economic and cultural backbone of nearly all Western nations; meanwhile… people who made some of the greatest inventions of the Western world are of African descent,” he noted.
He intimidated that the issue of reparations for Africa, no matter given how complicated it is to quantify, must be looked at since the effects of slavery lingers on.
“Within the Diaspora, how do we begin to calculate the financial costs of slavery to settle on a single number for reparations? How do we begin to do the same on the African continent?
These questions hold immense significance as the repercussions of slavery and colonialism continue to reverberate in the lives of Black individuals worldwide. In North America, these echoes manifest in the form of brutal and occasionally fatal encounters with law enforcement, as well as discriminatory practices in housing and employment.
Across Africa, the lingering effects are evident in the lack of essential infrastructure, demanding the urgent establishment of schools, hospitals, affordable housing, and improved road networks. Furthermore, it is disheartening to witness the majority of Africans being unable to read and write in their native languages, despite their proficiency in a colonial tongue,” he emphasized.
The enduring legacy of slavery and colonialism casts a long shadow, impacting the daily existence of Black people globally. In North America, this shadow takes shape through the alarming prevalence of violent and sometimes deadly encounters with law enforcement, alongside discriminatory practices in housing and employment.
Meanwhile, in Africa, the consequences are starkly visible in the form of inadequate infrastructure, pressing the dire need for more schools, hospitals, affordable housing, and enhanced transportation networks. It is truly disheartening to witness the majority of Africans unable to read and write in their native languages, despite their ability to communicate fluently in a colonial tongue,” he passionately asserted.
Credit: Mynewsgh.com
