Mahama leads wreath-laying ceremony honouring enslaved Africans in US

President John Dramani Mahama led a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the African Burial Ground National Monument in Lower Manhattan, US, paying tribute to the nearly 20,000 Africans laid to rest at the historic site.

“We lay down this wreath to honour the memories of the nearly 20,000 Africans who are buried on these grounds, some of whom were free but most of whom were enslaved,” President Mahama stated.

Reflecting on Ghana's historical connection to the transatlantic slave trade, he noted that Ghana is home to more than 30 slave castles and forts—more than any other African country—underscoring the strong likelihood that many of those enslaved passed through, or originated from, present-day Ghana.

In a poignant call to remembrance, the President added:

“We lay down this wreath in remembrance of all the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade—the men, women, and children who were taken from their lives and from those who loved them to be enslaved in a foreign land; and also, the people to whom they belonged… whose lives were forever altered.”

The ceremony formed part of a broader programme of engagements in New York focused on remembrance, justice, and advancing the global conversation on reparatory justice.