By Hannah Dadzie
The Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, has acknowledged and apologised for the role some African traditional authorities played in the transatlantic slave trade, describing honesty and shared accountability as essential foundations for the global reparations agenda.
Addressing participants at the Diaspora Summit 2025 in Accra, the Ga Mantse said genuine justice and reconciliation must be rooted in truth, not denial, noting that confronting painful historical realities strengthens the case for reparations.
“As the Ga Mantse and custodian of our collective memory, I state openly and with humility that some of our forebearers participated in and enabled aspects of the slave trade. I express regret and apologise for any roles our ancestors may have played in this tragedy. This honesty strengthens our demand for reparations, because true justice must rest on truth, not silence,” he said.
The summit, which brought together Africans and people of African descent from across the globe, focused on reparations, repatriation, racial justice, and healing. King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II commended President John Dramani Mahama for what he described as visionary leadership, particularly the establishment of Ghana’s Global Office for Reparations headquartered in Accra.
He said the move demonstrates Ghana’s renewed moral commitment to championing global justice and historical redress, at a time when Africa and its diaspora are confronting the painful truths of their collective past.
The Ga Mantse reiterated the African Union’s recognition of the diaspora as the “sixth region” of Africa, noting that Ghana proudly embraces the diasporan community as its 17th region. According to him, this recognition goes beyond symbolism, reflecting the reality that Africa’s story cannot be told without the millions who were uprooted, scattered across the world, yet remained unbroken.
He described the transatlantic slave trade as one of the greatest crimes against humanity, recalling that more than 12.5 million Africans were forcibly removed from their homelands, stripped of their dignity and identity. He noted that the loss of identity among many people of African descent globally explains the renewed call to “come back home” through repatriation.
King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II said reparations are not only financial, adding that they must also include the restoration of dignity and identity, the return of stolen cultural artefacts, economic restructuring and development partnerships, truth-telling, and healing and reconciliation.
While expressing optimism, the Ga Mantse cautioned that the reparations agenda is complex and cannot be achieved overnight. He said success would require sustained diplomacy, legal expertise, moral persuasion, and coordinated African unity. He praised the leadership of the Global Office for Reparations under Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, describing him as a respected statesman and Pan-African diplomat capable of steering the process from rhetoric to international recognition.
The Ga Mantse called on traditional leaders across Africa to serve as champions of memory, truth, and healing, noting that their institutions carry moral weight and ancestral legitimacy. King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II welcomed members of the diaspora “home not as visitors but as family,” describing their return as the completion of a historical cycle restored by destiny. He urged Africans on the continent and in the diaspora to speak with one moral voice in the collective journey towards truth, justice, unity, and healing.
