At a festival in Kenya, artists and writers gathered to discuss the role of the arts in advancing Africa’s campaign for reparative justice over colonial crimes. The Wakati Wetu festival, held in a Nairobi suburb last October, aimed to spark global conversations on reparations, using creative expression to make the issue more accessible.
The African Union has adopted a motion labelling slavery and colonialism as crimes against humanity, set to be tabled at the United Nations this month. The AU declared 2025 the year of reparations and extended the timeline to 2026-2036 as the Decade of Reparations, marking a strategic push for justice.
Kenyan author Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor emphasised the healing power of the arts, stating, “Trauma aches for redemption. History longs to heal.” She called for a historical audit of crimes before rushing into restitution, describing reparation as “an act of moral autopsy and then moral exorcism.”
Analysts note that the AU’s renewed focus may be influenced by the current geopolitical climate, with figures like Donald Trump described as racist. Cape Verdean President José Maria Neves observed that extremist, xenophobic groups are growing in former colonising powers, making public discussion difficult.
Despite decades of efforts, including the 1993 Abuja Proclamation, former colonial powers have largely failed to make amends. France recently signalled willingness to discuss reparations for a 1899 massacre in Niger but refused responsibility, while Germany recognised a colonial-era genocide in Namibia in 2011.
