African leaders are drawing on the painful history of slavery and colonialism to confront modern forms of exploitation. And as 2025 comes to a close, the lessons from addressing past injustices reveal that they continue to fuel today’s challenges — from debt and environmental degradation to entrenched poverty.
At the 7th Session of the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA-7), Kenya’s President William Ruto juxtaposed the impact of colonialism with today’s challenges, including environmental damage, saying: “Africans are paying the price for a crisis they did not create.”
