From May 20th to 22nd, the Centre for Pan-African Studies (CPAS) at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, hosted Prof. Tim Murithi, as a Visiting Scholar at SOAS, and Head of Peacebuilding Interventions at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR), to conduct three CPAS seminars exploring Africa’s role in reshaping global governance, advancing reparations, and implementing transitional justice. The CPAS is a leading centre of excellence undertaking cutting-edge research on issues that relate to Pan-Africanism as well as issues across the African continent. The seminar discussions highlighted urgent calls for systemic change, historical redress, and community-led peacebuilding across the continent.

Confronting Colonial Legacies: Africa’s Demand for Global Democratic Reform

On Tuesday 20^th May, the first CPAS seminar entitled: “Pan-African Perspectives on the Emerging Global Order” included a presentation by Prof. Murithi providing an analysis of Africa’s historical inclusion from the formation of the multilateral system as well as a critical analysis of the exploitative underpinnings of the global system. From the Tran-Atlantic Slave Trade, to colonialism and apartheid the seminar discussed and emphasized how Africa has long been marginalized by the post-World War II order, which has now come to an end. Prof. Murithi argued that the end of the Post-World War II order presents a crucial window opportunity for the African continent to propose and advocate for the evolution of the multipolar reality towards a more global democratic order.

The IJR, in partnership with the International Peace Institute (IPI), has conducted a series of Expert Surveys in South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria revealed growing support among African governments for invoking Article 109 of the United Nations (UN) Charter, which allows for the convening of a General Conference to Review the organization’s founding document. In particular, the transformation of the international system should in the interim include expanding the UN Security Council to grant Africa permanent representation including the veto provision, ensuring the continent’s voice in global decision-making. “This isn’t just about symbolism; it’s about correcting centuries of exclusion,” one participant noted.

Discussions also addressed challenges like geopolitical rivalries, unequal power structures, and the need for united African advocacy through reviving and mobilizing the continent’s institutions. The prevailing view emerging from the seminar was clear: without structural change, the global system will continue perpetuating inequality and will sink even deeper into redundancy and irrelevancy.

The Reparations Imperative: Beyond Financial Compensation

On Wednesday 21^st May, the second CPAS Seminar entitled “The African Union’s Reparations Agenda” focused on the African Union’s (AU) reparations agenda, which is fundamentally about the moral duty to recognize and repair the historical injustice of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, beyond making the case for financial compensation. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, forcibly displaced between 12 and 15 million African bodies who were utilized as human chattel to grow the industrial economies of North America and Europe. As a consequence, these violations need to be acknowledged and redressed. “This is about fixing relationships between Africa and restoring dignity,” one speaker stressed.

While the AU’s designation of the theme for 2025 as “Justice for African and People of African Descent through Reparations” marks progress, critics highlighted gaps in following up on the Union’s decisions and in implementation. Grassroots movements, particularly in the Americas and the Caribbean, were highlighted as models for people-led campaigns. Proposals included debt cancellation and climate reparations, the return of stolen artefacts, and investments in health-care, education and housing.

One participants countered skeptics by arguing that: “Justice delayed entrenches historical wounds.” The discussion framed reparations as a bridge between past atrocities and current struggles like economic inequality and climate justice, where Africa remains disproportionately affected.

Localizing Transitional Justice: From Policy to Practice

On Thursday 22^nd May, the final CPAS seminar interrogated the emergence and utilization of the AU’s Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP), which was adopted in 2019 to address legacies violent conflict, authoritarian rule and human rights violations across the continent. Despite its innovative framework, implementation has been lack-luster. “Governments are paying lip service to justice,” noted Prof. Tim Murithi, pointing to ongoing conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Sahel.

Prof Tim Murithi stressed that transitional justice must be localised to succeed. “Community-led truth commissions, memorialization projects, and grassroots reconciliation efforts are essential,” he said, citing examples from Kenya, South Africa. He emphasized greater involvement of women and youth in peace processes: “Stability cannot be achieved without inclusivity.”

The seminar concluded with a sobering reflection: while the AUTJP is a landmark policy, its potential will remain unrealized without political will and civil society pressure.

A Unified Vision for Africa’s Future

Throughout the three days, the CPAS SOAS seminars surfaced a range of themes, including: Africa’s increasing agency in global affairs, the inter-generational urgency of reparations, and the necessity of inclusive, localised peacebuilding. The seminars reframed these issues as interconnected struggles for justice rather than isolated challenges.

As the Post-World War II Order comes to an end, and as the world continues to grapple with geo-political tension, a climate emergency, refugee flows, food insecurity, inequality and the unregulated effects of artificial intelligence, the discussions at SOAS offered a roadmap to building a new global democratic order through a genuine recognition to address the injustices of the past. By centering African perspectives and solutions, the SOAS seminars underscored that the continent’s future requires confronting historical injustices and reimagining systems of power a vision that requires global solidarity and unwavering commitment to justice for all people across the world.