Cape Town, South Africa | 12 August 2026 – Scholars, researchers and practitioners gathered at the Centre for African Studies at the University of Cape Town for a research workshop titled “Towards a Pan-African Reparations Agenda: Contestations, Disputations and Prospects,” on 12 August. The workshop was jointly convened by the Centre for African Studies (CAS), the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR), and the Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa (IDCPPA) to critically examine evolving debates on reparative justice across Africa and the Global African Diaspora.

The one-day workshop brought together emerging and established scholars to explore the historical, legal, political and moral dimensions of reparations, while reflecting on the opportunities and challenges of building a coherent Pan-African reparations agenda. The gathering forms part of broader efforts to deepen scholarly engagement on questions of justice, redress, restitution and socio-economic transformation in Africa and beyond.

In his role as co-convenor, Prof Tim Murithi, IJR’s Senior Advisor for Transitional Justice and Research Associate at UCT’s IDCPPA, welcomed participants and highlighted the importance of creating platforms for rigorous dialogue on reparative justice. The workshop provided an opportunity for interdisciplinary engagement among researchers working on issues ranging from economic and ecological reparations to cultural restitution and restorative justice.

The initiative seeks to contribute to growing continental and global conversations on reparative justice, particularly in light of the emerging global reparatory moment and renewed calls for redress linked to slavery, colonialism, apartheid and systemic racial oppression. It provided an important space to map current reparations activism, strengthen research networks and advance scholarship capable of informing policy and advocacy processes.

Participants engaged in robust discussions on the future of reparations research in Africa, including the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, stronger engagement with policymakers and the development of inclusive frameworks that reflect the diverse experiences of African communities and the Global African Diaspora.

The initiative established the UCT-IJR Working Group on Reparations which will convene regularly and also actively work to strengthen research networks dedicated to advancing restorative and transformative approaches to justice across Africa and the wider diaspora.

The workshop concluded with a roundtable discussion on future directions for reparations research in Africa, providing participants with an opportunity to identify emerging priorities and explore avenues for collaborative scholarship, advocacy and policy engagement.