Ghana stages slave trade reenactment on Juneteenth as leaders push UN reparations resolution

On the US Juneteenth holiday commemorating emancipation, Ghana used scenes reenacting the trans-Atlantic slave trade to push an international debate over reparations. According to Al Jazeera, the conference in Accra brought together representatives from African countries and diaspora leaders.

Participants aim to gather support for a draft UN resolution that would declare slavery the "gravest crime against humanity." If adopted, the resolution could open the way to an international framework for reparations for colonial-era abuses. Representatives from the Caribbean and Latin America also addressed the meeting.

Ghana's president stressed his country's determination to address the wounds of slavery at both a symbolic and political level. Former colonial powers were not formally represented, and some European governments still have reservations about the scope of any reparations framework. A possible timeline for a vote at the UN General Assembly is expected to become clearer next month.