October 22, Senegambia, Gambia - The President of the Balanta Society in America, Mr. Siphiwe Baleka, met with Hon. Dr. Litha Musyimi-Ogana, Chairperson of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations and Minorities in Africa on the margins of the 81st Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’s Rights (ACHPR). Also attending the meeting was Petrus Hatupopi, Legal Officer in the Secratariat of the Commission (ACHPR)).
The objective of the meeting was to discuss the restoration of the ancestral lineage and the right to return of the AfroDescendants. In particular, Mr. Baleka briefed the Commissioner about the over 800,000 members of his community that have taken the African Ancestry dna test and have identified their ancestors on the continent. Mr. Baleka, who traced his own ancestors to Guinea Bissau approached the Commision’s Indigenous Communities and Minorities Group Chair to see how their members could be assisted and recognised as authentic African and indigenous people in their respective communities. Such recognition would pave the way for their full participation in the AU theme for 2025 on Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations and their integration into the ongoing activities of operationalising the AU 6th Region.
In the meeting, they discussed other issues concerning the establishment of the AU 6th Region with an emphasis on the selection of the twenty representatives for the AU Economic, Social and Cultural Council. A roadmap was deliberated upon to advance the agenda of the AfroDescendants’ Right to Return to the continent and to include key stakeholders.
Mr. Baleka expressed his appreciation for the accessibility and the role the Commission is playing in promoting and protecting human rights within the continent while also cognisant of the plight of the AfroDescendants.
The outcome of this deliberation will guide the way forward for the Commission to work with the AfroDescendants in general and pave the way for the Commission to mainstream their priorities in the African Union Theme for the Year 2025.
The Commissioner advised the African Diaspora to follow the directive of the African Union to ‘organize yourself and select your twenty representatives.’ “This will be a test to see if the Diaspora can work together in one accord to achieve a specific measurable outcome,” explained Mr. Baleka.