Reparations: Why it’s about more than just money - BBC Africa
Vložit
- čas přidán 23. 03. 2024
- How do you right the wrongs of slavery and colonial rule - and should reparations be about more than just money?
These are questions which have been gathering steam over recent years as many countries in Africa and beyond increase their calls for a reckoning on the historical injustices inflicted upon them by western powers.
BBC Africa has done a fascinating deep dive into the divisive idea of reparations and found that financial restitution isn’t the only form of compensation that’s needed to start healing wounds.
Produced and edited by Sandrine Lungumbu
Subscribe: bit.ly/subscribetoafrica
Website: www.bbc.com/africa
Facebook: / bbcnewsafrica
Twitter: / bbcafrica
Instagram: / bbcafrica
Maybe stop the current slave trade in Africa, before worrying about those that are long dead and buried.
Trade slave done by arabs not africans
What is happening in Africa continent is the result of what the slave masters planted and those need to be stop this is why we are calling for world justice
🙌🏽 Absolutely!
If you knew us Africans you would know that our ancestors are never forgotten and always acknowledge. And the current slave trade in africa is still done by outsiders.
@@africaine4889 ... it's always someone else's fault and Africans are always helpless to stop it. This is why the counties of Africa will always be third world. Will always follow and never lead.
I am going to share a very unpopular opinion - Reparations are dead in the water, foreign aid is already a touchy subject which is unpopular with many publics in the West, any government that even considered paying anything even close to the amounts cited in the UN report would be voted out of office faster than you can say Jack robinson.
Africa's real problem today is the corruption, poor security infrastructure and general government malfeasance (as many commentators on BBC africa videos lament). But any attempt by Western governments and organizations to help with that is dismissed as 'neo-colonialism'.
My theory is that the increased call for 'reparations' is an attempt to deflect blame for the current state of the African continent by its governments.
I hate to break it to commentators here but until 5 minutes ago (in world history terms) all of the nasty things done to their ancestors was considered par for the course, it was generally accepted that the strong do as they will and weak suffer what they must.
Now the post WW2 settlement changed this, the Rules Based international Order classed actions like genocide as one of the unacceptable things for nation states to do. It also (informally) recognised that because righting every wrong done by anyone was impossible that we should draw a line in the sand under past events and look to the future.
Bulls eye!. You are right,in this real world, reparations are eutopian no one is gonna vote for it,we just need to learn and reorganise ourselves,our leadership and fix our "trauma" and never allow the west to fix us like they did our fore fathers.
This opinion is more popular than you think, too bad the media would rather sow division and gin up hysteria with the nonsense they spout.
I'm only worried about reparations for Foundational Black Americans. Let the Africans fight the fight in their native land
Hopefuly reparations will go to ordinary people and NOT to corrupt politicians (like Ghana's president) and super rich people.
What proof do you have that the Ghanaian president is corrupt ?
A lot of the effort to influence the government must be the result of those stimulations gleaned from the democratic societal works which are produced within the institutions of certain tribal authorities.
Yes, every president must be tasked with acknowledging the voices of the people; albeit, not one party of a society has brought a profitable stratagem before a chieftain nor the king with regards to those authoritative voices being poised to impact the legislative actions of parliament wherefore specific changes can be executed for the betterment of the nation.
Money is not enough we want Africa freedom
Definitely they can’t pay the amount for such labour what they did was horrible, the British and the Portuguese, did us dirty
If I need a visa to come your country the country my ancestors built, this is not a freedom
We African built those countries and I don’t think money is enough for such service
That’s what the focus should be on to stop foreign nations steeling wealth and fake leaders allow this to continue because certain families benefit instead of the people! This is why we are seeing in America this is more reason people that hate the system should run and make a change! No matter what race , ethnicity, or background, people should always have empathy for all instead of viewing only them! We should get rid of NATO and the WHO ! There is no benefit towards them ! American Politicians should stop meddling in other countries politics and worry about what there own people want! That’s to stop meddling in other peoples affairs! Stop the slavery that’s continuing to this day ! Stop platform’s like you tube owned by google which is also owned by a Pedophile on the run for having sex with under age girls! They are the reason and wealthy families like him that continue the slavery today called human trafficking or organ trafficking! People want to make innocent people pay for crimes in the past when wealthy families continue the practice today as we see with Jeffrey Epstein! Just like the past the wealthy families get away from the atrocities committed by having blame place on everyone when in fact it was them! Joe Briben the most corrupt President to date is bringing slavery back by climate change agenda, taking freedom away by his green new deal and has started multiple wars in under four years! Why? Because the people know it’s them who are doing it and propaganda like this is only there to instill anger to all!
@@Efelong Blacks are still practicing slavery in Africa themselves. Get some self awareness.
In the words of the great civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in 1969, "If my great-grandfather picked cotton for 50 years, then he may deserve some money, but he's dead and gone and nobody owes me anything".
There is no question whatsoever that the places that benefitted most from the slave trade were the coastal kingdoms of Africa.
Let's not forget about the Europeans they benefited alot from slave labor and the slaves decendents. And yes some africans should also owe black americans reperations. It should be fair as Germany giving the decendents of Jewish people cash payment reperations. Or how the u.s gives billions of dollars to Ukraine and israel! 👍🏾
@@Azrael3176 Thank you someone with knowledge show me some love on my Quroa awesome mind like mine! If you wish though... My name is GANGHOON on Quroa 😊
The British government paid 20 million pounds as compensation for loss of property to those who owned slaves from 1835 to 1843.. This accounted for almost 40% of the treasury's income and the government had to take out loans to pay the owners of slaves, rather than pay reparations to slaves themselves.
The british empire was the first to end the Atlantic slave trade and even forced many African countries to stop selling their slaves. Unfortunatly if they had not compensated the slave traders it probably wouldn't have been possible to end the Atlantic slave trade as well as it was done. If you want to see a counter example of how not to end a slave trade you should look at the east African slave trade which actually ended in the 20th century. It was far more brutal. In short slavery was as a common to the human condition as animal husbandry. The british can be proud of the fact that they stood by themselves and ended the practice at great cost to themselves in blood and treasure.
@@lobbyskids2 slavery is one thing buts what’s more evil is kidnapping humans which lead to 400 years of African slavery for free labor and abuse to build America. Why continue with planned generational divide with the purpose of destroying African history and libraries which lead to erasing African heritage followed by prejudice and inequality. Why weren’t the descendants of African slaves Given the same reparations as victims of the holocaust? Why were holocaust victims rescued by America and taken care of while African Americans weren’t?
I'm surprised at how the freedom they were given is so completely discounted.
Sue the African tribes that sold you.
And the buyer's who decided to maximize the profits by making slavery a generational crime. You don't have a problem suckling up the benefits of that crime.
Well the uk brought the whole slave trade company from Africa opening the door for America, which was the worst buyer
well actually the UK abolished the entire Atlantic slave trade and was the first major power in history to outright abolish slavery and enforce it internationally with its navy. It even forced many African kingdoms to stop enslaving each other. 🇬🇧
@@syleiswiley4037 OR WORRY ABOUT THE AFRICAN COUNTRIES WHO STILL DEAL IN SLAVERY TODAY AS WE SPEAK !!
For real reparations: they identify an actual victim of the offense in question.
They specify the abuses and damages.
They assign a dollar amount for their compensation.
They pay the victim.
If the victim is deceased; they identify the closest living legal heir and pay them.
What is the name of the slave that you are trying to collect the unpaid reparations for?
Would probably know the name if systematic racism didn't cloud the minds of the pure my question to you did you benefit from the soldiers and black brown soldiers that fought during the civil war? You know their names? I bet you, you don't lol 🤣
@@GANGHOON93
Exactly; prove you own it.
Prove who has it.
Take it.
Simple.
If you aren't out anything;
You aren't owed anything.
We are in complete agreement.
@@michaelpcoffee American government is the proof you living a well maybe not have to deal with racism life I assume? Yes I have figured it all out and again where are your sources?
@GANGHOON93
Your obsession with me is flattering but irrelevant.
Your projections and strawmen are dismissed without comment.
@@michaelpcoffee no I am obsessed with the lack of understanding you have and now that is very intriguing to me Take care and continue on with your ego racist hate ;) don't have to deny it I can feel it through your screen you are nothing but an NPC carry on robot
What about the Sub-Saharan slave trade? Ishmael has to answer alongside Esau.
That’s next
Yep. Don't worry we didn't forget about them
What about reparations from African tribes who sold other Africans to Europeans?
tell us which tribes you are referring to. stop parroting a narrative Europeans told you. First off every person who was taken to the America's will come from one of the tribes you will claim. So do you hold them responsible? Secondly go and do your own research the same Europeans who tell you African's were will nilly selling African's will also tell you the entire population of Africa was around 50 million when the trans Atlantic slave trade started. This includes North, South, East and West African populations. Same people will tell you around 25 million were sent to the America's between the 1400s and the 1800's.
This excludes approximately 17 million that were being stolen by the Arabs starting long before Europeans showed up. So first question, why is there no record of these African tribes selling African's to Arabs? Second question how many African's would be left of the approx. 50 mil that were busy selling each other to have profited from selling themselves? Go and do your research the part they leave out is the African's they claim were en mass selling each other were their own descendants from intermixing with the local populace they themselves stole. Go and look at their playbook it never changed, Go ad look at how they used mixed children the same way in places like Dominican Republic/Haiti etc. Instead of parroting the same tired narrative do your own investigation. Because those same people are now trying to claim in the USA that the enslaved were basically just migrants. While you are at it go and research how ad when the slave trade actually happened with the Spanish and Portugues royals.
And lastly ask yourself why o earth these same Europeans took Head's, limbs etc of African royals as an example to put in glass jars as aa display and kept them in Europe when these same royals were supposedly giving them their people. For crying out loud these are the same people that claimed African's couldn't read or write when there is clear evidence of Timbuktu that disproves this. The same people that say African's were swinging on trees and uncultured yet they still have in their own museums and have documented proof of places like great Zimbabwe and The Benin walls etc.
@@K...O....quake..well said man, they are trying to push and impose their narratives to victimize the African people to the atrocity they committed in the continent. But, evidence was there to prove that Africa was doing well, before their invasion and the thing that Africa, never does is to get in other people's continents and attack and destroy them for imperialist purposes.
Fyi; All "black people" are not African by blood, all "white people" however come from the same bloodline.
@@K...O....quake.. 🤔Ashanti which is present day Ghana, then there is Bono state, and Yoruba state , these were prisoners of war, debt slaves, and prostitution slaves! Slaves were transported all over the world and it continues to this day! Most Arab and some European hide it under the radar! When are people going to take accountability for them selves for allowing it to happen today ! Young Nigerian women are sold to these countries today! Reparations! Should the Israelites get reparations from Egypt! That’s documented too, or the Irish! There was a small percentage of elite families that owned slaves ! To have people pay for atrocious that there leaders in those days should have handled is ridiculous! It was just trans Alantic, there was the trans Sahara ! Many groups like Imbangala of Angola and the Nyamwezi of Tanzania were responsible for rounding up Africans ! How ironic Ghana is looking to get paid! Slavery existed over time! America is less than 400 years old and only 5% of the families in the south both white and black owned slaves! Stop talking about payments and stop it from happening today! 100thousand migrant children are missing in the United States under Biden working in labor and prostitution! We are trying to remove the garbage in power that stole a election in 2020 , the same garbage that wanted to strip Africa of its natural resources! Along with China and United Kingdom! But we don’t mention but America who is the newest nation and a civil war was fought to end it ! Here the same garbage want to rise to power again and enslave the world! No one is talking about that because your focused in the past!
Nonsensical deflection
Forcing the innocent to pay nonvictims for something that happened to neither of them is not reparations.
I agree. So lets pay the victims that walk amongst you today regardless of their color
@@geeropes
Exactly:
Prove your damages.
Prove who did it.
Collect your reparations.
If you aren't out anything;
You aren't owed anything.
If you aren't out anything;
You aren't owed anything.
A person who never owned a slave can't pay a person who never was a slave. Thats like paying child support for a child you never had with a woman you never slept with.
Im sure you were not responsible for the holocaust but you paid (and keep paying) jewish people for it
Yesss!! The history of American slavery has been misconstrued. Some freed slaves owned slaves and plantations. Then there are white farmers who freed their slaves and in their will they left their slaves entire farms, houses and money. My spouse had a 6th great grandpa who left 25 acres, 2 houses, cattle and cash to his former slaves. But Americans don’t discuss that. The “cash reparations “ concept is more of a political stunt for votes and to create division.
Will the now countries who’s former kings captured slaves in their wars and sold them to the Europeans, like modern day like Ghana and Nigeria, also have to pay reparations for the families that they harmed by assaulting and kidnapping their community members?
I think for the topic of slavery European Countries should make reparations to the f.e. Caribbean countries where they (mis-)used the slaves. Then the African countries that harmed the families on the continent should pay for this harm they caused there.
No amount of money or sorry is equal the lives of the 20 million people that the King of Belgium murdered. Embrace the reality of reparations cannot erase the inhumane nature of the atrocities done during colonialism and slavery. And let this reparations nonsense end. If you want development raise a population of innovative, hardworking, and morally upright youths.
Haitians;wait,so you guys are getting reparations for being colonized?
Smdh
Reparations is not just money ,money is materialistic and can only be measure with lust,greed and lobbying...smiling
In a 🌎 where money is power, reparations mean everything.
So you are basically begging for money becuase your ancestors were conquered?
If money means everything to you that is fine we are Africa we have no idea what that papers means so it’s worthless for us Africans
@@Efelongok then stay in the state your at lol. As a black american I want africans do better and to get there cash payment reperations aswell actions speak louder then words. I know they where also involved in selling us as slaves but alot of african nations that didn't do that where oppressed by other European nations.
Never gonna happen.
Keep the apology…send the money! That was not suppose to be free labor.
If America is going to start reparations I'm all for it as long as all of the injustices are addressed. My family did not own slaves but under the federal reconstruction my ancestors lost a little over 1000 acres of prime farmland. Both slavery and reconstruction were legal under federal laws until the emancipation proclamation. If my tax dollars are to be used to pay someone who was never a slave and the money is taken from people who never owned a slave then I am due money for that land, quite a bit of which is called Knoxville Tennessee now. Tell me how much you think that's worth.
In 2024 it is shocking given that Portugal was one of the main countries involved in the slave trade. It was the first to illegally traffic men women and children to children to places like Brazil the Carribean and Europe in forced labour. Even the Church of England has recognized its role in the slave trade and has pledged reparations. Countries and institutions should acknowledge the crimes of the past and our then right.
❤Thanks for sharing I'm a poet I write thought provoking poetry and a musician stay blessed
Curse the fool who ask for reparations in the form of American or foreign currency and not gold .....It will be a slave wanting to be brought back in slavery.....Gold, military and land equals reparations....period
First thing African people need to come together and their leaders need to stop giving away their resources to west without Africa the west would fail the reason for no reaperation black people is because black people don't unite the Jewish people will continue get money and land and everything they ask for because they unite
Some nation has to be the first to move. Though this will likely cause international anger and put pressure on and embarrass all the other nation who don't join in, it will get the ball moving. The first to move should be all the African nations involved in the slave trade. They should put together a small fund, some land and residency for the children of the slaves. This would be painful for them but this will transform reparations from academic discussions to reality
In 2024 there is more slavery then ever. Human trafficking is crazy.
Im too quick to open 😂
The judicial system is based on time and money reparation Money / and land
I stand with Human Rights for Global Justice
🙄
Free money isn't a human right
@@lobbyskids2
Its not free, our ancestors earned it, the labor our ancestors was forced to provide your ancestors was basically free.
@@TheZenGarden_ maybe but you didn't though.
@@TheZenGarden_ Your ancestors should have built a defensible civilisation. You were conquered. It happens to every people at some point or another.
Hundreds of years ago. Irrelevant now. Do we get reparations for the Barbary slave trade ?. Please get over it.
Forget it
Nobody live in the past what has happened is in the past let focus on building African to greater heights
That should be our focus.
Even if they pay the money tell what we use the money to do
I will tell you our leaders we misuse the money
IM NOT WAITING FOR MY MULE FROM THE GOVERNMENT ! I BOUGHT MY OWN MULE !! I GUESS I DIDNT THINK THIS THROUGH . MY LANDLORD IS EVICTING ME IF I DONT GET RID OF IT !!
The question I wanna ask the West is this, your forefathers recognized that all humans are born equal and so they ended slavery. But the colonial times and the neo colonial time as Africa is existing in right now make me ask these questions genuinely; if truly all humans are born equal and that all humans have equal rights, do you truly believe that?
100 right, and we must do the right thing we need world justice, we need the equality of humanity all over the world and not special treatment but equality, the colonialism need to stop in Africa I mean from my Africa continent, I am a Nigerian I am African
Africa does not need reparations. Africa need today lead its continent as a country. 1. Take 100% control of all natural resources and minerals and trade for the top but fair price. Each government of each country must build architecture machines that brings us our natural resources rather than it being manufactured. 2. We need to maximise our full potential example Congos river has the potential to produce the most electricity in the whole world . The mega project The grand Inga Dam must be created with this hydro energy we can grow indefinitely with our own land and funds.
3. We need 1 military and a democracy power that governs all 54 countries or some type of system
The incident with Glencoe® several years ago was telling of a collective effort simply not to pay for natural resources being extracted. Europeans intentionally will not pay and vote to steal the resources although the governments are incapable of recognizing the value unless a bribe is offered to a coterie of Eurocentric puppets.
Nope we need compensation. Let them annulled all debts in africa
@@africaine4889 All reparations are earned at the end of a war (e.g. Mexico in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War or France in spite of the Haitian-French War). The more that word is thrown around, the more prepared people ought to be in fighting each battle that it will take to provide whichever form of reparations to the losing side as it may seem appropriate.
@@africaine4889 if Africa controls 100% of it’s resources Africa Control over 60% of world trade which means infinity amount of money. If Africa with BRICS get it right world economy will change dramatically by the £ and $ being dramatically weakened which means Africa again will gain much more wealth. If Africa with all this wealth can build with this income mega projects like the Grand inja Dam Africa will transform dramatically in every single way, this will make countries like America and Britain turn into Malaysia without Africa. America and Britain will need to match whatever price Africa put on trade and Africa will become THE world power with China and Russia already its main allies. We dont reparations these merely just an added boost to Africa, maybe in terms of us the people yes but Africa it’s self does not needs anyone or anything, Africa has everything.
is there 400 million blacks in America?????
💯
Perhaps reparations should be paid to the families of the white soldiers in the Union army that fought and died to end slavery.
Haiti 🇭🇹 needs 🤑💰 monetary reparations from France. Haiti and the African Union must join forces in March 2026. Africa 🌍 is the greatest
Africa should pay reoperations to the west for all the free technology and aid.
Bustard
*The way of a fool is right in his own eyes:* but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. ~ Mishlei 12:15
Aid is a remittance of funds gained through neo-colonialism in the form of raw materials and is a fraction of what those raw materials actually cost. 60% of all aid is paid as expatriate worker salaries!
Aid is a smoke screen for the idea that Africa is a charity case when Western countries are extracting wealth from these countries.
Haiti typing
THE ARABS WONT PAYS
The Transatlantic Slave Trade aka Devarim 28:15-68 = Bereshit 15:12-14.
I would support full reparations! This would be calculating the loss of all income of what would have been earned in Africa from the 1600s until now. This would probably be less than a few hundred dollars a year.
Full reparations include the cost of returning to the land nativity and the renunciation of American citizenship.
Nothing can repare. Free Africa!
I guess this is the special time when
our begging for money will finally work for development ehh😅.
Stay on them about it bro. They can say no. But, the idea will eventually be that everytime they see a Black face it will be associated with where's my money?🌝
0:18 which iii have all injuries multiple times and the shame & dangers of it all no compensation.
We don't want reparations...just open your borders.😂😂
An insult .
Yes......ALL registered Democrats should start paying right away. It was their policies of slavery and Jim Crow that started this conversation to begin with.
#Free Africa
I think that was the idea at the time 😅 perhaps consider pricing your labour less cheaply.
Ezekiel 18 20. Reparations are against god
We want our name Kĩrĩnyaga back! ..the white name 'Kenya' is extremely nefarious!!
Our pride and dignity starts with our identity ..which is intricately linked with our nomenculture (the afro-americans made the mistake of 'claiming' the word 'nigga' and to this day they fail to take themselves seriously)
We try to wear the 'Kenyan' identity to our own peril!
..the diabolic
Poor people since before Bible times, I could honestly see a little taxes invested in each company at a time, for everyone, not free,but as a investment!!!! for everyone when robots take over 😂 . I mean the world was never good we all fought and many died, the lies where never made laws. Let's be real nobody owes anyone anything. Let's get real and ask all branches, people, and businesses, governments, to work together for a future investment of payments to everyone rich or poor as a investment that goes up and down.😮 Let's get real. Let's not be sitting on our hands when robots slowly start boiling the frog in the water, Let's work together technology is everywhere worldwide.
We have no problem with who will take the money, whether Africa or its children in diaspora, what is more important is that the money should be paid.
STOP✋ discrimination against homosexuals in Africa and Arabia STOP✋ homophobia...
U again nana you lie too much
😂😂😂 sure you’ll get reparation one day
Africa should be able to sue. So they can focus on the right things.
Africa should address the disease, poverty, FGM, rape etc. The leaders live like kings while the people live in toxic waste.
First of all We want Britain, France, USA, Spain, Portuguese, Belgium etc need to pack their things and leave, especially the Military troops, that will be a start to reparations!
Especially France need to stop collecting 500 billions dollars yearly from French colonies! And pay back the money.
Return our artifacts with the money they have been collecting!!!
There must be reparations!!!
Quick question: Who is meant to pay those reparations? The Arabs or the Whites? Cause it was the arabs who enslaved black africans and others for 600 years BEFORE the transatlantic slave trade. Most slave traders were arabs and some were black. Slavery is a thing in arab nations to this day btw....they helped the europeans/americans to establish their slave trade later. Without them, it wouldnt have happened. So ask all the Mohammeds for some coin too while you are at it.
Whole world should pay Britain fee, not for cultural enrichment, but for technical enrichment wich it provided to the rest of the world. Also for ending slavery. Britain literally carried the whole world to civilisation just for world to spit back at them.
what a joke -the eternal victim race 😂😂😂
Yet here u are in the victims race page meddling
Pay for African slaves
For real reparations: they identify an actual victim of the offense in question.
They specify the abuses and damages.
They assign a dollar amount for their compensation.
They pay the victim.
If the victim is deceased; they identify the closest living legal heir and pay them.
What is the name of the slave that you are trying to collect the unpaid reparations for?