The recent public outrage over the rampant illegal small-scale mining, known as galamsey, has brought to light serious questions about the collective amnesia of our leaders-those who are entrusted with safeguarding our welfare and the future of coming generations.
It has been over two centuries since the abolitionists' global outcry led to the outlawing of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, a grievous era that severely depopulated many African states and societies.
Today, one would hope that the lingering effects of the slave trade-rooted in the greed and complicity of our elders and traditional leaders-are confined to history textbooks as an unforgivable act.
As the adage goes, "Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it." Before the arrival of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, African states, both large and small, engaged in trade with fellow Africans and foreign merchants-Arabs and Europeans-on equal terms.