US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited the island of Goree in Senegal on Saturday, one of the best-known symbols of the horrors of the Atlantic slave trade, which enslaved tens of millions of Africans for generations.
The contribution of these men and women has yet to be recognised, even though they contributed to the economic development of slave-owning nations,” Yellen continued.
Mrs. Yellen also took the opportunity to recall the historical relationship between Africa and America represented by the island of Goree, which is part of African history but also American, as a slave nation.
In the same context, Ms. Yellen noted that major slave-owning nations such as the United States reaped huge economic benefits from unpaid labour. Thus, these African slaves contributed to the building of the most famous institutions of the United States.
The purpose of this visit was to share the suffering with thousands of Africans and to demonstrate the willingness of the United States to turn the page on slavery and deal with African countries as equals.