Abstract
In this article, I argue that the recently exposed slave trade in Libya involving Black African migrants seeking opportunities in Europe is not merely a crime against humanity that has been justly condemned by the international community, but is also a serious indictment on the failings of the African Union’s leadership. It is a reflection of the duplicitous nature of Europe’s commitment to human rights and exposes the African leaders’ moral and leadership deficiencies. Through the use of the Hamitic hypothesis and the cultural racism theory, I discuss some causal factors that have led to the abuse of sub-Saharan Africans migrating to Europe and also the African response to the migrant crisis. Finally, I draw parallels between what I term the New Slavery and the evolving narrative of racism and conclude that poor African leadership is the Achilles’ heel in the restoration of African dignity.
Highlights
In November 2017, a CNN special report revealed that African migrants seeking to get into Europe were being sold as slaves by some criminal gangs in Libya, a failed North African state
The onus is on these leaders to restore the dignity of their citizens by implementing economic programs that socially uplift the people and give them reasons to hope in the future of their respective countries
Migrants first lose their human dignity in their home countries when their rights are violated through economic strangulation, political abuse, and denial of opportunities to prosper
Summary
In November 2017, a CNN special report revealed that African migrants seeking to get into Europe were being sold as slaves by some criminal gangs in Libya, a failed North African state. It attempts to answer the following questions: Is the dehumanization of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa through exploitative labor in southern European countries like Italy, and the subsequent slave trade in Libya following the Italian government’s deals with Libyan warlords explainable through the Hamitic hypothesis and the cultural racism theory?
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