Africa’s First Reparations Festival to Be Held in Nairobi This October Historic event to champion justice, healing, and African unity through reparatory dialogue
Nairobi, October 2 — Kenya’s capital is set to host a historic gathering as hundreds of artists, policymakers, activists, and thought leaders from across Africa and the diaspora converge for the continent’s first-ever Reparations Festival on October 22-23,2025. The event, themed “WAKATI WETU: It’s Our Time – To Resist, Repair and Reclaim,” will take place on October 22–23 at the Entim Sidai Wellness Sanctuary in Nairobi.
The two-day festival seeks to reclaim Africa’s history and amplify the ongoing movement for reparatory justice. Participants will engage in discussions on climate and economic justice, historical injustices, and the enduring legacies of slavery and colonialism—issues that continue to shape Africa’s social and economic realities today.
Organised by five pan-African and diaspora-based organisations, the Wakati Wetu festival is designed to spark public debate and expand understanding of reparations across the continent. The event also aligns with the African Union’s 2025 theme, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent,” which has been extended into a Decade of Reparations (2026–2036).
According to Dr. Liliane Umubyeyi, Co-Founder of the African Futures Lab (AFaLab) and one of the event’s conveners, the festival aims to elevate and “socialise” the conversation on reparatory justice. “Climate change, debt crisis, forced migration, and deepening inequalities are not isolated phenomena; they are contemporary expressions of a global system of racial domination that remains structurally intact,” she said.
Mr. William Carew, Head of the Secretariat at the African Union’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), described the festival as a groundbreaking platform for multi-sectoral collaboration. “It brings policymakers, civil society, cultural actors, and citizens together to co-create solutions. This aligns with the AU’s commitment to building the Africa we want,” he noted.
The Wakati Wetu festival comes at a pivotal moment, following growing calls by African leaders for reform of global systems that perpetuate inequality and historical injustice. Organisers view the festival as the beginning of a decade-long movement to advance justice, healing, and accountability.
“This year’s gathering is just the beginning,” Dr. Umubyeyi affirmed. “We invite all Africans and people of African descent committed to liberation and genuine development to join us as we chart a path toward a future free from racial and colonial entrapments.”
WHO’S IN THE ROOM
The festival is designed for multiplicity:
● Young Africans are demanding change and are excited about the future
● Seasoned activists needing renewed energy
● Academics and scholars advancing reparative justice theory
● Feminists fighting gender-based violence
● Climate justice advocates
● Artists who know their work is political
● Diaspora members reconnect with their roots and feel pride in their heritage
● Healers carrying ancestral wisdom
● Anyone ready to see African culture as alive, evolving, and powerful Diversity is by design. This is a space where Africans see themselves fully represented, speak out
for their rights, and know their stories matter.
BEYOND THE WEEKEND: THE TEN-YEAR VISION
WAKATI WETU kicks off a decade-long journey. Every two years through 2035, a Reparative Justice Biennale will deepen connections and expand the movement, building momentum
alongside the African Union’s Decade of Reparations.
The long-term goal is to strengthen alliances between the diaspora and the continent, bridge art
with activism and academia, and create a gathering that consistently reminds everyone that our
stories matter and our time is now.
The Nairobi festival thus marks not only a cultural milestone but also a renewed continental effort to reclaim Africa’s narrative and shape a just and equitable global order.
