By Ashiadey Dotse
President John Dramani Mahama has warned that growing efforts to suppress the teaching of slavery across parts of the world risk creating a “dangerous erasure” of history and undermining the pursuit of justice.
Speaking at a high-level event on reparatory justice for enslaved Africans in the United States on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, Mr Mahama said attempts to remove or distort slavery from school curricula and public discourse threaten truth, accountability and collective memory.
“These policies are becoming a template for others and are normalising erasure,” he cautioned.
The president stressed that how history is told plays a critical role in preserving its integrity, noting that “erasure begins with language”. He criticised what he described as a growing tendency by some institutions to soften or avoid the realities of slavery through selective teaching.
Mr Mahama said the transatlantic slave trade was not merely an economic system but a calculated effort to strip African people of their humanity. Enslaved Africans, he noted, were treated as property rather than human beings, resulting in widespread atrocities and enduring injustice.
“There is no such thing as a slave; there were human beings who were trafficked and enslaved,” he said, emphasising that recognising this distinction is essential to restoring dignity and historical truth.
He also highlighted the scale of the tragedy, noting that more than 12.5 million Africans were forcibly taken from their homes over 400 years, with many dying during the Middle Passage under brutal conditions.
The president pointed to current global trends where aspects of Black history, slavery and racism are being removed from classrooms, restricted in public institutions or banned in books, warning that such actions risk shaping a false narrative about the past.
Mr Mahama further underscored the importance of ongoing international efforts to formally recognise the trafficking and enslavement of Africans as a crime against humanity, describing such measures as vital for healing and reparatory justice.
He called on the global community to remain committed to telling the full truth about slavery and ensuring future generations understand its lasting impact.
The president concluded by urging unity and sustained international cooperation in the pursuit of justice, equality and the preservation of historical truth.
