Reparations should not be limited solely to financial payments. First and foremost, it is important to recognize the injustices committed, address their consequences and ensure that such cases are not repeated in the future, C-B. Francis Tshibalabala Mukunayi, a member of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said at the international conference titled “Injustices of Belgian Colonialism and 101 Years of Struggle for Reparations,” organized by the Baku Initiative Group, APA reports.
He noted that reparations should also make it possible to build new relations between Belgium and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, free from the complexes created by the past and based on equality and mutual respect:
“The Congolese people do not want history to be erased, but rather to be recognized and taught as it was. History that we refuse to confront will always return to affect relations between peoples. On the contrary, history that is recognized, taught and accepted can become the starting point for new relations.”
The MP emphasized that, within the framework of reparations, the return of works of art and cultural property through restitution, as well as the repatriation of archives and human remains to their countries of origin, should also be ensured.
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on X
