New Commentary on Al Qahera News’ African Harvest: The UN and Reparatory Justice for Slavery and Colonialism

On Saturday September 6, 2026, I joined Al Qahera News Channel’s African Harvest program to discuss the UN General Assembly’s recent resolution on reparatory justice for slavery and the broader human rights framework advanced through the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, CERD.

We discussed what symbolic and material reparations can look like, including truth, acknowledgment, apologies, memorialization, restitution, and longer-term measures addressing the lasting effects of slavery and colonialism across Africa and the African diaspora. I also cited the Germany-Namibia process as one example of how states are confronting historical injustice through acknowledgment, reconciliation, and reparative measures.

The conversation reflects a broader thread in my work on transitional justice: how societies reckon with historical harms through truth, reparations, recognition, institutional reform, and efforts to prevent recurrence.

See the full clip here:https://youtu.be/r8uJsqU82WQ?si=m3AqgRFbd84KZBtm