Africa Speaks Reasoning Forum

what's your stance on reparations.........................my 'simple' stance? why would you want money from a people who feel no remorse about slavery?........... a people who still have not made any great strides to genuinely accept africans as equals..........a people who believe their race is the supreme race....... I could be wrong but ...............

I can relate to what you saying here Zaynab, regarding the continued arrogance of many Europeans. Many still feel entitled to continue to benefit from the wealth and comfort gained for them by their ancestors through the enslavement of our African ancestors and continuing through the system of White supremacy established along with our ancestors' enslavement.

However, I do not think the call for reparations is so much about them changing or accepting us as Africans but them being held accountable for the theft and oppression through which many comfortably benefit. They too can benefit from paying reparations as this can form part of their process of losing their illusions of superiority and entitlement if they come with this spirit. But this should be their initiative. The demand for reparations to me is not primarily about that from the perspective Africans.

Two things. As a descendant of ones who were enslaved and existing within this hostile system of white supremacy, what message are we sending when we say, keep the money etc?
Two. I do not think that means that we should not make good use of the resources we do have and build our capacity to do for ourselves. In fact our ability to demand reparations will be aided by building our capacity to inform and take care of ourselves but to me on principle I think the call for reparations is a just one and a necessary one in the face of these system and those who ride comfortably within it, feeling superior and therefore entitled to all that they currently enjoy.