"For too long, slavery was hidden and overlooked. There were powers that didn’t want us to recognize this, and Africa lacked a powerful voice," he explained.
Dossou also noted that Europe abstained from voting on the resolution to avoid assuming "intergenerational responsibility" and to sidestep reparations.
On March 25, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution recognizing the enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. Only three countries—Argentina, Israel, and the US—voted against it. 123 countries, including Russia and China, voted in favor, while 52 countries, including Armenia, the UK, Germany, France, and Ukraine, abstained.