We Shouldn't Let Next Generation Judge us StúPiḍ Leaders? Prez Mahama Bold Speech to African Leaders

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[00:05:43][music] >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> We gather Because history has summoned us to complete a conversation that began centuries ago and remains unfinished.

[00:06:26]I wish to warmly welcome all participants who have traveled from around the world to take part in this conference.

[00:06:33]Your presence here reflects a shared recognition that the issues before us transcend national boundaries and speak instead to our common humanity, our shared history, and our collective responsibility to future generations.

[00:06:49]On 25th September 2025 last year, I stood before the United Nations General Assembly and announced Ghana's intention to introduce a resolution declaring the traffic of enslaved Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.

[00:07:06]At that time, it was a bold proposition.

[00:07:09]It was ambitious, necessary, but uncertain in its outcome. It was rooted in our conviction that humanity must confront this history with greater honesty and clarity. Not merely because of what happened centuries ago, but because of the enduring consequences that continue to shape societies and communities across the world even today.

[00:07:33]There was no certainty that such a proposition would command broad international support. And yet exactly 6 months later on 25th of March 2026 the United Nations General Assembly addressed that proposition and by a decisive majority member states adopted resolution A/Re250 marking a historic step in the international community's acknowledgement of the scale brutality and enduring consequences of the trafficking of enslaved Africans and of racialized charter enslavement.

[00:08:11]But before proceeding further, I wish to express my profound appreciation to all the 123 member states that supported the resolution [applause] as well as to the many institutions, scholars, civil society organizations, faith leaders, activists and advocates whose dedication over many years made its adoption possible. Their efforts contributed significantly to creating the conditions for a more honest and constructive global conversation.

[00:08:48]For Ghana, this effort is not just an excise in diplomacy. It is a moral obligation that is rooted in our history, our identity, and our responsibility as a nation whose shores hold both the tragedy of departure and the hope of return. We do not seek to reopen old wounds. We seek to heal those wounds. We do not seek division. We seek justice and understanding and reconciliation grounded in the truth.

[00:09:17]And at the same time, the significance of this conference lies not only in the support that made the resolution possible, but also in the willingness of a broader community of nations and institutions to engage in the work that follows.

[00:09:32]The pursuit of historical justice is not strengthened by narrowing the circle of participation. It is strengthening strengthened by expanding it. It is strengthened when those who may approach these issues from different historical, political or legal perspectives nevertheless choose dialogue over silence and engagements over distance.

[00:09:55]In that spirit, I urge all participants gathered here today to approach our deliberations with openness, humility, and a shared commitment to advancing human dignity.

[00:10:06]Distinguished guest, the adoption of the resolution was never intended to mark the end of the journey. It was intended to provide the foundation for a more meaningful process of engagement, reflection, and action.

[00:10:21]Less than three months after its adoption, we're here in Ara to address the question that naturally follows.

[00:10:29]What are the next steps?

[00:10:32]We're here because recognition creates responsibility and because the enduring consequences of this history continue to demand thoughtful, coordinated, and sustained international engagement.

[00:10:46]It is fitting that we meet in Ghana. A few places in the world bear such vivid physical testimony to this history as our country. From Albina in the central region and Cape Coast to Asin Mansu and Usu, our land holds some of the most visible reminders of a system that uprooted millions of Africans and altered the course of world history.

[00:11:11]Not too far from where we're gathered today stands castles, dungeons, and the doors of no return through which countless Africans pass before disappearing over the horizon.

[00:11:24]For many, that horizon marked the end of [clears throat] everything they knew.

[00:11:28]And yet today, the descendants of those journeys have returned not in chains, but as presidents, as prime ministers, as scholars, as jurists, as activists, as historians and citizens of the world.

[00:11:44]History has brought us full circle.

[00:11:49]>> [applause] >> These historic sites connect Africa to the Caribbean, to North and South America, and to communities across the globe whose histories and identities were shaped by this shared experience.

[00:12:03]We therefore gather not only as representatives of our states, but as partners in a common effort to confront the enduring legacies of this history and to build a future that is greater than the past that we have inherited.

[00:12:17]As we reflect on this history, it is important to remember that the experience of enslavement was not borne equally by all who endured it. While millions of African men, women, and children suffered the violence and indignity of the transatlantic slave trade, the experiences of women and girls were marked by forms of brutality that have too often been marginalized in the historical record.

[00:12:47]>> [applause] >> History remembers the names of the ships, the merchants, and the trading companies. Yet far too often, it forgets the woman whose body became a sight of exploitation or the mother standing on the shore uncertain whether she would ever see her child again.

[00:13:09]For many enslaved women, exploitation did not end just with providing labor.

[00:13:14]Their bodies became the their bodies themselves became instruments of economic extraction.

[00:13:21]Their capacity to bear children was transformed into a means of reproducing bondage across generations.

[00:13:28]Their suffering was often concealed from the official record leading them victims not only of the institution but also of historical erasia.

[00:13:39]And so today we must also pay tribute to the extraordinary women whose courage, resilience and leadership have sustained the long struggle for freedom.

[00:13:49][applause] [applause] From nani of the maroons in Jamaica whose story is believed to have began on the shores of present day Ghana to Harriet Tubman and Sjona Truth. Women have been at the forefront of resistance against oppression.

[00:14:12]Their courage was mared by countless others whose names history has failed to record and yet whose sacrifices help preserve families, communities, and hope in the most difficult of circumstances.

[00:14:26]We also honor the women of our time, the scholars, the activists, the jurists, the public servants, policy makers, and civil society leaders who continue to champion this cause. And many of those women are present in this hall today.

[00:14:43]Their contributions have helped bring us to this historic moment and continue to shape the path that we must take ahead.

[00:14:51]Their stories remind us that reparatory justice must also be gender responsive.

[00:14:57]The historical experiences of women and girls cannot remain footnotes in the global narrative. They must occupy their rightful place [applause] at the center of truthtelling, remembrance and redress.

[00:15:11]And so any framework for truthtelling, memorialization, reparatory justice or historical reckoning that fails to recognize the specific experience of women will remain incomplete.

[00:15:26]And so to all the women who have carried this course often without recognition and who continue to advance it with conviction, intellect and determination, we see you.

[00:15:38]We honor your contribution. We're profoundly grateful for your effort.

[00:15:43][applause] Distinguished guests, as we confront this history honestly, we must also be clear about what it demands of us.

[00:15:54]None of us gathered in this hall today can be held personally responsible for the atrocities of the transatlantic slave trade and racialized chat and slavement of Africans.

[00:16:07]We did not build the ships that crossed the Atlantic. We did not provide the insurance for loss of human cargo at sea. We did not operate the castles and plantations.

[00:16:18]We did not create the legal systems that transformed human beings into property or denied them their most basic human rights. Those crimes belong to another age. And yet every generation inherits responsibilities from the past.

[00:16:36]History does not ask us to inherit guilt, but it asks us to inherit responsibility.

[00:16:44]While we may not bear responsibility for actions committed centuries ago, were responsible for the world those actions have helped to create.

[00:16:55]We inherit the institutions, the inequalities and the structures that history has left behind. We inherit both the achievements and the failures of those who came before us. And the question is therefore not whether we are guilty of the past or whether we are prepared to address its enduring consequences.

[00:17:15]That is the test facing our generation.

[00:17:19]Indeed, one of the most encouraging developments since the adoption of the resolution has been the growing willingness of institutions and governments across the world to engage more openly with that history.

[00:17:32]We must be prepared to engage constructively even with the descendants of those who made the enslavement of our forefathers and our form possible.

[00:17:43]Indeed, since the resolution, we've witnessed significant acts of acknowledgement and reflection by religious institutions, including the historic statement by His Holiness Pope Leo I 14th, as well as ongoing engagements by the Church of Scotland and the Church of England regarding their historical links to slavery.

[00:18:04]We also welcome the growing engagement of national leaders and governments in advancing dialogue on historical justice, including the message we just heard from President Emanuel Macron.

[00:18:18]Such developments are significance because they demonstrate a willingness to engage with difficult truths and to confront history honestly.

[00:18:27]Distinguished guest, one of the most important lessons from this history is that its consequences have never been confined to a single geographical region.

[00:18:37]The transatlantic slave trade connected continents through pain and suffering.

[00:18:43]It linked the shores of Africa to the Caribbean and to North and South America and to communities across the world whose identities, cultures, and history were forever shaped by the forced displacement of millions of Africans.

[00:18:59]And yet, even as it dispersed people across oceans and continents, it forged enduring bonds that continue to unite Africans and people of African descent today.

[00:19:10]It is therefore fitting that Africa and the Caribbean continue to stand together in advancing this agenda.

[00:19:18]The adoption of the resolution was made possible by decades of advocacy and cooperation among African states, carryom scholars, civil society organizations, faith communities, legal experts and members of the African diaspora.

[00:19:35]And so the progress we have made demonstrates what is possible when we act not in isolation but in partnership.

[00:19:43]And so the next phase of this work must be guided by the same spirit.

[00:19:48]As the African Union Champion on reparations, I strongly support the decision of the African Union Assembly to establish an African Caribbean joint mechanism on reparative justice.

[00:20:02]>> [applause] >> The crime we seek to address was transcontinental in its reach.

[00:20:13]Its consequences remain transcontinental in its impact and the search for justice must therefore be transcontinental in its ambition.

[00:20:24]Distinguished guests, the work before us extend beyond Africa and the Caribbean.

[00:20:30]It requires constructive engagement with partners from across all regions of the world. It requires the participation of governments, international organizations, academic institutions, civil society organizations, faith communities, and cultural institutions.

[00:20:47]It requires us to build coalitions broad enough to sustain progress and inclusive enough to foster trust.

[00:20:54]Most importantly, the future we seek must be guided by a commitment to reparatory justice that is forward-looking in its purpose and transformative in its ambition.

[00:21:07]Reparatory justice is not only about acknowledging the past. It is also about expanding opportunity, advancing human development, and creating a more just future for communities affected by the enduring consequences of this historical injustice.

[00:21:25]And so our objective over the next two days is not simply to exchange views. It is intended to lay the foundations for a practical international road map. A road map that advances truthtelling, supports research and education, promotes memorialization, facilitates the restitution of cultural heritage, explores legal pathways, and creates opportunities for meaningful partnership between Africa, the diaspora, and the wider international community.

[00:21:56]And in this endeavor, the African diaspora remains indispensable.

[00:22:01]The descendants of those who endured enslavement are not mere observers of this process. They are the right holders whose experiences, knowledge, and aspirations must help shape our path ahead.

[00:22:14]If the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution marked an important moment of international recognition, our responsibility now is to ensure that this recognition translates into meaningful and sustained action.

[00:22:29]And so today we must move from recognition to building the architecture for reparatory justice. To ensure the momentum generated by resolution AE8250 is sustained and translated into practical outcomes. I'm pleased to announce the establishment of three global panels which will serve as the pillars of the next phase of this international effort.

[00:22:56]The first is a global advisory panel on reparatory justice comprising heads of states and government, eminent leaders and public figures who will provide strategic guidance to advance international dialogue and cooperation on reparatory justice. The second is an expert panel on the resistion of cultural artifacts which will support efforts to facilitate the return of all cultural properties, archives, sacred objects and historical treasures to their rightful communities and countries of origin. And the third is a global legal panel on reparatory justice which will bring together distinguished jurists and legal scholars to explore legal pathways, deepen legal understanding and develop approaches that are consistent with international law, human dignity and justice.

[00:23:49]These panels are not intended to replace the work of governments, regional organizations or international institutions.

[00:23:57]Rather they intended to strengthen the work that work by providing intellectual, technical and policy support as the international community advances from recognition to implementation.

[00:24:10]And I believe that as my sister Mia said, the CARICOM tempo plan would serve as an important uh starting point for the work of these panels.

[00:24:21][applause] Distinguished guests, the work before us cannot be accomplished through declarations alone, nor can it be accomplished through a single conference or outcome document.

[00:24:35]And so over the period of this conference, we must consider how best to advance a global post adoption framework that builds on the important work already underway across all regions and institutions.

[00:24:49]And in preparation for this conference, senior officials and technical experts have worked diligently to develop a draft framework to guide our discussions and inform our collective efforts. Their work is an important contribution to the task before us. And we must now strengthen collaboration among governments and partners, promote greater alignment among existing initiatives and identify pathways to advance the aspirations outlined in the resolution.

[00:25:20]Tomorrow we shall gather at the Christianb Castle OSU and I invite all of you to join us for a traditional deba and a commemorative event marking the first joint observance of the Junth anniversary by Africa and the United States.

[00:25:38]That occasion will offer an opportunity to honor the memory, celebrate resilience and reflect on the enduring connections between Africa and the diaspora.

[00:25:49]It will remind us that while the experiences of people of African descent have unfolded across diverse societies and historical context, they remain connected by a shared history whose consequences continue to resonate across generations and continents.

[00:26:06]The UN General Assembly resolution marked an important moment of international recognition.

[00:26:13]The responsibility now is to ensure that this recognition translates into meaningful and sustained action. And so the question before us is not whether history can be changed. History cannot be changed. The question is whether we have the courage to learn from it.

[00:26:31]Whether we have the wisdom to confront history honestly. Whether we have the determination to transform remembrance into responsibility and to transform responsibility into action.

[00:26:44]Future generations will judge us not by the resolutions we adopted but by the progress we achieve. And so let them say that in Ara we chose truth over denial.

[00:26:59]Let them say that in Ara we chose partnership over indifference.

[00:27:05]And let them say that in Ara we chose justice over delay.

[00:27:09]And let them say that when history called upon our generation to act, we stood up and we answered with courage. I thank you. [applause] >> [music] >> Please subscribe [music] to Morris TVga G8.