The Future is African: John Mahama’s Call for Unity at Diaspora Summit 2025

Reclaiming the Narrative: Highlights from the 2025 Diaspora Summit

At the opening of the 2025 Diaspora Summit, President John Dramani Mahama delivered a speech that was part historical lecture, part rallying cry, and part vision for a unified global African community. His message was clear: the story of Ghana is incomplete without the story of the diaspora.

Beyond the “Door of No Return”

President Mahama challenged the traditional historical narrative that ends on the shores of West Africa. He reminded the audience that the 13 million people captured during the transatlantic slave trade were “our blood and bone”. He argued that their experiences across the Atlantic are as much a part of Ghana’s story as the history of those who remained.

The Cruel Irony of the River Volta

One of the most poignant moments of the address was the President’s explanation of the etymology of the River Volta. Derived from the Portuguese word Voltar, meaning “to return,” it served as the boundary where European ships would turn around to head back home.

“Every time I think about it, I’m still shaken by the cruel irony that even as our people… were being forced through the door of no return, their captives had already ensured their own safe return and memorialized it by lending its name to a river.”

Unity Over Division

Addressing the “17th region” of Africa—the diaspora—President Mahama called for a rejection of colonial demarcations and stereotypes. He emphasized the cultural threads that have remained unbroken for centuries:

• Music & Language: The Gullah Geechee counting in Fula and the survival of Yoruba in the Caribbean and South America.
• Culinary Ties: The unmistakable similarities between American gumbo, Brazilian kuru, and Ghanaian okro stew.

The Demand for Reparative Justice

President Mahama announced that Ghana would move a motion at the United Nations to recognize the transatlantic slave trade as the “greatest crime against humanity”. He outlined a framework for reparative justice that includes:

• Debt cancellation and monetary compensation.
• The return of stolen artifacts.
• Addressing transgenerational trauma through the lens of epigenetics, recognizing that historical wounds still impact the health and psyche of African descendants today.

A Prophecy Fulfilled

Closing with a quote from Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Mahama asserted that being African is about what is “born in you,” not just where you were born. He declared the 2025 Summit officially open with a resounding promise: “The future is African”.