Rethinking Reparations for African Enslavement as Cultural, Spiritual and Environmental Repair

作为人权委员会网络项目（2017-19）与联合国非洲人后裔国际十年（IDPAD, 2015-24）[奴隶制赔偿：从理论到实践，AH/P007074/1]相关的一部分，该项目源于在英国和西非与活动组织和研究人员举行的会议。这些会议是与欧洲泛非赔偿联盟（联合王国）和泛非全球赔偿协会（贝宁）合作举办的，导致建立了非洲赔偿学者和积极分子国际网络。我们专注于从非洲社区的角度对赔偿和赔偿正义的意义进行更全面的理解。这包括寻找创造性的方法来治愈非洲奴役的长期遗产，包括文化损失和环境退化，并强调缺乏对涉及文化、精神和环境形式的修复模式的研究。现有的模式倾向于自上而下、国家主导的方法，依赖于国际法院和货币偿还；然而，我们发现了基层、社区主导的行动同样重要，这些行动的重点是修复非洲文化和精神的丧失，以及文化修复与环境之间的联系。这两个相互连接的区域构成了这个项目的基础。第一个问题涉及那些被迫离开非洲的人的后代能够重新建立他们与非洲大陆的文化和精神联系的进程；这个过程被称为“遣返”。第二部分涉及到“地球修复”的需要如何支持为修复性正义而进行的斗争，以及非洲文化和知识在更广泛地促进生态和修复性社会运动方面可以发挥的作用。作为回应，我们确定了一个具有特定目的和目标的三期项目：P1。P2.在贝宁制作一部高质量的视频纪录片，讲述文化流失和非洲后裔与非洲大陆的重新联系，并前所未有地进入贝宁的文化和精神遗址；通过在加纳举办的培训讲习班，扩大非洲青年对赔偿行动的参与，讲习班的重点是地球和文化修复，包括通讯和视频制作方面的专业培训；P3。通过举办研讨会，与加纳的传统非洲领导人建立联系（以我们在贝宁的现有联系为基础），探讨遣返和地球修复问题，以及促进这些进程的政策制定的重要性。每个阶段都旨在提高认识，加深我们对与文化、精神和地球修复相关的赔偿的理解，同时为国际非洲赔偿社会运动（ISMAR）做出贡献。与加纳、贝宁和英国的非洲社区和活动团体密切合作，同时利用我们现有网络的经验，这笔资金将使我们和我们的合作伙伴能够将我们网络的好处扩大到更多感兴趣的社区。该录像纪录片将宣传文化和精神回归的重要性，表明这是实现对非洲人和非洲后裔社区的赔偿的一个组成部分。青年讲习班将提供视频制作和沟通技巧方面的培训，以便与ISMAR和灭绝叛乱等全球气候变化运动建立联系和团结。与加纳最高酋长举行的讲习班将作为一个试点，通过传统的领导结构将非洲人遣返和地球修复的公共政策纳入其中。这些活动将共同促进非洲遗产和文化对全球修复和环境正义运动的重要性，从而对发展基金作出积极贡献。

This project emerged from meetings held in the UK and West Africa with activist organisations and researchers as part of an AHRC networking project (2017-19) linked to the UN International Decade for People of African Descent (IDPAD, 2015-24) [Reparations for Slavery: From Theory to Praxis, AH/P007074/1]. Organized in collaboration with the Pan-Afrikan Reparations Coalition in Europe (UK) and the Association Panafricaine pour une réparation globale de l'esclavage (Benin), these meetings led to the creation of the International Network of Scholars and Activists for Afrikan Reparations (INOSAAR). We concentrated on creating a more holistic understanding of the meaning of reparation and reparative justice from African community perspectives. This included finding creative ways of healing the longstanding legacies of African enslavement, including cultural loss and environmental degradation, and highlighting the lack of research into models of reparation that engage with cultural, spiritual and environmental forms of repair. Existing models tend to favour top-down, state-led approaches that rely on international law courts and monetary repayment; whereas we identified the equal importance of grassroots, community-led initiatives that are focused on repairing the loss of African culture and spirituality, and the links between cultural repair and the environment. These two interconnected areas form the basis for this project. The first relates to the processes by which the descendants of those who were forcibly displaced from Africa are able to re-establish their cultural and spiritual links to the African continent; a process known as 'rematriation'. The second relates the ways in which struggles for reparative justice are underpinned by the need for 'planet repairs' and the role that African culture and knowledge can play in contributing to ecological and reparative social movements more broadly. In response, we identified a three-phase (P) project with specific aims and objectives:P1. To create a high-quality video-documentary in Benin on cultural loss and the reconnection of African descendants to the continent with unprecedented access to Beninese cultural and spiritual sites;P2. To expand African youth participation in reparations activism through a training workshop in Ghana focused on planet and cultural repair, including professional training in communications and video-making; P3. To develop links to traditional African leaders in Ghana (building from our existing connections in Benin) through a workshop looking at rematriation and planet repair, and the importance of policymaking that facilitates these processes.Each phase aims to raise awareness and deepen our understanding of reparation as linked to cultural, spiritual and planet repair, while contributing to the International Social Movement for Afrikan Reparations (ISMAR). Working closely with African community and activist groups in Ghana, Benin and the UK, while using the experience of our existing network, this funding will enable us and our partners to expand the benefits of our network to larger numbers of interested communities. The video-documentary will promote the importance of cultural and spiritual rematriation, showing this to be an integral part of achieving reparation for African and African descended communities. The youth workshop will provide training in video-making and communication skills to build links and solidarity with the ISMAR and global climate change movements, such as Extinction Rebellion. The workshop with the Ghanaian paramount chiefs will act as a pilot to feed into public policy on African rematriation and planet repair through traditional leadership structures. Together, these activities will make a positive contribution to the UNIDPAD by promoting the importance of African heritage and culture to global movements for reparative and environmental justice.