We have all read, watched movies, documentaries and heard stories about the Transatlantic Slave Trade which started over 500 years ago when the Portuguese, British, Spanish, French, Dutch, Americans and Danish reached our shores.

For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history.

When slavery was abolished in 1807 in the British Empire and in 1865 in USA many then freed slaves were left to fend for themselves while the then slave “masters” went about their business like nothing ever happened. 

Fast forward to the 1900’s after the Berlin conference a significant part of Africa had been colonized by mainly seven European powers—Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, and Italy. After the conquest of African decentralised and centralised states, the European powers set about establishing colonial state systems.

It was during this time from 1885 to 1908, many atrocities were committed in the Congo Free State (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo) under the absolute rule of King Leopold II of Belgium the brother of King Philippe’s great great grandfather, under whose rule, fifteen million Congolese were murdered. This is the highest known figure of genocide in world history. Even in the lunatic Nazi Holocaust against innocent and defenceless Jews, the highest estimated casualty figure was about six million. Yet after 75 years of Jewish holocaust, Germany still shows remorse and pays billions of dollars in compensation to Israel. 

But Africans, who are victims of the world’s most brutal holocaust received no reparations, our stolen artefacts are still in their museums in Britain, Europe and the Americas.

To be sure, all European colonialists carried out unspeakable atrocities in Africa.

Till this day, fourteen former French colonies in Africa still pay a “colonial tax” amounting to about $500 billion yearly. These countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. 

Our aim is to get this 1 million signatures on this petition so we can take this case to ICJ (International Court of Justice).