Introduction
Many Africans and descendants of slaves have been demanding for compensation for years. However, Americans claim that they are not liable for their forefathers’ mistakes. The westerners also believe that the Africans were also involved in the trade; thus, they are also to be blamed. There are many questions asked whether it is a realistic approach for USA and Europeans to compensate Africans for their human suffering or whether it is a complete waste of time.
There is no enough money or wealth that can compensate the injustices that were done to African slaves. There is no amount of gold or money that is enough to bring back the lives of Africans, who died during slavery (Congress, 2005). Some westerners argue that the compensation is already being paid through huge aid made by the developed countries to Africa. Africans should be compensated for the sufferings inflicted to them and their forefathers during the slave trade. It is the correct and moral thing to do because many westerners benefited from the slave trade. If the Jews were compensated to what was done to them during World War 2 and monuments were built to honour them, then Africans also should be compensated.
There are African, who believe that compensation is a waste of time because it will not change anything. This process is because a country like Nigeria was actively involved in the terrible business of slavery. In addition, slavery will never be compensated even if the westerns try to quantify these injustices to Africans (Feagin, 2004). Even though, Africans contributed to these injustices, I do not understand what the campaigners of compensation want to achieve. The evil has already been done, and there will be no good outcome from this payment because the money will not get to the people, who suffered during slavery (Doxtader, 2004). Other people argue that it is their chiefs, who sold their people to those that wanted to buy slaves. Even today, small children are stolen and turned to slaves in Nigeria, though it happens in small numbers.
Before we get out of track on the issues of compensation that happened more than three years ago, Africans should sit back and ask whether they owe people compensation. Over 2000 years ago, Africans enslaved many Jews. Monuments and pyramids that are found in Egypt were built by forced labour of the Jews. Therefore, if things are to be looked on this perspective, then Africans owe the Jews compensation. The fact that this situation happened three hundred years ago, it should be immaterial. The Jews might be so proud to ask Africans for compensation, but here lies the irony by them asking compensation from westerners yet they also owe the Jews.
It is very shameful that people are asking those countries that were deeply involved with slavery to be compensated. Some African countries were dumping grounds for the ex-slaves. Many questions are raised like whether money can bring back dignity that was taken away or whether it can restore the citizens who were taken away (Harowitz, 2003). There are people who have the notion of once a slave always a slave; thus, America and European countries still take Africans as slaves because they were their slave masters. Money will not change anything because what has been done cannot be undone. The only compensation that can relieve pain to the Africans is the slave masters to admit they dehumanised Africans. The slave masters should accept that they were responsible for underdevelopment in Africa because of slavery.
The idea of compensation to Africans is good, even though, not all Europeans and North Americans were responsible for slavery. It is a good humanitarian action to help Africans, who currently live in Africa. In addition, in acknowledgement of what the Americans did, it would be a good gesture to cancel debts to poor African countries (Margolis, 2005). It will be a good starting point for reconciliation. All this started with ignorance that led to fear, and finally, to slavery. Is it rational for these countries to be compensated for evil they encountered in the name of development? Many African countries have gone back to the dark ages after America, and European countries devoured their wealth.
I believe that the issue of compensation is totally insane. It is because many African slaves were captured and enslaved by Africans more than by Europeans before and after the European slave trade. There is continued the presence of slavery in African countries even today, and this is an indication that slavery was not dominated by western powers. Africans should stop blaming their economic and social problems on historical past rather than on corruption and war that has slowed development. In addition, African chiefs were the main masters of slavery since they sold their people to westerners, who were willing to buy slaves. Compensation of African descendants is absurd because this money will not get to the real people, who suffered slavery. Therefore, I find the issue of compensation to be insane, and it is not a matter of discussion.
References
Congress (US). (2005). Congressional Record. New York: Government printing office.
Doxtader, E. (2004). To repair the irreparable: Reparation and reconstruction in South
Africa. Claremont, South Africa: Davidphilip.
Feagin, J. (2004). Documenting the Costs of Slavery, Segregation, and Contemporary
Racism:Why Reparations Are in Order for African Americans. Retrieved on November 25 2014 from<http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/blj/vol20/feagin.pdf>
Horowitz, C. (2003). Uncivil Wars: The Controversy over Reparations for Slavery. New
York: Encounter books.
Margolis, S. (2005). The Public Life of Privacy in Nineteenth-Century American Literature.
New York: Duke university press.
