A foundation dedicated to healing wounds from slavery has unveiled a five-point framework for justice across Africa. The initiative centers on Recognition, Repentance, Restitution, Reparations and Restoration.
Joshua Egbagbe presented the proclamation at the Tree of Life Garden in Jos on Thursday. He leads both the Abba Father Assembly and the Foundation for the Healing of the African Slave Era Atrocities.
The foundation wants to blend faith-based healing with legal efforts already underway globally. According to Egbagbe, spiritual and psychological wounds from slavery require more than courts and diplomacy alone.
"We seek an open-hearted and Christlike process to heal, including the often-overlooked psycho-spiritual damage done to enslaved African peoples," Egbagbe told reporters. He emphasized that the world has already established legal and moral foundations for reparatory justice.
The timing of the announcement carries deep meaning. Egbagbe chose June 18, 2026 — exactly 574 years after a Papal Bull that justified enslaving Africans was issued on the same date in 1452.
The proclamation's title — "Dum Concordes — Est Sanatio" — translates to "While in One Accord — there is Healing." Its message focuses on restoration rather than revenge.
"The goal is not punishment of the guilty but healing of the broken," he noted. "Not the humiliation of Europe but the restoration of Africa."
Egbagbe called on the Vatican to formally cancel five papal bulls connected to the slave trade. He wants European nations to pass parliamentary resolutions acknowledging their roles in slavery.
African governments must also own their participation in the trade, he argued. He urged them to establish African Institutes of Freedom across nine historic slave gateway nations, including Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
The foundation seeks partnership with the United Nations and African Union. European nations are invited to join a proposed Afro-Euro Reparations and Development Fund.
Money alone won't solve the problem, Egbagbe stressed. Reparations must focus on long-term development projects that address centuries of exploitation.
His proposals include maritime universities and Freedom Museums in former slave ports. He also champions a continent-wide health push targeting malaria.
Malaria kills millions of Africans annually, especially children. Egbagbe views defeating the disease as part of broader reparatory justice efforts.
The framework positions itself as complementary to existing international mechanisms. Rather than replacing established legal structures, it adds spiritual and cultural dimensions to justice work.
