Belgium to Congo: Colonialism Reparation and Truth & Reconciliation Commissions

This panel will explore the theme of reparations and restitutions to bring justice to the residual inequalities caused by slavery and colonization. It will focus on the recent developments to institute a sort of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Belgium, which was approved in Summer 2020 in the form of a parliamentary Special Commission to scrutinize the country’s colonial past. The multidisciplinary panel puts into conversation scholars who will comment on the history of Belgium colonization in Congo, on the recent movements in conjunction with Black Lives Matter including the toppling of the King Leopard II Monument that sparked the demand for accountability, and on the current debate around truth and reconciliation in Belgium, as well as its place in other transitional justice processes around the world.

Speakers’ list:

• Pablo de Greiff, New York University

• Amah Edoh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Pedro Monaville, New York University Abu Dhabi

• Liliane Umubyeyi, Avocats Sans Frontières

Moderated by Esra Akcan, Cornell University

The panel is sponsored by the IES of Einaudi Center for International Studies at Cornell University. It is organized as part of IES’ Migration Series for its AY 2020-21 theme Repair and Reparations. You may find information about the past events including their video recordings here: https://einaudi.cornell.edu/programs/institute-european-studies/events/ies-migrations-series