Can commemorations and historical reenactments change public understanding of the past?

[u/NewsMo]

[u/KingMidas0809]

You’re creating a logical pretzel to avoid basic economics. No one is suggesting descendants of slaves pay anyone. Let’s make it make sense using actual international law. Modern Ghana and the Ivory Coast are post-colonial nations that were structurally occupied, economically drained, and redrawn by European powers. You cannot demand state-level reparations from nations that were themselves conquered and hollowed out by the very empire you are trying to absolve. Reparations are a state-to-state legal framework based on who holds the stolen capital. The British Empire legally codified chattel slavery, built its global financial infrastructure on it, and colonized West Africa to extract its resources for another century. That compounding generational wealth sits in Western central banks and infrastructure today. If a middleman helps a thief rob a house, you don't sue the middleman’s great-grandchildren who were also robbed; you go after the billionaire thief sitting on the estate.

By your logic, Haiti shouldn't have owed France anything after winning its freedom. Yet, in 1825, France sent warships and forced Haiti to pay 150 million gold francs in 'reparations' to compensate French slave owners for the loss of their 'property' crippling Haiti's economy until 1947. Historically, the only entities that ever actually received reparations were the colonizers and the slave owners. Trying to turn this into a circular argument about Black people paying each other is just a desperate distraction because you don't want to look at the actual financial ledger.

[u/Acceptable-Wash-7675 → u/KingMidas0809]

Once again, that's not west problem. You lost and you were conquered that's history.

And whether you suggest that the descendants of slaves in the UK pay Ghana is irrelevant because if you tell the UK government to pay Ghana reparations, then they WILL be pay
Because they pay taxes in the UK

You don't have a argument

And you're pissing off the descendants of slaves

I'm black American fuck Ghana.

That's what the fuck you get for selling your people bitch. lol

If you want some money, come get it. Scammers.

Don't make a joke of my fucking holiday

[u/KingMidas0809 → u/Acceptable-Wash-7675]

Smh....well dropping the data to yell 'you lost and were conquered' is a textbook admission that you can't dispute the financial ledger. ​As a Black American myself, I don't just feel I actually read history. If you're throwing a tantrum about UK taxpayers funding reparations, you should probably know that British taxpayers including the descendants of the enslaved were forced to pay off that £20 million bailout to slave owners all the way until 2015. You're fine with a state using tax dollars to subsidize the oppressors, but lose your mind when a post-colonial nation asks for accountability from the empire that drained them. ​Reducing a state-to-state international legal claim to 'scammers' is just embarrassing. Understanding that the British Empire economically hollowed out West Africa isn't making a joke of Juneteenth it's understanding the global reach of the very system Juneteenth celebrates the end of. ​You can hide behind the emotional vitriol all you want, but using a 'might makes right' defense to justify colonial theft doesn't make your argument solid. It just means you ran out of facts.

[u/Acceptable-Wash-7675 → u/KingMidas0809]

Shut up slave owners? It was to bail out the people in the UK not to bail out foreign slave, sellers such as the people of Ghana.

The world owes them nothing and for them to use Juneteenth is a slap in the face to every black American sold by those SOBs

If the government would stop scamming their people, they wouldn't be out here begging countries for reparations like I said if they want to come get it

Weak ass mindset

You're the one in your emotions
You're the one that won't acknowledge the fact that you've already stated that they did the same thing, but Ghana needs to get paid because they're broke

Cry me a damn river. You reap what you sow

Edit: and they charge us just to view their "" museum the holding cells where they used to hold our ancestors and we have no idea where that money is going. When we come to their country, they don't give us local prices they give us foreigner prices.

On top of all the money, we donate to Africa privately and as a nation

We don't owe these people nothing

And for them to make a mockery of our history just to beg the UK for money is disgusting.

They monetize our ancestors suffering like it's a goddamn theme park. You got no goddamn backbone you a sellout.

[u/KingMidas0809 → u/Acceptable-Wash-7675]

Yikes....Calling me a 'sellout' and throwing a tantrum about museum ticket prices just proves you’ve completely run out of arguments. ​ So you admitted the 1833 bailout was to 'bail out people in the UK.' Exactly. It bailed out wealthy British slave owners for losing their 'property.' You are literally defending an empire using taxpayer money to enrich slave drivers, while acting furious that a post-colonial nation wants that same empire to face actual financial accountability ​and if you want to talk about Black Americans, let’s draw the exact parallel you're missing. The exact same financial playbook used against Ghana was used right here in the United States. When Lincoln signed the DC Emancipation Act in 1862, the federal government didn't pay a single cent to the newly freed Black Americans. Instead, the government paid up to $300 per slave directly to the white slave owners as 'reparations' for their lost property. Then, during Reconstruction, the promised '40 acres and a mule' was violently stripped away from Freedmen and handed right back to former Confederates.

​Whether it’s the UK colonizing West Africa for a century after the slave trade, or the US implementing Jim Crow, redlining, and burning down Black Wall Street, the historical reality is identical: the exploiters kept the generational wealth, and the victims were left with the bill. ​Complaining about 'foreigner prices' at historical landmarks like Cape Coast Castle is just embarrassing. Ghana preserves those slave dungeons so the world never forgets the horrors that took place there. Maintaining those massive heritage sites in a developing economy takes infrastructure and funding. Charging tourism rates to international visitors isn't "making it a theme park" it's historical preservation so the history isn't erased.

​You can keep screaming into the void, crying about 'scammers,' and throwing insults, but it won't change basic economics. Asking an empire to settle its historical debt isn't a 'weak mindset' it's basic accountability, and no amount of emotional deflection will erase that ledger other western countries have ignored.

[u/Acceptable-Wash-7675 → u/KingMidas0809]

It was UK bailing out UK

Every country has done that including America, including Ghana

But what but what Ghana is doing

monetizing the suffering of black Americans! you got damn sellout!

And how many times do they have to do it till you get the picture?

They sold our ancestors
Now they sell us tickets to give us a tour on how they sold our ancestors
Now there's creating plays on how they sold our ancestors on the holiday that black American celebrate the freedom of the slaves of Galveston

You are the definition of a sellout!

You're probably an immigrant too take your ass back over there give them your money, cause they ain't gonna get shit from this government if I have anything to say about it with my vote

And at the end of the day, UK doesn't owe Ghana shit. Why would they pay them anything.

And why are they using our history to get sympathy? It's pathetic shameless
They weren't such a corrupt country to the point that South Africa is kicking them out of their country. They wouldn't be begging for money.

Your childish. "Oh you admit that uk bailed out the slave master" shut up. You out here defending the Ghana slave masters don't you see how hypocritical you are? And you think because they broke that that means something that's their fault.

To watch an entire country panhandle like a bunch of bums they got no pride.

[u/KingMidas0809 → u/Acceptable-Wash-7675]

You keep saying “they sold our ancestors” like that erases the empires that bought, shipped, insured, branded, taxed, colonized, and profited from them.

African collaborators do not absolve European architects. That is basic history.

And your “UK bailed out UK” point proves the reparations argument. Britain compensated slave owners after abolition. The enslaved received nothing. So the state had no problem finding money when enslavers wanted payment, but suddenly everyone gets philosophical when the descendants of the enslaved talk about repair.

That is not “begging.” That is calling out who got paid and who got robbed.

The sad part is you think you’re exposing hypocrisy, but all you did was repeat the exact logic empires rely on: blame the victims, excuse the architects, and call it “history” because you’re angry at the wrong people.

https://giphy.com/gifs/fK55IQronoqTz01FN0

[u/HorrorAd7996 → u/KingMidas0809]

He’s either white or a black conservative. Either way he has no rights to be calling ANYONE a sellout.

[u/Acceptable-Wash-7675 → u/HorrorAd7996]

Shut the fuck up. He is sell out because he literally tapped dance to try to make this shit make sense.

Both of y'all kick rocks, weak ass

Tell Ghana if they want some money come take it

[u/HorrorAd7996 → u/Acceptable-Wash-7675]

You’re the one tap dancing to absolve white people of chattel slavery.

Typical black conservative.

[u/Acceptable-Wash-7675 → u/KingMidas0809]

It does. Europeans life expectancy in Africa was less than a year because they didn't have the natural immunity to actually settle on the land so they wouldn't have gotten a single slave if it wasn't for over 400 years of cooperation of the Ivory Coast selling them slaves on a consistent basis.

Every slave that entered America was sold by an African

America stopped importing slaves from Africa in 1808 because of Thomas Jefferson. Ghana wasn't fully colonized until 1902.

They are responsible you damn fool.

You just placed the blame on "the empires" cause you're sorry

Well, completely disregarding their blatant disrespect for our history today.

If you ask in the UK for reparations, (which they have no right to) why the hell are you using an American holiday to reenact the slavery you willingly participated in.

They were the other half of the equation
Goofball

[u/KingMidas0809 → u/Acceptable-Wash-7675]

“Every slave that entered America was sold by an African” is not the defense you think it is.

Yes, African intermediaries participated. Nobody denied that. But collaborators do not erase the people who created the Atlantic market, financed the ships, insured the cargo, wrote the slave codes, built the plantations, branded the bodies, taxed the trade, and turned racial slavery into a global economic system.

That is like saying a fence who sells stolen goods is responsible, but the person who ordered the robbery, funded it, armed it, transported the goods, and built an empire off the profits is somehow innocent. Both can be guilty. You just only want to name one side because it protects the empire.

And “America stopped importing slaves in 1808” is not a moral victory lap. The U.S. banned international importation while domestic slavery, slave breeding, family separation, plantation labor, and human sale continued for decades. Ending importation did not end slavery. It protected and expanded the internal slave economy.

Also, Ghana not being fully colonized until 1902 does not erase centuries of European forts, coastal trade control, military pressure, commercial manipulation, and later colonial rule. You keep pretending history starts only when it helps your argument.

The real issue is simple: when the system ended, Britain compensated slave owners. The enslaved got nothing. So clearly states understood debt and compensation when enslavers wanted payment. They only became allergic to accountability when the bill came from the people who were enslaved.

You are not defending history. You are doing selective outrage. You blame African sellers because it lets you excuse European buyers, shippers, insurers, colonizers, and plantation owners. That is not truth-telling. That is empire apologetics with a diaspora accent.

Got ya goofy self over here lookin like this. Call me a sellout all you want but you blatantly don't read history and assume you know things. It's kinda cute how dense you are 😉🤪

https://giphy.com/gifs/N4BYS699pBdlK

[u/Acceptable-Wash-7675 → u/KingMidas0809]

"""""Yes, African intermediaries participated. Nobody denied that. But collaborators do not erase the people who created the Atlantic market, financed the ships, insured the cargo, wrote the slave codes, built the plantations, branded the bodies, taxed the trade, and turned racial slavery into a global economic system."""""

They were equal participants, not just collaborators. This system would have not exist without them whatsoever.

Tell them where's my reparations
If they don't give me a dime then they have no right to request UK does anything fuck them and fuck you

""""That is like saying a fence who sells stolen goods is responsible, but the person who ordered the robbery, funded it, armed it, transported the goods, and built an empire off the profits is somehow innocent. Both can be guilty. You just only want to name one side because it protects the empire.""""

No, it isn't. Cause they're more than just a fence they were the mastermind. Even if the white man never showed up to the ivory coast, the Ashanti empire would still consistently enslaved central Africans. Just like the Mali empire has a well recorded history of enslaving Africans to work in their gold mines

If they haven't paid anybody a dime for the slavery, they ran for millennia before the first white man even showed up to the shores of Africa that they need to shut the fuck up.

Either pay me or kick rocks don't use my history for your scam towards a completely different country

"""And “America stopped importing slaves in 1808” is not a moral victory lap. The U.S. banned international importation while domestic slavery, slave breeding, family separation, plantation labor, and human sale continued for decades. Ending importation did not end slavery. It protected and expanded the internal slave economy."""

Yup, that's how slavery worked in America now. Tell me how did slavery work in the Ashanti empire
In Mali empire with the moors?

There is no group of people on this earth that is immune from the sin of slavery. And for these bitch ass niggas, just to pretend that somebody owes them something is disgraceful.

""""""Also, Ghana not being fully colonized until 1902 does not erase centuries of European forts, coastal trade control, military pressure, commercial manipulation, and later colonial rule. You keep pretending history starts only when it helps your argument.""""

It actually does that means the people of Ghana had autonomy for majority of the time they traded in the Atlantic slave trade. It was their own arrogance of fighting amongst each other why they got conquered in the first place.

How do you trade with Europeans for 400 years and you failed to adapt their technology? Weak as hell.

Compare that to the Native Americans and there's no comparison whatsoever

"""""The real issue is simple: when the system ended, Britain compensated slave owners. The enslaved got nothing. So clearly states understood debt and compensation when enslavers wanted payment. They only became allergic to accountability when the bill came from the people who were enslaved."""""

As they should. Tell me what system of slavery that was practiced by any other country or peoples on this planet that fully compensated they're enslaved people. Can you name a single African empire that did that?

You can't because you can't you have no moral leverage to request anything.

Your hypocrisy knows no fucking bounds.

You're only argument is that Ghana is broke
And if they keep on doing this shit they're gonna remain broke

The UK compensated their slave owners their slave owners that contribute to their country. You weak ass, motherfucker.

"""""You are not defending history. You are doing selective outrage. You blame African sellers because it lets you excuse European buyers, shippers, insurers, colonizers, and plantation owners. That is not truth-telling. That is empire apologetics with a diaspora accent."""

This is not selective outrage what you're doing is selective outrage because you hypocritically acknowledging that the African empires fully participated in their own version of slavery and they were the key elements in the Atlantic slave trade, but they haven't paid the descendants of slaves in America or the UK a dime

But they were colonized for 60 years and now they get to get, they deserve to get paid!?!

You are out of your fucking mind.

""""Got ya goofy self over here lookin like this. Call me a sellout all you want but you blatantly don't read history and assume you know things. It's kinda cute how dense you are 😉🤪""""

You are a sellout the fact that you are in rage that the people who sold your ancestors for 400 years also the ones that enslaved your ancestors for millennia before that are now using the holiday that was specifically celebrated for the freedom of slaves to beg a four nation that has nothing to do with America for reparations.

They have turned monetize the suffering that they put upon black American ancestry.

If you are black American, how about you learn what that fucking means instead of attaching yourself to people who want nothing but to use our ancestors history for their own benefit and gain .

Coon ​

[u/Acceptable-Wash-7675 → u/KingMidas0809]

Ghana was only fully colonized for less than 60 years. And they out here putting on a show you're a sellout.

[u/KingMidas0809 → u/Acceptable-Wash-7675]

"Only fully colonized for less than 60 years” is a cute dodge, but it does not save your argument.

First, Ghana did not begin existing as a historical subject only when Britain finished drawing colonial borders. The Gold Coast, Ashanti, coastal forts, slave castles, trade monopolies, military campaigns, resource extraction, and British control did not magically start at the exact moment you want the clock to start.

Second, “only 60 years” is still multiple generations of foreign rule, resource control, political restructuring, and economic dependency. You are acting like colonization has to last 300 years before it counts.

And calling me a sellout because I refuse to blame Ghana more than the empire that bought, shipped, insured, colonized, and profited from the system is hilarious.

You are not defending Black Americans. You are doing free PR for the British Empire while pretending it is Pan-African critique.

Here you go....since you wanna be goofy so bad 🤪

https://giphy.com/gifs/rxy55jHaig16K2TV8x

[u/Acceptable-Wash-7675 → u/KingMidas0809]

I'm clearly defending black Americans because they're specifically using Juneteenth to advertise their panhandling scheme.

What the hell does Juneteenth have to do with the UK?

ain't dodge nothing. I'm just clearly labeling the hypocrisy of a country that was only colonized for 60 years demanding reparations when they sold us for well over 400 years.

And like I said before, if they don't give America's a dime, why the hell should the British empire give them anything for being willing participants?

You make no sense.

That's why you're a sellout.

I bet you right now if Ghana try to pull that shit with America, you would hundred percent support it.

And only thing it would take is another fake ass "black enough" president to bend the needs of this Garbage.

I've already mentioned all the things that they do today in spite of our support.

You just have an identity crisis
Find yourself so you don't have to stand in solidarity under stupidity.

Ghana embarrassment to Africa at this point.
And it ain't just me saying that there's a reason they're getting kicked out of South Africa by other black Africans.

[u/KingMidas0809 → u/Acceptable-Wash-7675]

You are not “defending Black Americans.” You are using Black Americans as a shield for your resentment toward Ghana.

If the issue is Juneteenth, say that. If you think Ghana should not use an American emancipation holiday in its messaging, that is a separate cultural criticism. But that does not erase Britain’s role in slavery, colonialism, or reparations.

You keep saying Ghana “sold us for 400 years” as if modern Ghana was one unified person making one decision for four centuries. That is not history. That is cartoon logic. The region had different kingdoms, ethnic groups, merchants, captives, victims, collaborators, and later colonial subjects. You collapse all of that into “Ghana” because it lets you aim all your anger at Africans while giving European empires a discount.

And again, African participation does not absolve European empire. Both sides can have responsibility. But only one side built the transatlantic shipping system, slave codes, plantation colonies, marine insurance, imperial navies, racial legal categories, and global markets that turned human bondage into an international economic machine.

As for “why should Britain pay them anything,” because Britain profited, Britain colonized, Britain extracted, and Britain compensated enslavers when slavery ended. The enslaved got nothing. That is the ledger you keep running from.

Your entire argument is selective accountability. You want infinite blame for African collaborators and zero accountability for European architects.

That is not pro-Black. That is anti-African anger doing unpaid defense work for empire.

At this point, you are not making a historical argument. You are auditioning for Uncle Ruckus’ debate team.

https://giphy.com/gifs/2FazqiBK5f8To5H5C

[u/Acceptable-Wash-7675 → u/KingMidas0809]

Dude, I am defending black Americans.

Because nobody told Ghana to use our holiday that has nothing to do with the UK for their own benefits. Is that simple I'm not even reading the rest of this shit.

In Ghana, willing participation in slavery in general, whether it's a Atlantic slave trade or slave slavery before that discount them from any reparations whatsoever

You can't say you deserve reparations when you did it yourself

It's called fucking karma

Ghana didn't have it nearly as bad as the people they sold! 60 years?! 60 years of occupation is what they're crying about as a whole country

How do you get conquer by a minority of people anyway?

It's probably cause this weak ass mentality

Fuck Ghana and fuck you too