Opinion By Baboloki Semele: The African Union’s (AU) designation of 2025 as the “Year of Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations” is a landmark decision in the ongoing struggle for justice, recognition, and redress for historical injustices committed against African peoples. This theme is not merely symbolic; it carries with it the weight of centuries of oppression, dispossession, and systemic marginalization that have shaped the socio-economic realities of Africans and the African diaspora. As a communicator, civic activist, and advocate for youth and women empowerment, I view this initiative as an opportunity to critically assess our past, recalibrate our present, and construct a more equitable future for the African continent and its people. In 2023, I had the profound opportunity to train under the Civic Engagement Cohort at the Presidential Precinct in, Virginia, US as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship initiative of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). My journey started at William and Mary institute, in Williamsburg. I was honored to be part of the 25 of Africa’s brightest, emerging civic leaders for two and a half weeks of leadership training, public policy seminars, mentorship and collaboration with local faculty, civic and business leaders and community members.
I had the oppotunity to meet Judge John Charles who was invited to speak as the guest of honor- I will share below his poem word for word, which left me in tears, but also in hope. Judge John Charles Thomas is the first Black justice appointed to the Supreme Court of Virginia. The jurist, who is a gifted poet and orator, electrified the room as he took the podium. Thomas began by addressing the large distance the Fellows had traveled – both physically and metaphorically – to be in Williamsburg.
“As I look at the 2023 young African leaders, I know just how magnificent this journey has been for you to come from all over Africa, to come together in this place where you all can meet each other and learn from each other and to study,” he began. “And as I thought about what I might say here today, I was overwhelmed by the juxtaposition of it all. This word means putting things beside each other so that you can discern either the sameness or the difference between them; compare and contrast. Juxtapositions run through all of what we’re doing here today.”
Thomas noted that sometimes people make the mistake of thinking of Africa as one monolithic country, rather than what it is: a continent made up of many different nations, regions, languages and interests. And he acknowledged that the Fellows hailed from countries across the continent.
As I read your backgrounds and thought about what you’ve done, I can see a thread that runs through all of you, even though you were in different places. And it seems to me that you probably thought as you were living in your nation, doing what you were doing, fighting for human rights, fighting for gender equality, fighting for youth empowerment, fighting for getting out the vote, fighting for democracy, the problem is often that you were all alone. But now that we have you sitting beside each other, you can see that you weren’t alone. You can see that there were others who were just like you, worried about things just like you have worried about in a whole other place, thousands of miles away, doing the same thing. Doesn’t that tell us that there are currents that run through human nature, that run through human rights, that run through our spirits, that are unified powerfully, no matter where you come from and no matter what language you speak? And so even within the corps of the leaders from Africa, the power of juxtaposition is speaking to me because it teaches us so much about what we might become when we think of us as humans who put ourselves side by side and recognize the likeness and even the differences that we can talk about and learn from.”
Thomas also noted that these young leaders were already accomplished in their fields–“If you had not already done something powerful, you wouldn’t be here now to learn a little bit more,” but that with the foundation they were going to build in their program, they would be able to be even more effective.
And then Justice Thomas, poet, statesmen and leader issued a mandate to me and other Fellows: “I call on you now in the spirit of the poets to be builders of ships of stage, to be builders of nations.”
And understanding the power of poetry, Thomas recited from memory Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Building of the Ship,” a poem written in 1849 that inspired both Abraham Lincoln in the years before the Civil War and later Winston Churchill, battling the Nazis in 1941.
His powerful baritone voice filled the chamber and riveted the audience, with the stirring last lines of the poem:
Thou, too, sail on, O Ship of State!
Sail on, O Union, strong and great!
Humanity with all its fears,
With all the hopes of future years,
Is hanging breathless on thy fate!
We know what Master laid thy keel,
What Workmen wrought thy ribs of steel,
Who made each mast, and sail, and rope,
What anvils rang, what hammers beat,
In what a forge and what a heat
Were shaped the anchors of thy hope!
Fear not each sudden sound and shock,
‘Tis of the wave and not the rock;
‘Tis but the flapping of the sail,
And not a rent made by the gale!
In spite of rock and tempest’s roar,
In spite of false lights on the shore,
Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea!
Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee,
Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears,
Our faith triumphant o’er our fears,
Are all with thee, — are all with thee!
And with those words still reverberating in the chapel, Judge Thomas looked at us-25 Fellows sitting in rapt attention and left no doubt of his mandate for us:
“Members of the Young African Leaders Class of 2023, we must depend on you. You are our hope for changing the world for the better. God bless you.”
That is why I took it upon myself to interrogate this theme of the year 2025 with enthusiasm, and hope. While in Williamsburg, I walked around, and appreciated the colonial Williamsburg. In Colonial Williamsburg, a restored and reconstructed historic area of Williamsburg, Virginia, enslaved Africans were routinely sold at auctions.
My second stop was james madison’s montpelier. Oh my!! Montpelier, the Orange county family home of James Madison, utilized the labor of enslaved African Americans, from its initial founding as Mount Pleasant in 1723 through the end of Madison family ownership in 1844. Enslaved laborers cleared the land for a plantation, built the plantation house, grew food, performed domestic chores and otherwise provided the labor that made the Madison family wealthy. At any given time, more than 100 enslaved people worked and lived at Montpelier. The enslaved community at Montpelier included not just those enslaved people owned by the Madisons, but also those owned by Madison’s siblings and extended family members, as well as enslaved and free Black people living on and adjacent to neighboring plantations. During the time we had an opportunity to visit a train and post station in the nearby, it had labels, where there were stickers with “Colored Only” or “whites only’. Back in the years, black and white people were not allowed to mix, as the Blacks were viewed as less human. It is so heart breaking and was sad to see where it was taking place, and as also sad that the perpetrators were the most powerful people, who in an honest world, the blacks should have ran to for a kind of amnesty and protection. The visit offered a stark reminder of the brutality and inhumanity of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Walking through the remnants of slave quarters and standing at the very sites where enslaved Africans were bought and sold, I felt an overwhelming connection to the pain and resilience of my ancestors. The train station, which once served as a conduit for human trafficking, stood as a chilling testament to the commodification of African lives.
This experience reinforced the necessity of reparations—not just as a financial transaction but as a comprehensive initiative encompassing truth-telling, restitution, and systemic reform. The continued economic and political marginalization of African nations and people of African descent worldwide is a direct consequence of these historical injustices. The AU’s 2025 theme must, therefore, be a clarion call for substantive action, particularly in the realms of economic justice, political representation, and global governance reforms.
The United Nations Security Council: A Modern Manifestation of Historical Inequality
The structural inequalities that defined colonialism and slavery persist today, most notably in the composition and decision-making framework of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—exercise disproportionate control over global peace and security, with Africa, despite being home to 54 nations, having no permanent representation. This exclusion is a direct reflection of historical injustice and a clear indication that Africa remains systemically marginalized in international governance.
The AU and its member states must seize this moment to amplify calls for the restructuring of global institutions. The demand for a permanent African seat on the UNSC is not a matter of privilege but of justice. As Nelson Mandela aptly stated, “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity, it is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.” Justice for Africans extends beyond financial compensation; it requires dismantling the structural systems that perpetuate global inequality.
Reparations as a Pathway to Development and Inclusion
One of the most crucial elements of the AU’s reparations initiative is its integration into development policies. African economies continue to bear the scars of colonial exploitation. The extraction of natural resources, illicit financial flows, and the lack of industrialization have left African nations struggling to assert economic sovereignty. The African Reparations Fund, proposed under this initiative, should be designed to not only compensate for historical injustices but to serve as a catalyst for sustainable development, infrastructure growth, and technological advancement.
Furthermore, reparations must include investment in education and youth empowerment. The youth of Africa, who constitute over 60% of the continent’s population, are the custodians of its future. Programs that provide scholarships, vocational training, and entrepreneurship funding must be prioritized. The Accra Reparations Conference (2023) underscored that reparations are a multigenerational endeavor, necessitating the active engagement of youth. The African Union must commit to ensuring that young people are not passive beneficiaries but active architects of reparatory justice.
I remember a presentation by Courteny Mukoyi, a fellow from Zimbabwe. He challenged the American government to live what they preach, speaking more to cobalt mining in DRC, where most of workers if not exploited are either below legal working age. His message was clear, if America defends and support human rights, why are they buying cobalt and using cobalt more than any country in the world. I have been to Democratic Republic of Congo, and have witnessed child labor. So in essence American government is sponsoring child labor, which is a violation of human rights, they claim to protect. We always see the US government issuing sanctions against people and institutions they seem as human rights violators. I believe the time has come for the US to do soul searching before accusing others of the same crime they commit.
Women and Reparations: Addressing Gendered Injustices
Women have historically borne the brunt of colonial and post-colonial exploitation. From sexual violence during the slave trade to the economic marginalization of African women in modern economies, gender injustices must be at the forefront of reparatory discussions. The establishment of a Center of Excellence for training and scholarships on reparations must include a gender lens. Women-led grassroots organizations should be funded to lead community healing initiatives, ensuring that reparations address both racial and gendered injustices.
As Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma wrote in her Letter to the Future, “The future of Africa is bright because we have embraced the strengths of our women, recognizing that no society can rise if it leaves half of its population behind.” True reparations must acknowledge the unique struggles of African women and ensure their inclusion in economic and political structures.
Youth as Catalysts for Reparatory Justice
The average age of a leader in Africa is 65 years and the average age of a youth in Africa is 25 years. There a a 4o year old gap between youth and leaders in Africa. And it then makes it difficult for youth to thrive in Africa because those leading them are clueless about the modern day challenges the youth are facing. I have noticed with serious concern the narrative that young people or young Africans are portrayed as the problem, not the solutions. young Africans are portrayed as subjects, not drivers of development, portrayed as gun holders and not peacebuilders. So there is this always a narrative around how this statistic of youth which is a problem and even when people talk about youth bulge, this big demographic, it’s not in the sense that this is the labor force, this is the innovation force, this is the voting power as well but it’s talked about as ‘now we need to find jobs for all of these growing population’ and in all of these statistics is about numbers and it is because, before end of the century, half of the world will be African, like one in three people will be African. so it is something to think about, but the narrative is an issue because it’s the narrative of we have this huge problem of this demographic and what do we do with them? So that’s one and then two, obviously, exclusion from power. So youth participation is a big challenge as our participation is still tokenistic, participation is still extractive of youth, and expertise, and experiences are exploitative of our lived experiences. People do surveys or do consultations, it’s always like, let’s get information from you, and knowledge from you. But we don’t know where does that knowledge go? It’s not credited to the young Africans, and so on. But then on politics and leadership, obviously it’s not that youth are not interested in politics. they do not subscribe to how politics works to partisan politics and how it is. It’s patriarchal. The truth is Africa’s population is predominantly young, with over 60% under the age of 25. This demographic advantage means that the youth will bear the responsibility of sustaining the reparations movement. They must be educated on the historical injustices that necessitate reparations and be equipped with the tools to advocate for and implement change. The AU must invest in youth leadership, civic education, and capacity-building programs to enable young people to take ownership of the reparations agenda.
In my experience during the 2023 Mandela Washington Fellowship, as indicated above one of the most impactful experiences was visiting Montpelier, the plantation home of James Madison, a key figure in drafting the U.S. Constitution. Here, I stood on the very grounds where enslaved Africans toiled under brutal conditions. I visited the train station where they were auctioned like commodities, stripped of their identities and dignity. The reality of these injustices is undeniable, and seeing it firsthand reaffirmed my conviction that justice must be sought not just through acknowledgment but through tangible reparations. The same injustices persist today in different forms, especially in economic disparities, systemic discrimination, and exclusion of African nations from global decision-making. The UN Security Council remains a modern-day symbol of this inequality, where African nations, despite their vast contributions to global resources and development, have no permanent representation. The AU must push for structural reforms at the international level while ensuring that youth are part of these diplomatic and advocacy efforts.
A Call to Action: The Role of the African Union and Member States
The AU’s 2025 theme is a step in the right direction, but its success hinges on the commitment of member states. National governments must:
- Domesticate Reparations Policies – Ensure that reparatory justice is embedded in national laws and policies.
- Invest in Historical Truth-Telling Initiatives – Establish national museums and archives to document colonial and slavery-era atrocities.
- Strengthen Continental and Diaspora Alliances – Engage with CARICOM, the African Diaspora, and international partners to build a united front.
- Mobilize Resources for the AU Global Fund on Reparations – Secure funding from international donors while holding former colonial powers accountable.
- Education and Awareness: The AU must integrate reparations and historical justice into school curriculums, ensuring young people understand their history and the rationale behind the movement.
- Policy Inclusion: Youth must be included in policymaking bodies that determine the frameworks for reparations. The AU’s proposed Committee of Experts on Reparations must have youth representatives who bring fresh perspectives and energy to the table.
- Economic Empowerment: Reparations must go beyond financial compensation; they should include investment in youth-led enterprises, scholarships, and grants that uplift African youth economically.
- Digital Advocacy: The youth are at the forefront of digital activism. Leveraging social media and technology can amplify the reparations discourse, engage the diaspora, and foster global solidarity.
- Entrepreneurship and Innovation: African youth must be empowered through reparatory funds that support innovation, research, and technological advancements to drive Africa’s self-sufficiency.
The year 2025 presents Africa with a historic opportunity to assert its rightful place in the global order. Reparations are not an act of benevolence but a moral and legal imperative. The ghosts of history demand justice, and the youth of Africa must be at the forefront of this movement. We must channel the resilience of our ancestors, the wisdom of our elders, and the courage of our women to ensure that the African Renaissance is not just a dream but a tangible reality.
It is time for Africa to rise, not as victims of history but as architects of a just and equitable future. The AU must move beyond rhetoric and into tangible action—because justice delayed is justice denied.
About Baboloki Semele
Media Maven | Political Consultant | Civic Activist | Mandela Washington Fellow | Validator – African Union High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies Publications
Baboloki Semele is a seasoned media professional, political consultant, and civic activist dedicated to empowering communities and shaping impactful policies across Africa. With a background in broadcasting and journalism,
international Relations and politics Baboloki has worked extensively in media, public relations, and political consultancy, advocating for youth inclusion, gender equality, and democratic governance.
As a Mandela Washington Fellow under the Civic Engagement track at the Presidential Precinct in Virginia, USA, Baboloki honed his expertise in leadership, policy advocacy, and grassroots mobilization. His experience includes working with international organizations, governments, and civil society to drive youth empowerment initiatives and promote inclusive governance.
In his role as a Validator for the African Union High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies Publications, Baboloki ensures the integrity and quality of research shaping Africa’s technological future. He actively contributes to the African Union’s agenda on innovation, policy development, and sustainable growth.
His consultancy work spans political strategy, media relations, and governance, where he advises policymakers, institutions, and grassroots movements on effective communication and civic engagement. Passionate about the African Renaissance, Baboloki is committed to amplifying African narratives, fostering justice, and advancing progressive change across the continent.
Key Areas of Expertise:
✅ Media & Strategic Communication
✅ Political Consulting & Policy Advocacy
✅ Civic Engagement & Governance
✅ Youth & Gender Empowerment
✅ Research & Publications Validation
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