Geneva Conference: "Biracial Children, African Mothers and Colonization: A Global Case for Reparations", (April 17, 2024)

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AfaLab was present at the Third Session of the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent - external link, held in Geneva from April 16-19, where we organized a side event conference entitled "Biracial Children, African Mothers and Colonization: A Global Case for Reparations."

The conference, held on April 17 at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, was the first event in our advocacy campaign to demand justice and reparations for the Métis abducted by the Belgian colonial administration, and for their African mothers. 

Organized jointly with the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights - external link and Amnesty International - external link, and in partnership with the Association des Enfants des Belges Laissés au Congo (AEBLC), the Association des Métis des Grands Lacs (AMGL Burundi), the Association of Mixed Race Irish, the Collectif des Métis, and Justice Initiative; the conference drew on various cases of biracial child abduction in Africa and Europe to examine the experiences of African mothers and biracial people who have sought justice and reparations in recent decades.

Representatives from our Métis partner organizations had the opportunity to share with the audience poignant testimonies about the psychological impact of these abductions on the abducted children and their mothers. They also shared the obstacles they have encountered in their quest for justice and their determination to obtain recognition and reparations from Belgium for themselves and their descendants.

Speakers

  • Geneviève Kaninda (African Futures Lab)
  • Rachel Kapombo (Association des Enfants des Belges Laissés au Congo - AEBLC)
  • Yanine Karapatakis (Le Collectif Métis - Belgium)
  • Conrad Bryan (The Association of Mixed Race Irish)
  • Rym Khadhraoui (Amnesty International)
  • Adwoa Coleman (Adviser, Office of the Chairperson, African Union Commission)
  • Barbara G. Reynolds (Chairperson, UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent)

Read our post-conference recommendations - external link to the Forum.