Accra Roundtable Conference: "The Role of Philanthropy in Advancing Racial and Reparatory Justice in Africa and the African Diaspora", (June 10-11, 2024)

From 10 to 12 June 2024, the African Futures Lab, in collaboration with Reform Initiatives - external link and WACSI - external link, organized a roundtable conference in Accra, Ghana, on the role of philanthropy in advancing racial and reparatory justice . The roundtable brought together thought leaders, funders, and policymakers from around the world to discuss how to strengthen the role of philanthropy in movements for reparations and racial justice.

The idea of this conference came from an observation in our recent report, Multiple But Invisible: Reparations Demands For Colonial Crimes In The Great Lakes Region - external link, that the donor ecosystem of Africa as a continent has overlooked how current political, social, environmental and economic problems are intertwined with historical and contemporary systems of racial domination. This erasure of racial violence has not only allowed such violence to continue, but it has also perpetuated a culture of impunity relative to that violence.

Within the United States, several philanthropic organizations have engaged in more profound reflection on their role in perpetuating racial inequalities and the need to address them. However, most of these efforts have been concentrated at the national level, particularly in the U.S. Despite the efforts of a few U.S.-based foundations, there appears to be a reluctance to actively engage the issue of racial and reparatory justice in Africa and the African diaspora.

The conference organized in Accra was therefore an invitation extended to philanthropic organizations to recognize the limitations of their current approach in addressing the political, social, environmental, and economic problems affecting Africans and people of African descent in Africa and the African diaspora.

Key Highlights

The participants highlighted the need for international action to dismantle global systems of domination rooted in colonialism. They argued for stronger transcontinental alliances. In addition, they emphasized the importance of inter-organizational communication in Africa, the role of the African Union in reparations, and the promotion of reparations as a subject in educational curricula.

Philanthropic actors discussed the importance of building an ecosystem of organizations and addressing challenges such as funding methods, competition among grantees, and collaboration among philanthropic organizations. They also acknowledged philanthropy’s historical complicity in perpetuating inequalities and emphasized the need for a holistic approach towards funding reparative justice initiatives.

The Climate Reparations panel addressed the disproportionate impact of climate change on Africa, the need for accountability in relation to that impact from the Global North, and the integration of biodiversity and climate issues into reparatory justice frameworks. Panelists emphasized the importance of supporting local communities, addressing human rights abuses, and promoting strategic funding to address environmental and climate impacts.

Regarding youth engagement, participants at the conference highlighted youth involvement in racial justice movements, the need for legal and financial support, the importance of countering misinformation, and promoting alternative systems of mobilization.

The gender justice panel emphasized the importance of an intersectional approach to reparations, addressing specific harms experienced by women, and integrating feminist principles into reparations frameworks. They identified challenges such as the dilution of intersectionality and the need to address the erasure of Black women from historical narratives.

Next Steps

The next step will be to develop a path of change for sustainable interventions on racial and restorative justice at a global level.

The conference concluded with a commitment from civil society actors to form a coalition to share knowledge and resources, launch a social media campaign and engage African philanthropy to support restorative justice movements.