President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned against what he describes as a growing global trend to distort or erase the true history of slavery, warning that such actions threaten justice and collective memory.

Speaking at the United Nations High-Level Special Event on Reparatory Justice at the UN Headquarters in New York on March 24, 2026, the President emphasised the critical role of language in shaping historical understanding and accountability.

The event was held under the theme “Reparatory Justice for the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and the Racialised Chattel Enslavement of Africans.”

“Erasure begins with language, when words are used as a sleight of hand to distort reality and create false narratives,” he told delegates.

President Mahama expressed concern over instances of historical revisionism, particularly in parts of the United States, where some educational materials and public discourse have softened or misrepresented the realities of slavery.

He cited examples where enslaved Africans have been described merely as “workers” in textbooks, alongside the removal of Black history content from school curricula and restrictions on discussions on racism and slavery in some public institutions.

According to him, such portrayals risk creating misleading narratives that diminish the scale of the atrocities committed and their enduring impact on African people and their descendants.

The president reiterated that the transatlantic slave trade was built on the systematic denial of African humanity, driven by a false racial hierarchy used to justify exploitation and violence, and called for a renewed global commitment to truth and historical accountability.