Brazil, guest of honor at the 9th Pan-African Congress in Lomé, leads a historic delegation focused on reparative justice and pan-Africanism.
Brazil as guest of honor in Lomé
The 9th Pan-African Congress, held in Lomé, capital of Togo, features a historic participation by the Brazilian delegation. More than one hundred members of the Black movement, civil society representatives and Black intellectuals are in the African country to discuss key issues on the global anti-racist agenda.
With Brazil as guest of honor, African countries and representatives of the diaspora are gathered in Lomé to strengthen and renew relations among peoples of African origin and to reaffirm the continents role in the international arena.
Reparative justice and pan-Africanism on the agenda
Over five days, in a meeting that started on Monday (8) and runs until Friday (12), the congress discusses the need to implement reparative justice in the fight against racism and to promote pan-Africanism.
The debates address the renewal of pan-Africanism and the self-determination of African peoples and their descendants, the strengthening of Africas role in the international system, the reform of multilateral institutions and the restitution of African cultural heritage.
Brazilian and international leaderships
The Brazilian delegation includes professor Babalawò Ivanir dos Santos; Carlos Moura, first president of the Palmares Cultural Foundation; professor and philosopher Helena Theodoro; professor Hélio Santos, from Oxfam Brasil; actor and director Antônio Pitanga; professor Éle Semog, president of the Center for the Articulation of Marginalized Populations (CEAP); and professor Mariana Gino, CEAP deputy executive director and specialist in African History.
The opening ceremony also featured the Vice President of Colombia, Francia Elena Márquez Mina, and Epsy Campbell, representative of the diaspora and of Afro-descendants and former Prime Minister of Costa Rica, underlining the international and strategic scope of the meeting.
New perspective for reparations agenda
“This meeting opens a new perspective in the reparations agenda, not only in Brazil, but throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and the world.”
Babalawò and professor Ivanir dos Santos, a member of the Brazilian delegation, stressed the historical relevance of the initiative, highlighting the global reach of discussions on reparations and the fight against racism.
For Ivanir, the congress can foster a renewed articulation between African countries and their diasporas, strengthening cultural, political and social ties on a global scale and consolidating a shared agenda of rights, justice and recognition.
