The Scars Of Slavery And Racism

 By Adeze Ojukwu  

The horrific Atlantic slave trade officially ended about 200 years ago. However, the scars are still epitomized by the systemic racial discriminations against people of colour in Western nations and their institutions. 

Stories of bitter memories of the humongous cruelty displayed by the white merchants against their human commodities were rehashed recently, at this year’s International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The commemoration, as in previous editions, centered around the brutal abduction of thousands of young men and women from West Africa to Europe and the Americas. The account of this vicious debasement of West Africans was vividly chronicled by a publication by Ricenpeas.org. 

These people “were stolen from West Africa during the last five hundred years, at one of the most shameful and sanguinary periods in human history. Never in the history of humanity has the world witnessed a spectacle of such unparalleled barbarism, brutality, and evil as that of the institution known as transatlantic slavery. The callous, calculated debasement of sentient human beings to chattel, to being bought and sold, enjoyed and used at the whim of another must surely stand in the annals of time as the darkest cloud on the plateau of the gradual ascent of man.” 

“Nothing can ever erase the atrocities inflicted in the name of benevolent paternalism, ‘civilization,’ and human greed. The trade in human flesh from West Africa to the New World, and its economic, psychological, social, and cultural ramifications are perhaps the defining event in post-Renaissance world history. Despite the famous request for 40 acres and a mule as the fiscal recompense for slavery, to this day, no reparations have ever been paid, nor any formal apology even offered to placate or appease the chronic sense of injustice felt by the children of ex-slaves. Yet, taking into consideration the logistical impossibility of ascertaining the amount of compensation owing, or for that matter the sheer impracticality of devising a modus operandi for executing this, it is perhaps understandable to see why this has never happened.” 

As part of efforts to mitigate the impact of these atrocities on negro communities in America, Europe and other places, United Nations (UN) has identified education as the best tool to fight racism, the evil legacy of slavery. UN Secretary General, Dr Antonio Guterres, made the remarks recently, as the General Assembly met to mark the date. 

He said “education is the most powerful weapon in the world’s arsenal to combat the brutal legacy of racism playing out today. The role of education in dismantling racism today starts by understanding slavery’s ‘horrific’ past. It is incumbent on us to fight slavery’s legacy of racism. The most powerful weapon in our arsenal is education, the theme of this year’s commemoration.” 

“Observed on 25 March, the international day commemorates the victims of one of history’s most horrific crimes against humanity that was legalized for more than 400 years, well into the 19th century, resulting in the forced deportation of over 15 million men, women, and children. The scars of slavery are still visible in persistent disparities in wealth, income, health, education, and opportunity,” he said, also pointing to the current resurgence of white supremacist hate. 

Just as the slave trade underwrote the wealth and prosperity of the colonizers, it devastated the African continent, thwarting its development for centuries. 

The UN Scribe went further, “The long shadow of slavery still looms over the lives of people of African descent who carry with them the trans-generational trauma and who continue to confront marginalization, exclusion, and bigotry. Governments everywhere should introduce lessons into school curricula on the causes, manifestations, and far-reaching consequences of the transatlantic slave trade. We must learn and teach the horrific history of slavery, and we must learn and teach the history of Africa and the African diaspora, whose people have enriched societies wherever they went, and excelled in every field of human endeavour.” 

He pointed to examples of righteous resistance, resilience, and defiance as Queen Nanny of the Maroons, in Jamaica, Queen Ana Nzinga of Ndongo in Angola, freedom fighter Sojourner Truth, who was born into slavery, and Toussaint Louverture of Saint- Domingue, who transformed a rebellion into a revolutionary movement and is known today as the ‘Father of Haiti’. 

“By teaching the history of slavery, we help to guard against humanity’s most vicious impulses, and by honouring the victims of slavery, we restore some measure of dignity to those who were so mercilessly stripped of it,” Guterres concluded. 

General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi said that while the transatlantic slave trade was over, the foundations on which it stood had not been fully dismantled, adding that racism, including anti-black racism and discrimination were still present in societies. 

“Many Africans and people of African descent continue to feel that they are fighting an uphill battle for the recognition of an assault on their rights that was neither repaired nor rectified,” he said. “This is why this Day of Remembrance is so important because it creates a space to reflect on a dark and shameful chapter of the world’s shared history. History, the facts of which should not be distorted, must serve as a lesson for all of us. Through education, we can confute any revisionism with undisputable facts, raise awareness of the dangers caused by misconceptions of supremacy past or present, and ensure that no one will ever experience the hell lived by the 15 million we commemorate today.” 

During the event, Brazilian philosopher and journalist, Djamila Ribeiro, delivered the keynote address, explaining how she had been using the power of education to fight discrimination against Afro-Brazilians. Her work is reflected in her bestselling book, ‘Little Anti-Racist Manual’ and her influential Instagram account, which has more than one million followers. 

Also addressing the world body was American university student, Taylor Cassidy, recognized as one of TikTok’s 2020 Top 10 Voices of Change, empowering her 2.2 million followers with uplifting videos related to Black history. 

“It is crucial to invest in quality education,” she said. “At a time when racism still affects our laws, systems and descendants of its victims, education is the key to countering injustice and moving forward.” 

*Ojukwu is a journalist and public affairs analyst (adeze.ojukwu@gmail.com)