Accra, Ghana – For many descendants of enslaved Africans, a formal apology for the transatlantic slave trade is not justice. As calls for reparations gather momentum, they say acknowledgement without meaningful action cannot undo generations of loss, displacement and exploitation.The debate gained renewed attention after the three-day “Next Steps” conference on slavery and reparatory justice, held in Accra from June 17 to 19, brought together heads of state, policymakers, legal experts, civil society groups and representatives of the African diaspora. The gathering came months after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution, backed by 123 countries, recognising the transatlantic slave trade as among the gravest crimes against humanity.Participants adopted a 19-point framework calling for formal apologies from countries and institutions that profited from slavery, alongside reparations mechanisms, debt relief, the return of cultural artefacts and human remains, educational initiatives and stronger international cooperation.But for many descendants of enslaved Africans, an apology, however formal, is nowhere near enough.“I am not too eager to accept apology for egregious crimes committed against humanity,” Yaw Owusu Akyeaw of African Diaspora 126+ told Al Jazeera. The organisation is a lobbying group that facilitates pathways to Ghanaian residency and citizenship for members of the diaspora.“A verbal apology is a symbolic way to …
