Reparations for Slavery

I was listening to a lecture themed "History and the Pan African Nation" delivered by the Vice Chancellor of the University of West Indies, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles and a remarks made by Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the University of Lagos on Tuesday. Of course, it was a brilliant lecture and the inspiration to pen this down was derived from the lecture.

Speaking on reparations for slavery (the idea that some form of compensatory payment should be made to the descendants of Africans who had been enslaved as part of the Atlantic Slave Trade) and the journey towards its actualisation, Professor Hilary accentuated the fact that the west must pay reparations to African-American descendants of slavery, establish a national human rights commission and publicly acknowledge that the trans-Atlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity. He was so much concerned about the failure of the British Government to tender a complete formal apology to Africans. According to him, David Cameron visited the Caribbean and the issue was raised, but the best thing the former Prime Minister could say is, GET OVER IT! It is easy for him personally as his family benefited directly from the slavery past, and when it was over, was well compensated for it too.

I do wonder, just like the Guest Lecturer did, if David Cameron could visit Israel and tell them to get over the injustice done to them.  Many European countries have paid victims of the Holocaust; at the top of the list is Germany, which paid over $90 billion in reparations. In 2012, Germany gave an estimated 80,000 survivors in other countries a one-time payment of $3,250. This is not the first time America has paid restitution or reparations to the survivors of racial atrocities. In 1998, the United States pledged to pay $1.25 billion to Japanese-Americans and their heirs. That amount is in addition to the $1.65 billion previously paid out to 81,278 claimants. But when it comes to the United States and European countries paying reparations to Blacks who suffered oppression and genocide, there is no money forthcoming.
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There are no black slaves living today. Slavery ended more than 160 years ago at the cost of several hundred thousand lives lost in the Civil War. It is unfair to ask American and European taxpayers to pay for the wrongs of slavery. But the claim for reparations is not against white Americans or Europeans. It is a claim against American and European government and society, which has continued from the time of slavery.

Unfortunately, in his remarks, Professor Yemi Osinbajo tried as much as possible to avoid commenting on the issue. All he could say was to cite examples of Africans who fought for this cause, giving MKO as a perfect example. In my own interpretation, since MKO died for this cause, no one is ready to take the shot again.