Slave trade: Senegal focuses on ‘duty to remember’ focus 03/28/2010

Slave trade: Senegal focuses on ‘duty to remember’

focus 03/28/2010 DAKAR — Senegal has declared slavery and the slave trade crimes against humanity, putting the emphasis on a “duty to remember” rather than seeking financial reparations. The first of millions of slaves shipped from Africa to the Americas in the Atlantic slave trade came from the west African nation and the law passed Tuesday is the first on the continent declaring slavery a crime against humanity. Spokesman for the justice minister, Cheikh Bamba Niang said the law did not anticipate demands for financial compensation. Campaigns for compensation among Africans and African-Americans have often cropped up, stirring controversy over who would pay them and to whom while critics note many Africans themselves practised slavery and colluded with slave dealers.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100328com7.html

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