Author: Ayed Amira Tunisian journalist specializing in African affairs

 

In 2025, the African Union (AU) launched an ambitious and applaudable goal: to seek justice for Africans and people of African origin through historical reparations. On paper, the plan sounds almost poetic, promising to make up for centuries of colonial exploitation and the transatlantic slave trade. But, as in a predictable plot, João Lourenço appears on the scene, the new president of the AU, who seems to have received the memo and decided that a hot coffee was more interesting. For Mozambique - a country whose history bears the scars of more than 400 years of Portuguese colonization, brutal exploitation and traumas that still resonate - the risk of being left empty-handed is real. Who would have thought that relying on a selfless leader could go wrong?

To understand the weight of this situation, it is essential to delve into Mozambique's past. Portuguese colonization began at the beginning of the 16th century, when the first explorers arrived on its shores, and only ended in 1975, after a fierce war of independence. During these more than four centuries, the country was reduced to an economic appendage of Lisbon. Its fertile lands were exploited to grow cotton and sugar, its minerals plundered and its population subjected to forced labor in inhumane conditions. However, the slave trade was the cruelest blow: between the 16th and 19th centuries, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of Mozambicans were captured, chained and sent mainly to Brazil, where they worked until the end of their days on sugar cane and coffee plantations. This trade left deep marks, not only demographic, but also cultural and economic, which persist to this day.

Independence, won on June 25, 1975 after a decade of armed struggle led by FRELIMO (Mozambique Liberation Front), brought political sovereignty, but did not heal the material wounds. Shortly afterwards, the civil war (1977-1992) devastated what little remained, destroying roads, schools and hospitals, and deepening the misery.

The AU initiative: a promise in the making

The AU has taken a bold step by adopting the theme "Justice for Africans" for its 2025 summit. The idea gained momentum at the Accra Conference in 2023, where African and Caribbean leaders established the Global Reparations Fund. This fund, conceived as an international mechanism, seeks to raise funds from former colonial powers - such as Portugal, the United Kingdom and France - to compensate for the damage caused by slavery and colonialism. During the event, the president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, declared: "It is time that Africa, whose sons and daughters had their freedoms taken away and were sold into slavery, also received reparations."

Experts such as Jamaican historian Verene Shepherd have also supported the initiative, along with a team of university colleagues and professors, advocating the incorporation of the history of slavery and its consequences into the curricula of secondary schools and colleges. It is argued that "only with a historical awareness of the causal interrelationship between slavery and global inequalities and persistent racial discrimination can the struggle to overcome these consequences be forwarded".

For Mozambique, this initiative represented a light at the end of the tunnel. In addition to domestic needs, such as health and education, the country could use the resources to strengthen marginalized communities, such as the Amakua, descendants of enslaved Mozambicans who live in South Africa and still face discrimination. However, the success of this plan depends on international coordination and, above all, committed leadership at the AU. And this is where João Lourenço's lack of interest causes concern.

João Lourenço: the leader who looks the other way

João Lourenço, president of Angola since 2017, took over the rotating presidency of the AU in February 2025 with the expectation that he would lead this historic cause. In Angola, he has become famous for his economic reforms and his fight against corruption, but his stance at the AU has been marked by other priorities. Instead of embracing the issue of reparations, Lourenço seems focused on issues such as strengthening trade ties with China and promoting African economic integration.

In his inauguration speech, he vaguely mentioned the need to "confront historic challenges", but without offering a concrete plan or showing any enthusiasm. For many, this reflects a pragmatic choice: to avoid tensions with Europe, from where Angola and other African countries receive crucial investments.

However, the impact of the lack of reparations is evident. Schools in ruins, hospitals without medicines and impassable roads continue to mark daily life.

International implications: a delicate balancing act

The lack of progress on reparations also has global repercussions. If the AU, under Lourenço's leadership, does not move forward on this issue, its relations with former colonial powers like Portugal could be left in an uncomfortable limbo. Portugal, which rarely addresses its historical responsibility, could interpret the AU's silence as a free pass to ignore the issue. This would not only frustrate Mozambique, but also damage the AU's credibility as the unified voice of the continent.

On the other hand, Lourenço's inaction may be convenient in the short term for his European partners, who prefer to avoid the debate on reparations. However, in the long term, popular dissatisfaction in Mozambique could generate instability, even affecting the AU's foreign policy. It's a bitter irony: while Africa seeks justice, some of its leaders hesitate to challenge the status quo by doing nothing about it.

A call to action: justice cannot wait

Mozambique deserves more than empty promises. Its history of struggle - from resistance to colonization to the war of independence - shows that the country has the strength to demand what it is owed. But this battle cannot be fought alone. The AU, with or without Lourenço, must turn words into action: press Portugal and other nations for concrete reparations, whether in the form of funds, infrastructure or official recognition.

João Lourenço's lack of interest threatens to leave Mozambique without reparations, perpetuating an injustice that spans generations. But history doesn't have to end like this. With popular pressure, renewed leadership and global solidarity, the scars of the past can heal. Historical justice is not a luxury, it is a necessity.