High-Level Pan-African Meeting on African Memory, Justice and Reparations

Under the high patronage of Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, President of the Republic of Senegal, and with the distinguished presence of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, the Republic of Senegal convened a High-Level Pan-African Meeting on African Memory, Justice and Reparations. This historic gathering took place on 25 September 2025, at 5:30 p.m., at the African Burial Ground National Monument in New York City, on the margins of the High-Level Week of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. This gathering was historic in the ways it brought together progressive sections of the AU, along with the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Motley, along the Vice President of Colombia, Francia Márquez. In this commentary, Pambazuka welcomes this leadership and calls on all sections of progressive Global Africa to link up with the calls made at this historic gathering in New York City.

Memory and Justice and the African Burial Ground Project

When the transatlantic slave trade started in the 17th century, New York City, especially lower Manhattan, was the center of this trade in African bodies. Hundreds of thousands died and were buried in the area, which is the center of the financial district of New York. In fact, the walled compound, which was the slave market in the 18th century, is now where Wall Street sits.  In 1991, when construction workers began excavating for a new federal office building at 290 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, there was the discovery of the African burial ground, used for free and enslaved Africans during the 17th and 18th centuries. This finding led to extensive archaeological work between 1991 and 1992, when archeological research excavation found intact human skeletal remains located 30 feet below the city’s street level on Broadway.

During survey work, the largest and most important archeological discovery was made: unearthing the "Negroes Buriel Ground"- a 6-acre burial ground containing upwards of 15,000 intact skeletal remains of enslaved and free Africans who lived and worked in colonial New York. The rediscovery of burial grounds altered the understanding and scholarship surrounding enslavement and its contribution to the construction of New York City. African descendants in New York City mounted a massive campaign to preserve the remains of these African ancestors and to properly memorialize them. This led to the African Burial Ground project, with the museum in lower Manhattan.^[1]

The Initiative of the Senegalese leadership.

In 2024, the African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity, PASTEF, came to power.

Ousmane Sonko founded the party in 2014. Harassed and persecuted by the Macky Sall government, when the electoral struggles intensified, and Sonko was blocked from running for President, PASTEF placed President Bassirou Diomaye Faye as the Presidential candidate. Sonko became the Prime Minister of Senegal and the leader of the government. The Party, which is anchored in 9 crucial sections of the working people of the country, embarked on an ambitious political agenda to build the sovereignty and self-determination of Senegal. The 9 sections of PASTEF are:               

• the movement of youth,           

• the movement of women,

• the movement of artisans,         

• the movement of people living with disabilities,

• the movement of intellectuals,

• the movement of class, people, everyone working on transport, transporters, these are people who go on national transport, city transport is extremely powerful.   

• the movement of teachers, elementary school, high school, religious institutions, and university.             

• the movement of farmers and fishery people

• and the movement of people who are elderly.

It was these energies that were transmitted by the then Minister of African Integration and Foreign Affairs, Mme Yassine Fallwho worked with Members of the New York State Assembly and progressive Pan Africanists to host the High-Level Pan-African Meeting on African Memory, Justice and Reparations, “Memory Resurrected, Justice and Solidarity for the Development of Africa,” African Burial Ground National Monument.

In their note to call the meeting, the Senegalese had noted,

“Aligned with the 2025 African Union theme dedicated to memory, justice, and reparations, this initiative seeks to provide a unifying space for African leaders, diaspora communities, academics, cultural figures, and civil society to reflect on our shared history and explore pathways for collective progress. The African Burial Ground National Monument, located in the heart of New York, is a site of profound historical significance. It embodies the memory of countless African men and women whose forced labour and suffering shaped the very foundations of the modern world. Holding this meeting there symbolizes both remembrance and the determination to transform memory into a force for justice, solidarity, and development.”

The objectives are worthy of sharing with the wider Pambazuka audience.

-To foster a collective and forward-looking dialogue between Africa and its diaspora, transforming historical memory into a driver for inclusive and sustainable development.

-Pay tribute to the victims of slavery and colonialism, including African soldiers executed in Senegal during the Thiaroye massacre of December 1st, 1944.

− Promote a unified African position on the issue of reparations, in line with the African Union’s 2025 theme.

− Strengthen human and institutional ties between Africa and the global Black diaspora.

− Generate partnerships in science, technology, culture, education, research, and economic cooperation linking Afro-descendants between continents and communities.

− Explore best practices for pathways to citizenship provided to Afrodescendants.

Speakers at the event included:

His Excellency President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar FAYE, President of the Republic of Senegal, together with His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana.

Mia amor Motley, Prime Minister of Barbados.

Azali Assoumani, President of Comoros.

Prime Minister of Mali, Abdoulaye Maïga.

Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, Rimtalba, Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo.

Francia Marquez, Vice President of Colombia.

Charles D. Fall, Member of the State Assembly of New York.

Content

Faye anchored the session by repeating his call for Africans to align with Senegal to hold France accountable for its crimes in Senegal and Africa. Reminding the audience of the Thiaroye massacre in 1944, President Faye called on all Africans to document the crimes of the colonialists in Africa. Reminding the audience of the historic place of Goree Island, President Faye linked the history of Goree Island to the African Burial Ground.

In subsequent issues of Pambazuka News, we will carry the remarks of others who spoke at the function. We carry in this issue the keynote address of Professors Ben Vinson and Paul Tiyambe Zeleza.

Pambazuka Editors

Endnote