Angola hosts seminar on historical reparations
Mbanza Kongo will host the III International Seminar on Historical Reparations from November 9 to 14.
Angola will celebrate 51 years of independence on November 11, with Mbanza Kongo hosting the III International Seminar on Historical Reparations from November 9 to 14. The city was chosen because it was where the first ships of invaders landed, according to Tânia de Carvalho, president of the Angolan Association Osoko. The seminar aims to position Angola regarding its roadmap for historical reparations.
The event, organized with the International Committee for Reparations, seeks to gather specialists, academics, politicians, and social activists to conceive a document for the African Union and the United Nations. Carvalho stated that reparations are not just monetary and that Portugal must first acknowledge the crimes committed in Angola.
Carvalho said the United Nations classified the slave trade as the greatest crime against humanity. The association wants to initiate a debate on how this process would work in Angola, with experts developing a document for international bodies.
Why it mattersAngolans are affected by the ongoing debate on historical reparations and the potential for Portugal to acknowledge past crimes.