At the UN Conference against Racism, discussion over the kind of recompense for the 400 years of human trafficking in which more than 12 million African were in chains.
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At the UN Conference against Racism, discussion over the kind of recompense for the 400 years of human trafficking in which more than 12 million African were in chains. |
AFRICAN countries at the United Nations anti-bigotry conference are split over the form of recompense they want from the West for slavery. Zimbabwe and Namibia have broken ranks with the more moderate positions taken by South Africa and Nigeria, insisting that the Durban gathering should denounce the Atlantic slave trade and Western colonialism as a “crime against humanity”.
Harare and Windhoek are both seeking multi-million pound compensation packages against their British and German colonisers and are trying to rally support for their case from African countries attending the conference.
But South Africa and Nigeria have argued against calls for individual reparations for slavery and colonialism, insisting that increased Western assistance for African economic recovery programmes would be more appropriate.
The dispute comes as the UN World Conference Against Racism, already battered by the American and Israeli walkout, struggles to find a compromise declaration on the Middle East violence that does not brand Israel a “racist and apartheid state”.
America and Europe, who fear that an explicit apology for slavery and colonialism could lead to claims for financial compensation in the courts, have endorsed the view taken by South Africa and Nigeria. But a group of African states, led by Zimbabwe and Namibia, now appear to be hardening their position.
“Countries who benefited and unjustly enriched themselves should take full responsibility” for their actions, Patrick Chinamasa, Zimbabwe’s Justice Minister, said. “There should be a clear statement that slavery and colonialism constitute a crime against humanity,” he said.
Responding to Western fears that an apology for historical injustices would lead to an avalanche of lawsuits, one African delegate said: “An apology to us is equivalent to an acknowledgement that they wronged us. They can apologise without prejudice.”
Walter Schwimmer, general secretary of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, said that the 43-member organisation was willing to support African economic recovery programmes as an acknowledgement of the suffering caused by slavery and colonialism. But he stopped short of a willingness to offer a formal admission of guilt. “We have to strive for a better future. We cannot correct history. What happened, happened,” he said.
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, South Africa’s Foreign Minister, has taken over negotiations on a compromise text on the Middle East in the hope that an agreement acceptable to all parties can be reached before the Durban conference ends on Friday. Many observers were sceptical of success.
Source: The TIMES (Wednesday 5 September, 2001) - For full article click here.
