Portugal says it has no plans to pay reparations for colonization

After the Portuguese president defended reparation measures for colonization, such as debt cancellation, and was approached by Brazil for talks, the government said it had not initiated any procedure in this regard. After Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa defended compensation measures for the former colonies and being sought out by Brazil for talks, the Portuguese government announced this Saturday (27/04) that it does not plan to pay reparations for slavery and colonialism.

Earlier this week, speaking to foreign journalists, Rebelo de Sousa said that Portugal “takes full responsibility” for past mistakes and that crimes committed during the colonial era had “costs”. “We have to pay the costs”, he declared, further arguing that the country had an “obligation” to lead this reparation process. “Are there actions that were not punished and those responsible were not arrested? Are there assets that were looted and were not returned? Let’s see how we can repair this.”

At the time, the president suggested that these reparations could take place through the cancellation of debts owed by former colonies, the development of special cooperation programs or through the offer of financing.

After the president’s statement, the Brazilian Minister of Racial Equality, Anielle Franco, said she had approached the Portuguese government to talk about “concrete actions”.

Lisbon talks about “reconciliation”

In a statement this Saturday, the Portuguese government said that it seeks to “deepen mutual relations, respect for historical truth and increasingly intense and close cooperation, based on the reconciliation of brotherly peoples”, and that there is no “process or program of specific actions ” to pay for repairs.

Lisbon also said it maintains “truly excellent” relations with its former colonies, which includes financial and economic cooperation.

Since March, Portugal has been governed by a center-right coalition, the Democratic Alliance. The change took place after elections were called following the resignation of the prime minister, the socialist Antonio Costa, suspected of corruption.

Portugal trafficked almost 6 million Africans

At least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported by European ships and sold into slavery in the 15th to 19th centuries, although some estimates cite 20 or 30 million. Those who survived the brutal journey ended up working in inhumane conditions in the Americas, particularly in Brazil and the Caribbean, ensuring huge profits for their owners.

The slave trade was dominated by Great Britain and Portugal, although the USA, Holland, Spain, France, Denmark and Sweden were also heavily involved.

Portugal trafficked almost 6 million Africans, but so far it has not confronted its past and little is taught about its role in transatlantic slavery in schools. Instead, Portugal’s colonial era, during which countries such as Angola, Mozambique, Brazil, Cape Verde and East Timor, as well as parts of India, were subjected to Portuguese rule, is often seen as a source of pride – even though The emancipation of some African countries only came in 1974, with the fall of the Salazar dictatorship.

Human rights activists defend the definition of reparations and public policies to combat inequalities related to the colonial period, including systemic racism.

ra (Reuters, Lusa)