from MARCUS MUSHONGA in Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Bureau
HARARE, (CAJ News) – ZIMBABWE-BASED Pan-African think tank, the Institute of African Knowledge (INSTAK), is finalising litigation at international level aimed at correcting historical and ongoing injustices against Africa and Africans—actions that speak directly to the continent’s right to self-definition, dignity, and historical truth.
Drawing from the extensive research contained in The Africa Factbook, published by INSTAK in 2000, the research and advocacy institute is taking steps to seek two advisory opinions from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and a definitive judgement from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
These actions are designed to challenge deeply ingrained distortions about Africa’s history, geography, and humanity.
The INSTAK Secretariat has finalised paperwork covering the following three interconnected legal actions and awaits Board approval before embarking on the next step in the litigation:
- Reparations for Slavery and Colonialism
A request for an advisory opinion from the ICJ on Africa’s right to reparations for the centuries of European slavery and colonialism that devastated the continent’s people, institutions, and development trajectory. This action aligns with the African Union’s 2025 theme—”Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations”—which calls for renewed efforts toward restorative justice and continental self-affirmation. The legal argument is grounded on the overwhelming documentary, historical and economic evidence meticulously compiled in The Africa Factbook, which demonstrates the enduring cost and moral debt owed to Africa. - Distortion of Africa’s True Landmass in World Cartography
A second advisory opinion from the ICJ will seek to challenge the long-standing and racially motivated distortion of Africa’s true size and scale in global cartography. For centuries, world maps have systematically shrunk Africa while inflating Europe and North America, perpetuating a subconscious narrative of African inferiority. Modern scientific data shows that Africa’s land area is in fact far larger than the combined landmass of Europe, the United States, and China. INSTAK argues that this is not a trivial matter of cartographic style—it is a reflection of colonial epistemology, a worldview that continues to shape global perceptions of Africa’s place in the world. - Racial Bias in Polish Education
The third action will be filed at the European Court of Human Rights, seeking a ruling against racist and degrading depictions of Africans in elements of Polish popular culture and the education system, which, among other claims, perpetuates the absurdity that Africans are dark-skinned because they do not bathe. The Polish matter will be used as a test case to challenge prevailing related racial biases and distortions in the curricula and syllabi of other Western jurisdictions. Such teachings are not only scientifically absurd but also constitute racial discrimination and a violation of human dignity. The case aims to compel the Polish establishment to confront and correct racist tropes that continue to poison young minds and perpetuate anti-African sentiments, thereby providing an entry point to dismantle similar cultural and educational pillars of anti-Africanism globally.
INSTAK says of this three-pronged litigation: “For too long, Africa has been defined by others—our past rewritten, our maps redrawn, our humanity diminished. These legal actions represent more than a symbolic protest; they are a demand for intellectual and moral justice. We are saying to the world: Africa is not a passive subject of history—it is an active agent of its own destiny.”
The think tank acknowledged that these legal actions would encounter stiff resistance, especially from those who have benefitted—materially and psychologically—from Africa’s historical subjugation.
“We are under no illusion. The resistance we face is itself proof of the world’s lingering reluctance to see Africa as an equal, and sadly this is something we shall also encounter from some of our own African brothers and sisters who have internalised these ugly notions of African inferiority.
But there is no price too high for truth, and no struggle too long when the goal is to restore dignity. The time has come to challenge not only the political and economic injustices of the past, but also the epistemic and cultural distortions that continue to define Africa’s image.”
INSTAK emphasised that these legal actions are not acts of hostility but of intellectual and moral correction, rooted in the same spirit that animated The Africa Factbook—to debunk myths about Africa, restore factual truth, and reclaim the continent’s rightful place in global consciousness.
“This is not about bitterness; it is about balance. It is about ensuring that our children and the world’s children grow up seeing Africa as it truly is—a vast, dignified, beautiful, and central part of humanity’s story.”
These legal initiatives mark a historic moment in the Pan-African struggle for narrative sovereignty, one that bridges scholarship, advocacy, and law. They signal Africa’s growing confidence to confront the world not as a petitioner, but as a partner demanding fairness, respect, and truth.
– CAJ News