slavery - The African Mirror

Apr

18

2024

Caribbean ambassador calls for global action to establish slavery tribunal

NEWS

A high-level Caribbean ambassador said that it was crucial to establish a new international special tribunal to seek reparations for transatlantic slavery and its legacies in today's society. Reuters reported earlier this month that support was building among African and Caribbean nations for the creation of such a tribunal on atrocities dating to transatlantic slavery. For over four centuries at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped, forcibly transported thousands of kilometres by mainly European ships and merchants and sold into slavery. David Comissiong, the Barbados ambassador to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and a well-known reparations advocate, said a tribunal was needed as…

Jan

16

2024

By CATARINA DEMONY and MIGUEL PEREIRA

Lisbon plaques remember Portugal’s ‘silenced’ role in slavery

NEWS

PLAQUES turning the spotlight on Lisbon's role in slavery and "silenced" African history have been installed in different locations across the city, a long-awaited moment for many given the country's lack of acknowledgement of its colonial past. From the 15th to the 19th century, more than six million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported by Portuguese ships and sold into slavery, primarily to Brazil, but little is taught in schools about it and Portugal's colonial past is often seen as a source of pride. Twenty plaques were installed at sites of historical significance, including at one of the capital's main…

Jul

02

2023

By TOBY STERLING

King apologises for Netherlands’ historic role in slavery

WORLD

DUTCH King Willem-Alexander apologised for the Netherlands' historic involvement in slavery and the effects that it still has today. The king was speaking at a ceremony marking the 160th anniversary of the legal abolition of slavery in the Netherlands, including its former colonies in the Caribbean. "On this day that we remember the Dutch history of slavery, I ask forgiveness for this crime against humanity," he said. He said racism in Dutch society remains a problem and not everyone would support his apology. However "the times have changed and Keti Koti ... the chains have truly been broken," he said…

Apr

28

2023

By The African Mirror

Slavery’s historical link to marriage is still at play in some African societies

CULTURE

GOVERNMENTS and religious institutions regulate marriage. Such regulations are heavily laden with specific moral ideas and cultural taboos. There are heated debates around what counts as “proper” marriage: should polygamy or monogamy be preferred? What should be the minimal age for marriage? Despite these debates, all contemporary societies see marriage as a sacrosanct institution that deserves legal protection. Not so slavery. Author BENEDETTA ROSSI, Professor of History, UCL Today slavery is abolished in all countries. But 250 years ago various forms of slavery would have been legal on all continents. During the period of legal slavery, marriage and slavery were…

Jan

05

2023

By The African Mirror

Benin is building a theme park to remember slavery – is history up for sale?

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE Marina Project is a vast memorial and tourist complex under construction in Ouidah, a coastal town in the Republic of Benin in West Africa. The country hopes to market itself as a major destination for Afro-descendant tourists in the diaspora. Neighbouring Nigeria and its population of 220 million potential visitors also make serene and diminutive Benin an enviable location for large-scale tourist attractions. Author DOMINIQUE SOMDA, Junior research fellow, Institute for Humanities in Africa (HUMA), University of Cape Town The waterfront development is located at what was the main slave port for the Bight of Benin. From this region…

Nov

05

2022

By The African Mirror

Dutch government to apologise for role in colonial-era slavery

NEWS

THE Dutch government will apologise later this year for its role in slavery during the nation's colonial past, a member of Prime Minister Mark Rutte's Cabinet said. Minister for Legal Protection Franc Weerwind confirmed a report by broadcaster RTL that the government planned to make a formal apology in December. The government also plans to spend 200 million euros on a fund promoting awareness about the colonial power's role in slavery and 27 million euros to open a slavery museum, RTL reported. The decision follows the recommendation last year by an advisory panel that the government acknowledge that the 17th-19th century transatlantic…

Oct

19

2020

By The African Mirror

Picked by Slaves: Coffee crisis brews in Brazil

HUMAN RIGHTS

FABIO TEIXEIRA

Feb

17

2021

By The African Mirror

Mali fails to face up to the persistence of slavery

HUMAN RIGHTS

THE internal African slave trade was officially abolished in colonial Mali in 1905. But a form of slavery – called “descent-based slavery” – continues today. This is when “slave status” is ascribed to a person, based on their ancestors having allegedly been enslaved by elite slave-owning families. MARIE RODET, Reader in the History of Africa, SOAS, University of London BAKARY CAMARA, Professeur Titulaire Agrégé des facultés de droit et Doyen de la Faculté de Droit Public, Université des sciences juridiques et politiques de Bamako LOTTE PELCKMANS, Associate Professor, Centre for Advanced Migration Studies, University of Copenhagen The practice is most…

Jul

02

2021

By The African Mirror

Panel advises Dutch government to apologise for slavery

HUMAN RIGHTS

AN advisory panel in the Netherlands has told the government to acknowledge that the 17th-19th century transatlantic slave trade amounted to crimes against humanity, and to apologise for the Dutch role. The independent panel, whose recommendations are not binding, was set up following protests over the murder of George Floyd, an African-American in police custody in the United States. It noted that Dutch people's knowledge of the country's colonial past is weak and recommended it be taught in schools. "History cannot be turned back," chairwoman Dagmar Oudshoorn said in a summary of the panel's findings. "However it is possible to…

Jun

19

2021

By The African Mirror

OPINION: We must understand the context of cocoa farming to stop child labour in West Africa

HUMAN RIGHTS

MICHAEL EHIS ODIJIE IT is now two decades since reports of child slavery and child labour in cocoa cultivation in West Africa led to a global campaign against these practices. Numerous initiatives to combat child labour have been launched by groups such as chocolate manufacturers through sustainability schemes, standards organisations like Fairtrade, multi-stakeholder groups such as the International Cocoa Initiative, and NGOs. However, research suggests that child labour in cocoa farming in West Africa is still rampant. Although trafficking is difficult to study, media reports suggest that children are still being trafficked into cocoa farms in large numbers. Several factors explain the lack of success of these programmes…