AfaLab in The Guardian: Thanks to Trump, it is now in Europe’s self-interest to compensate Africa for slavery

Rights reserved: A man looks out to sea from a commemorative building known locally as 'The Tunnel' near the 'Point of No Return' where enslaved people were shipped from the port at Badagry, Nigeria, 21 June 2019. Photograph: Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters

At the opening of the African Union Summit in mid-February 2025, our Executive Director, Liliane Umubyeyi, PhD, published an op-ed in The Guardian (external link) recalling that it is the right moment for Africa to demand accountability for slavery and colonialism and their enduring consequences and for Europe's democracies to finally offer a meaningful response.  

In the article (external link), Liliane argues that the current geopolitical context puts European democracies in a fragile and vulnerable position. It is in the best interests of European democracies to renew their partnership relations with the rest of the world. In the case of the African continent, this cannot be achieved without a serious and adequate response to the demands for justice and reparation for the crimes of colonialism and slavery.