Ghanaian President John Mahama has accused the United States of “slowly normalising” the erasure of Black history, warning that recent policy shifts could influence governments worldwide.
Speaking at a United Nations (UN) event on slavery reparations in New York, Mahama criticised actions taken by Donald Trump since returning to office.
Within hours of his inauguration, Trump ordered the dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices, which were created to tackle systemic discrimination. Weeks later, he also moved against exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution, describing some as promoting “corrosive” anti-American ideology.
Museums including the National Museum of African American History and Culture were singled out in the directive, which targeted narratives portraying Western values as oppressive.
“These policies are becoming a template for other governments and institutions,” Mahama said. “At the very least, they are slowly normalising the erasure.”
The Ghanaian leader has previously criticised Trump’s rhetoric on race, including claims about “white genocide” in South Africa, which he described as an insult to Africans.
In response, a White House spokesperson told Reuters that Trump had delivered more for Black Americans than any other president and enjoyed “historic support” from Black voters in the 2024 election.
Push for slavery reparations
Mahama is in New York to table a resolution at the UN General Assembly seeking to recognise transatlantic slavery as the gravest crime in human history and to demand reparations.
He argued that slavery was a deliberate system designed to strip Africans of their humanity.
“The entire transatlantic slave trade was premised on a racial hierarchy that falsely elevated one race while dehumanising another,” he said.
Mahama stressed that more than 12.5 million Africans were forcibly taken over four centuries, with lasting consequences still felt today.
“Such a resolution allows the world to bear witness to the suffering of millions whose identities, families and futures were destroyed,” he added.
Africa’s growing demand for justice
African Union nations have intensified calls for reparations, placing the issue at the centre of recent summits.
Following the 2023 Accra Proclamation, African leaders are pushing for global recognition of slavery and colonialism as crimes against humanity, alongside demands for financial redress, artefact repatriation and systemic reforms.
Mahama said confronting the past honestly remains essential for justice and healing.
