Understanding historical foundations of systemic extraction How did centuries of colonial exploitation directly shape Africa’s modern sovereign debt crisis?

In this premiere episode, we lay the groundwork for our joint miniseries by unpacking the deep historical links between colonial extraction, land dispossession, and contemporary financial dependency in Africa. Drawing on key insights from AFRODAD’s landmark paper, “The political economy of debt and reparation in Africa: Building a united front to advance the cause of debt justice and reparation in Africa and diaspora,” we move past surface-level economic analyses to examine how today's debt traps are rooted in long-standing structural inequalities.

Join us as we explore what it means to anchor an African-led reparative justice agenda—one that links debt cancellation to complete structural transformation, global financial reform, and true economic sovereignty.

The root cause: How pre- and post-colonial systems of extraction created postcolonial financial dependency.

Beyond debt relief: Why modern sovereign debt operates as a continuation of historical exploitation.

African agency: Building a unified front across Africa and the diaspora to demand reparative justice and global governance reform.

Dr. Marie Louise Aren (external link) - International economic lawyer, expert in sovereign debt, trade, and tax law, and author of The political economy of debt and reparation in Africa.

Catherine Mithia (external link) - Policy Research & Advocacy Officer - Sovereign Debt Management at AFRODAD  

• The Political Economy of Debt and Reparation in Africa: Building a United Front to Advance the Cause of Debt Justice and Reparations in Africa (external link)
  
• Debt Cancellation Is Not Enough!
  Repairing Economic Colonial Injustices through Radical Reform of the International Financial Architecture (external link)