By Boakye Stephen, Kumasi, Ghana | Reporting for Ghanaian News, Canada
Journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni explores the uncomfortable truth that Africans played a central role in capturing and selling their fellow Africans to European slave traders. Citing research including Ghanaian Professor Akosua Perbi, Awuni notes that up to 90% of slaves transported abroad were captured by Africans during wars and territorial conflicts.
He emphasizes that while the transatlantic slave trade was horrific, internal complicity cannot be ignored. Countries like Benin have formally apologized, and Ghana has subtly acknowledged its past with initiatives like the Joseph Project.
Awuni argues that reparations should consider this complexity: African states whose citizens participated in the trade bear shared responsibility, even as descendants of enslaved people in the Americas and Caribbean deserve redress.
Commentary: Historical accountability must be multi-dimensional. Recognizing our own role strengthens credibility in reparations negotiations. This is a moral lesson for modern governance: selfishness and greed historically weakened African societies; transparency and honesty are now crucial in pursuing justice.
