Should Africa Be Compensated For Slavery?

This year marks the 200 years since slave trade was obolished in Britain and later in other region of the world.
As the event is being marked, painful memories of the the past is being evoked.
It is estimamated that about 50 million able bodied African men and women were shipped across the Atlantic, and were forced to work in the plantations of the West, round the clock in the most cruel manner, thus contributing to the economic boom of the West at the expense of the suffering of the African People.

Should the West compansate Africa for the damage done?
Has slavery contributed to the  present sorry situation of Afriaca? if so, how?
Do you agree that some form of mordern slavery is still being perpetuated agaist Africa by the west as suggested by some people?
Or is it time to move forward and forget our past?

Even if we are compensated, how will the money be divvied up equally among African Americans, Caribbean Americans and Native Africans back home?

Will I get a share also?

What happens in a hypothetical scenario described below?

The UK Government as well as the US Government has decided to abolish the law that stoped the slave trade to commemorate the 200th anniversary of abolition. Subsequently any african that will like to work as a slave is required to register at the embassy of any of the countries with a provision to acquire citizenship and freedom after 10 years of slavery.

How many Africans will take up this offer?

above describes the depth of economic slavery the present africans (and asians) find themselves into. it is voluntary slavery. the present day slaves are not used in sugar plantations. They are used in warehouses, contruction sites etc. No objection about that for it is not by compulsion. Some slaves are also trafficked here for reasons such as prostitution. It is modern day slavery.

Should Africa be compensated?  Unequivocally, YES.

BUT say it is agreed, where do we start? who gets what? in what form? Gold bullion? Solar panels?  40 Accord I-Vtecs? LoL

Furthermore, does the African continent get more because the loss of human capital hindered her growth or the millions of slave descendants abroad? (Would East Africa get as much as West Africa?)and how much will it take?

In a world where nobody is taking responsibility- isn't payment sorta like accepting the blame; if so, who will will pay the first dime?

Not to begin some comparative self-esteem tirade, but seriously the damage-control done after the Holocaust and  the apologies that went flying to anyone of Jewish ancestry still amazes me.

I mean here we are in 2007, still trying to get the western world to not even to apologize _{(that would be moving to fast)} but to recognize & credit its early development to slave labor. And we're thinking (maybe) monetary compensation?

thats laughable.

We've got a long way to go and the first step would be to stop hoping/dreaming that apologies/recognition e.t.c will flow. we as a people should just "pick ourselves up by the bootstraps" and do what we can to better ourselves and to better the world for the sake of our children and their future. Our compensation should be that word of advice. 

the fact that you are black doesn't make u an automatic brother. Your statement shows you have started seeing yourself through the eyes of Non-Africans.

I'm not suggesting hate, its just the choice of words. I would suggest you use neighbour (my opinion). I would rather choose the whole human race as my brothers/sisters and not just single out BLACK. On the other hand, your neighbour is the guy who lives next door. Choose your limit, the world, your continent, your village or your street. Do you know the racial distinction (based on DNA) between one African and another is sometimes greater than between that African and an European?


@ topic

Who should be conpensated?

• the seller?
• the buyer?
• or the goods?

N100 for the best answer

I will really wish that the slavery mentality of  some of we Africans will chage;

1.  That we will stop making ourselves slave again, by refusing to be used by the whites to do all sorts of menial and        dirty jobs even when we are educated and skilled in their own countries.

2. that we, be proud of ourselves, culture identity, and stop this inferiority beleive that it is only when we travell abroad that we can make it.

3. that we, be more patriotic, stay at home and help develop our own countries that we shall all be proud of.

NO NO and NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a problem for West Africans and the children of the free born sold into slavery by our forefathers to decide the next step forward. The so called pink  men who have decided to call themselves whites should stop insulting and melding in our affairs. Geez! when are we going to learn from the past and call on the west African heads of state to apologize to the children of the free born sold into slavery to come back home. Until we West Africans and our leaders apologize and beg the departed spirits (those that lost their lives) to rest in peace and ask their children to come back, Africa especially West Africa will continue to suffer!!!!!

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

No need pouring more water into a basket,

Let Africa demonstrate it can use the resources at it's disposal first before getting more "compensations".  History has shown that "looted loots returned, only get relooted".  So a big waste of time.

Africa is not worthy!!!!

West and Central African nations should be giving compensation to African-Americans and other diaspora blacks of the Americas. The VAST MAJORITY of our African descendants were stolen from their homes and SOLD to the Europeans by fellow Africans. 

Oh God!  Here we go again this year.  Walking away with enormous self-restraint.

Happy New Year Hero!


Any compensation in any form is a waste of time.  Sorry!  We need to get off our lazy arses and work like others around the world and stop looking for hand outs.  Slavery is long gone and we cannot afford to bring that up with every breath we take.  No one is listening to that nonsense anymore.

MOVE ON BLACK FOLKS!!!!!!----   STOP PLAYING THE SYMPATHY GAME!!!!!

Definitely not. Africans don't need any compensation. We don't deserve it, especially after considering that what slave trade was successful mostly because we contributed to it. Village heads and chiefs would trade people for money. If any one needs compensation, then it should be the Africans in diaspora.

However, I don't believe its solely our fault though,

which member of ur family was a slave?  none . . . so u deserve not a penny.

Anytime I see people making jokes over this serious issue I get headaches.
This issue (slavery) has condemned a whole race to perpetual contempt. We should be trying to make history by changing what our Ancestors did not make jokes about it.

HELL NO!!!
It's obvious that our same forefathers were the major participators in the Slave Trade. It can't be called a 'trade' if there is no handover and exchange. Besides slavery already existed in Africa long before the whites came. . .

@otele
I still believe The Great Britain should come out and take their stand, accept that the slave trade was in-humane and apolgise to Africa. . . The fact that children are taken to the museums in Liverpool and they are not told the truth about the evils their forefathers did is really annoying. We can't blame her when the black community have refused to stand up.

Infact the blacks here in the UK are still busy tryin to blend in when those in America are already producing Oprah and Obama.

And I rest my case, LOL, Now for all the deceivers who still have the audacity to use slavery as an insult, I guess you need to correct your forefathers before you dare insult another person,