President Mahama Honors Enslaved Africans in New York | Discuss Ghana

On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, President John Dramani Mahama led a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the African Burial Ground National Monument in Lower Manhattan, New York. The event served as a poignant tribute to the nearly 15,000 to 20,000 free and enslaved Africans buried at the historic 17th and 18th-century site.

The ceremony is a key pillar of the President’s week-long mission to the United Nations to advocate for reparatory justice and a global "Reset" of how the world addresses the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade.

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The Ceremony at the Burial Ground

The African Burial Ground is the oldest and largest known excavated burial ground in North America for free and enslaved Africans. President Mahama's visit emphasized the deep, ancestral ties between the site and West Africa:

Honoring the Ancestors: “We lay down this wreath to honour the memories of the nearly 20,000 Africans who are buried on these grounds... some free but most of whom were enslaved,” the President stated.

The Ghana Connection: Mahama highlighted that with over 30 slave castles and forts—the highest concentration in Africa—it is statistically certain that many of those buried in Manhattan originated from or passed through present-day Ghana.

A Call to Remembrance: He paid tribute to the families left behind, noting that the trade didn't just enslave individuals but forever altered the lives of those "to whom they belonged" back home.

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Advancing Reparatory Justice (March 2026)

The wreath-laying was more than a commemorative act; it was a strategic step toward the formal tabling of a historic UN resolution:

Defining the Crime: Following the ceremony, the President headed to the UN Headquarters to argue that the transatlantic slave trade must be recognized as the "gravest crime against humanity".

The AU Mandate: As the African Union (AU) Champion on Reparations, Mahama is leading the push for the Decade of Reparations (2026–2036), which aims to secure economic and cultural repair for the continent.

Artifact Recovery: Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who accompanied the President, confirmed that Ghana is actively working to recover archival materials and witness records to support these legal claims.

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Mahama’s New York Itinerary: Key Milestones

Date	Event	Significance
Tue, Mar 24	Wreath-Laying (Burial Ground)	Spiritual and ancestral tribute in Lower Manhattan.
Tue, Mar 24	UN High-Level Event	Keynote address on the legal framework for reparations.
Wed, Mar 25	General Assembly Debate	Formal tabling of the "Crime Against Humanity" resolution.
Wed, Mar 25	Intl. Day of Remembrance	Global observance of the victims of slavery.

"Reparatory justice is not a request for charity; it is an assertion of our shared humanity and a pursuit of justice that has been delayed for centuries." — President John Dramani Mahama, March 24, 2026.