Omoyele Sowore, Nigerian human rights activist and former presidential candidate, has issued a scathing rebuke of U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent diplomatic engagements with African leaders, describing them as a “modern-day slave-era public humiliation of Africans.”
In a statement released today, Sowore criticized the optics and substance of Trump’s meetings with African heads of state, particularly the controversial Oval Office sit-down with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. During the meeting, Trump reportedly played videos alleging violence against white South African farmers and pushed claims of “white genocide”—claims Ramaphosa firmly denied.
Sowore stated: “What we are witnessing is not diplomacy—it is a grotesque reenactment of colonial-era power dynamics. President Trump’s treatment of African leaders, especially his insistence on showcasing inflammatory and unverified footage, is nothing short of a public shaming ritual reminiscent of slave-era degradation.”
He further condemned the Trump administration’s broader Africa strategy, which includes suspending foreign aid to South Africa and welcoming Afrikaner refugees while rejecting other asylum seekers. Sowore argued that these actions reflect a racially biased and exploitative approach to international relations.
“This is not engagement—it is exploitation. Africa must reject this neo-colonial theater and demand respect, not pity or propaganda,” Sowore added.
The activist also called on African leaders to stand united against what he termed “performative diplomacy” and urged citizens across the continent to hold their governments accountable for how they represent African dignity on the global stage.