French President Emmanuel Macron has emphasised that reparations for slavery must not be reduced to mere financial compensation, arguing instead that true historical justice requires a deeper commitment to memory, education, and cultural restitution.
Speaking in Accra on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at the High-Level Consultative Conference on “Next Steps” under the United Nations Resolution on enslaved Africans, President Macron posited that reparative justice should never be viewed as a transaction that ends with monetary payments.
Instead, he noted that justice for historical wrongs must encompass truth-telling, education, memorialization, and the return of cultural artifacts.
“Reparations, because this is also what it comes down to when we speak of justice, can take different forms as I mentioned several days ago and as John Dramani Mahama has underlined on several occasions,” he said.
“History cannot be reduced to a simple accounting ledger. Making reparations is about placing this importance of scientific and historical truth; building monuments, teaching, researching. It means returning the works of art that were stolen during those periods.”
President Macron further explained that reparations require addressing unresolved historical grievances, citing France’s ongoing diplomatic and historical engagements with Haiti as a primary example.
“Reparations also involves the ability to work out situations as we are currently doing with Haiti. It can be approached from multiple perspectives, but in no case should it be seen as an endpoint, a cheque written to bring the story to a close,” he said.
“The history will live on and we must continue to bear its names, memories, faces and to make amends, make progress and discuss the future,” he added.
The French President assured the delegation that France remains fully committed to supporting global initiatives aimed at advancing historical recognition and reparative justice.
“I would like to reiterate my commitment to stand with you. You can count on France,” he said.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
