Uyo: Ambassador Professor Dean Roberts Jnr., the High Commissioner and Continental Vice President of the U.N.I.P.G.C.-USA, has issued a call to Africans and people of African descent worldwide to unite and strengthen their communities, rather than allowing the historical legacy of slavery to create divisions among them. He emphasized the fragmentation caused by the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and advocated for efforts to reclaim Africa's history, identity, and heritage.
According to Ghana Web, Amb. Prof. Roberts delivered his remarks during the Ibuaku Clan Development Association family retreat at the Plush Villa Hilton Hotel in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The retreat revolved around the theme, 'Reclaiming our Story- Ibiaku History, Identity and Heritage.' His comments came in the wake of President John Dramani Mahama's address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he described the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade as 'the gravest crime against humanity' during the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Amb. Prof. Roberts stated that he views himself not as a victim of history but as a survivor and beneficiary of the slave trade's consequences, being part of the African diaspora. He explained that the slave trade employed a strategy of dividing African communities, conquering them, and exporting their human capital globally. 'this gravest crime scattered our ancestors with a simple and evil strategy -- To divide, conquer and export the precious human capital abroad,' he said.
He detailed how the slave trade led to the breaking of families, loss of names, and weakening of clans as Africans were forcibly transported to the Americas, the Caribbean, and other regions. Referring to President Mahama's UN address, Amb. Prof. Roberts noted that the President spoke on behalf of the African Group and highlighted that 123 of the 178 member countries supported the resolution, with three opposing it and 52 abstaining.
The resolution was adopted on the same day President Mahama expressed that there was no better way to honor Africa's forebears than having the majority of countries affirm that the trafficking and enslavement of nearly 13 million people constituted 'the gravest crime against humanity.'
Amb. Prof. Roberts urged Africans to transcend the divisions wrought by the slave trade and concentrate on building stronger families, communities, and nations. He committed to promoting the Ibiaku community's history and identity on international platforms.
In his closing remarks, Amb. Prof. Roberts pledged to represent Ibiaku at international forums and encouraged the people of Ibiaku, Mkpat, in Akwa Ibom State, both locally and globally, to collaborate in developing their community. He also praised Amb. Dennis Ufot, a United Nations Peace Ambassador, for his integrity, dignity, and leadership experience.
Amb. Prof. Roberts concluded by expressing optimism for Ibiaku's future, stating, 'Ibiaku will no longer export her destiny, but will develop it to the full benefit of all.'