President John Mahama has said the brutalities and enduring injustices of slavery were made possible because enslaved Africans were deliberately reduced to objects rather than recognised as human beings.

Speaking at a United Nations event on slavery at the United Nations Headquarters on Tuesday, March 24, he stressed that the foundation of the transatlantic slave trade was a systematic denial of human dignity.

“The atrocities that were committed against enslaved Africans, and the myriads of injustice that followed through successive social systems, took place specifically because those persons were considered objects, not human beings,” he stated.

President Mahama explained that this dehumanisation was rooted in a fabricated racial hierarchy that falsely positioned Africans as inferior, thereby justifying exploitation and violence.

He argued that the consequences of that system have extended far beyond slavery itself, shaping social and economic inequalities that persist today.

The President further called for a deliberate shift in how slavery is discussed, beginning with the language used to describe it.

“Truth begins with language,” he said, insisting that terms used in historical narratives must reflect the humanity of those who were enslaved.

“There were no slaves, only human beings who were trafficked and enslaved,” he added, stating that acknowledging this distinction is essential to restoring dignity.

He urged the global community to centre conversations on slavery around the recognition of African humanity and equality.

“When discussing slavery and its consequences, we must begin by reclaiming the dignity of Africans and the humanity of our ancestors,” he said.