Those who plundered Africa must go beyond symbolic gestures – Togolese envoy
True repentance on the part of the West, who divided and plundered Africa, must go beyond symbolic gestures, by not only providing assistance to the continent, but must seriously finance its revival, help it restore its unity, and support its sustainable development, Togolese minister of Foreign Affairs, Robert Dussey has said.
Delivering a lecture on the Berlin Conference of 1884 and 1885, which led to the partitioning of Africa by Western powers, organised by the German Africa Foundation in Berlin, Dussey said, though Africa was battered and left bruised due to colonization with its consequence being imperialism, the continent does not want to dwell on its past problems, because it is not in the nature of the African to remain resentful of the crime committed against it.
“Our goal is not to dwell on the horrors of colonisation and imperialism, though these crimes should rightfully be classified today as crimes against humanity and genocide,” he said, adding that, Africa’s “primary goal is to shed light on a history that has long been ignored in narratives and education – a history that centres on the victims, the scars that we, their descendants, still carry.”
Dussey said “It is not in our culture to nurture resentment or revenge. But reason demands that we remember the suffering endured, and above all, that we demand reparations for the harm and injustices committed.
My generation firmly believes that some have not learned enough from the past and that some still entertain the idea of repeating history.”
He said Africa, with a land area of 30,370,000 km², is larger than Europe, China, and the United States combined, and has 60 per cent of the world’s arable land, 90 per cent of raw material reserves, and 40 per cent of global gold reserves.
Dussey said in addition, “Africa holds 33 per cent of the world’s diamond reserves, 80 per cent of the global coltan reserves, a critical metal for electronics, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 60 percent of global cobalt reserves, which is essential for electric vehicle batteries.
Africa is rich in oil, natural gas, manganese, iron, timber, and many other resources.”
He said the agricultural land in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone has the potential to feed all of Africa, adding that, Africa’s youth population is expected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, making the continent the future of humanity
Dussey said before slavery in Africa, the lives of Africans were quite similar to those of the Europeans who later enslaved the continent, saying, “some lived in large cities, others in small towns, and some in rural areas.
Some were wealthy, others were poor.” While it remained an unexplored territory by the 5th century, the continent has often been perceived as dark, though it had established external contacts.
Reminding the world of how Africa was treated, he said “in Berlin, Africa was both present and absent.
It was present as a prize to be divided, with conditions set for its partition, yet absent from the decision-making process. Africa was at the heart of the conference without being a participant.”
“The present and future of Africa were decided in Europe, here in Germany, without Africa and in Africa’s absence.
The lack of African delegations at the Berlin Conference meant that African interests and perspectives were completely disregarded,” Dussey said, adding that, “the Berlin Conference was intended to regulate colonisation and trade in Africa to prevent conflicts among European powers, and to establish rules among Europeans for the recognition of territorial claims.
The aftermath is well known. Africa was systematically invaded, despite the heroic resistance of its people.”
