Accra: Ghana must lead the black diaspora in shedding the 'slave' historical label as part of efforts to make a global case against this crime against humanity, a Pan-Africanist has said.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr Nyaaba-Aweeba Azongo, who made the call, described as inappropriate the acceptance of that dehumanising chapter in black history as 'slave trade' instead of 'black holocaust.' He challenged the description of 'slave trade' as applied to that painful period of black dehumanisation, arguing that the narrative was shaped by invaders to fit their paradigm of imperialism-a description that will forever consign blacks, especially the black diaspora, into the dustbin of slave history.
He said the unresolved question remains what the African or black perspective of that chapter of history is. Mr Azongo stressed that 'slave trade' is a one-sided definition by the perpetrators of that heinous crime, adding that its acceptance by victims of the historical injustice is inappropriate, as human beings are not products of trade.
He explained that trade is typically anchored on brand promotion, product preservation, and safety to minimise losses. However, he noted that these elements were absent from what he observed at the dungeons of Cape Coast and Elmina Castles. 'Instead, what I saw was a ruthless genocidal war against a race akin to Hitler's war against the Jews,' he said.
He further argued that if Hitler's crimes are described as a holocaust and commemorated globally to prevent repetition, then the Euro-Arabic invasion of Africa should appropriately be described as a 'black holocaust,' which must be institutionalised as a fundamental part of black history to remind the world of man's inhumanity to man.
Mr Azongo said the black holocaust was a racially crafted scheme intended to crush the spirit of black people, enabling the exploitation of African resources while suppressing African history, intellectual assertiveness, and culture of humanism that could guide humanity's moral compass. He added that such degrading historical descriptions are time-tested imperialist tools used to redefine and debase a people, suppress their pride, and keep them in perpetual servitude for control and exploitation, stating that 'slave trade' and slavery history are not exceptions.