Biden to Honor U.S.-Angola Slave Trade History in Landmark Visit

U.S. President Joe Biden, on his historic visit to Angola, will highlight the shared history of the two nations in the transatlantic slave trade. This marks the first visit by a sitting U.S. president to the sub-Saharan African country.

On Tuesday, Biden is set to deliver a speech at Luanda’s National Museum of Slavery, a site that memorializes the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade. The museum features a 17th-century chapel where enslaved Angolans were forcibly baptized before being shipped to the Americas. Among the millions forcibly transported, the first Africans to arrive in Virginia in 1619 were captured in Angola.

Biden’s audience will include Wanda Tucker, a Black American who traced her ancestry to Angolans enslaved and sent to Hampton, Virginia. The museum, once owned by one of the region’s largest enslavers, houses artifacts of cruelty, including shackles and iron weights used to punish enslaved people. The United States has announced a $229,000 grant to support the museum’s restoration.

Strengthening U.S.-Angola Ties

Beyond reflecting on the past, Biden’s trip aims to reinforce ties with Angola, a strategic partner in sub-Saharan Africa. He is set to meet President João Lourenço to discuss security and trade. Next year, Angola and the U.S. will convene a defense cooperation meeting focusing on cyber and maritime security.

Biden will also spotlight the U.S.-backed Lobito Corridor railway project, linking the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to Angola’s Atlantic port of Lobito. The initiative seeks to reduce reliance on China for critical minerals, including copper and cobalt, essential for electronics and batteries.

Historical Context and Contemporary Challenges

Biden’s visit occurs amid ongoing debates about the legacies of slavery and colonialism. Angola, once colonized by Portugal, has worked to reconcile its past. Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa recently acknowledged his nation’s role in slavery, sparking discussions on reparations. However, Lourenço dismissed reparations as impractical.

While Biden is unlikely to address U.S. reparations during his visit, his trip underscores efforts to confront historical injustices and foster new partnerships in Africa. The president’s itinerary concludes Wednesday with a summit involving leaders from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia, and a tour of the Lobito Corridor.

Biden’s trip, potentially his last foreign visit before leaving office, reflects Washington’s growing interest in Angola, a nation once aligned with Russia and China during the Cold War but increasingly pivotal in global geopolitics.