New York: Europe and the Arabs
"One of the darkest chapters in human history," said the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Philemon Yang, describing the transatlantic slave trade. He emphasized the urgent moral imperative to dismantle this legacy and lay the foundations for a more just future based on human dignity and human rights.
This came in his address to the annual plenary session of the General Assembly to commemorate the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. He highlighted the impact of this practice, which saw between 25 and 30 million people forcibly uprooted, enslaved, and transported from Africa to the Caribbean and the Americas over a period of 400 years, "many of whom did not survive the journey." According to the United Nations Daily News Bulletin, Yang noted that although slavery and the transatlantic slave trade have been formally abolished, and African nations have regained their sovereignty through waves of decolonization, the effects of injustice are not easily erased. “They persist in policies and institutions that perpetuate racism and systematic oppression against people of African descent.” He called for “the dismantling of these structures of inequality,” strengthening and implementing laws that uphold equality in housing, employment, health care, education, and criminal justice, implementing policies that not only recognize historical injustice, but also correct it and uphold the dignity and rights of people of African descent. He also emphasized the importance of education, emphasizing that “education and remembrance are crucial to ensuring we do not forget,” calling for the integration of a comprehensive history of slavery and its repercussions into educational curricula around the world. “An informed society is better able to counter prejudice and foster empathy.” Yang pointed to the Second International Decade for People of African Descent, declared by the General Assembly in 2024, stressing that it represents a crucial opportunity to address the continuing legacy of slavery and colonialism.
He noted that the time has come to support initiatives that promote healing, whether through reform measures, public recognition, or community-based projects aimed at reconciliation. He added, "The fight against the vestiges of slavery must be global. Only through collective action can we build a world of dignity and justice."
"The Journey of Returning Heritage"
Addressing the General Assembly, Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian Nobel Prize laureate in Literature, emphasized that slavery has not ended, but that its markets are thriving across Africa.
He added, "Today, the new slave traders wait for us to send our children to school, especially boarding schools, and they become easy prey. They pounce on them, take them away, hold them in the forests, and then invite us to come and redeem them."
He warned that slavery will remain a phenomenon for a long time, as there are slaves in houses, in the fields, and in the Sahara. Soyinka emphasized that it is impossible to quantify material compensation for slavery, and that adequate compensation for this global atrocity can only be addressed symbolically.
He added, "Let's abandon the idea of ​​material compensation. Let's address it symbolically through one of the symbolic activities we can engage in."
He proposed an interactive exhibition called "The Heritage Journey Back," which would serve as a "mobile memorial." According to the Nigerian author's proposal, the exhibition would include artifacts from the African continent, as well as photographs of slave ships.
In his address to the event, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that the transatlantic slave trade is "an indelible stain on the conscience of humanity," stressing that the "exorbitant profits" generated by slavery and the racist ideologies that fueled it persist.
Guterres added that the depth and magnitude of "the cruelty, barbarity, and depravity of this practice are beyond comprehension." He deeply regretted the involvement of several countries—including his own, Portugal—in this immoral trade, which was “driven by greed and based on lies, particularly the lie of white supremacy.”
The Secretary-General emphasized that this day, which falls on 25 March each year, is not just a day of remembrance, but also “a day to reflect on the enduring legacy of slavery and colonialism and to strengthen our resolve to combat these evils today.”
He said that the crimes of the transatlantic slave trade and their ongoing impact have gone unaddressed for too long, but thanks to the tireless work of affected leaders and communities, “calls to acknowledge and redress the past can no longer be ignored.”