在三月将跨大西洋奴隶贸易认定为"对人类最严重的罪行"之后，非洲集团于9月4日在联合国又赢得了一场象征性胜利，通过了"纠正地图"决议。该决议呼吁替换使用所谓"墨卡托投影"的世界地图，这种投影会扭曲非洲的面积。虽然这些决议不具法律约束力，但它们已将奴隶制和殖民化的赔偿问题重新置于外交辩论的中心。
After the recognition in March of the transatlantic slave trade as "the gravest crime against humanity," the African Group secured another symbolic victory at the United Nations on September 4 with the "Correct the Map" resolution. This resolution calls for replacing world maps using the so-called "Mercator projection," which distorts the size of Africa. While non-binding, these initiatives have put the issue of reparations for slavery and colonization back at the center of diplomatic debate.
保罗-西蒙·汉迪（Paul-Simon Handy）驻扎在埃塞俄比亚的亚的斯亚贝巴，他是安全研究所东非区域主任，代表该组织向非洲联盟工作。汉迪倡导"责任记忆"，主张非洲国家应重新掌握对自身过去的叙事权，同时也不免除它们在面对当前政治和经济挑战时应承担的责任。
Based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Paul-Simon Handy is the East Africa regional director of the Institute for Security Studies, where he represents the organization to the African Union. Handy advocates for a "memory of responsibility," which urges African countries to reclaim control over the narrative of their past, without exempting them from acknowledging their responsibilities in the face of current political and economic challenges.
关于承认跨大西洋奴隶贸易和改革全球制图的两项决议，在联合国获得了广泛支持。这一时刻揭示了非洲外交的什么特点？
The two resolutions, one on recognizing the transatlantic slave trade and the other on reforming global mapping, received broad approval at the UN. What does this moment reveal about African diplomacy?
这是两项重要的外交胜利。非洲联盟以及发起这些倡议的加纳和多哥，以及联合国中的非洲集团，展示了主动牵头的能力。非洲不再仅仅是对其他大国（无论是西方、中国还是俄罗斯）提出的提案做出反应。此次，非洲发现了一个问题，提出了一个方案，然后构建了一个支持它的联盟。在此过程中，它迫使其他大国明确立场。非洲联盟介入如此紧密关联集体记忆的议题是否属于新情况？
These are two significant diplomatic victories. The African Union, along with Ghana and Togo, which led these initiatives, as well as the African Group at the United Nations, demonstrated an ability to take the lead. Africa is no longer simply reacting to proposals put forward by other powers, whether Western, Chinese or Russian. Here, Africa identified a problem, put forward a proposal and then built a coalition to support it. In doing so, it compelled other powers to take a position. Is it new for the African Union to take up issues so closely tied to collective memory?
这并非完全是新情况。然而，这些议题代表了一种胜利——即世界对过去的理解方式发生了转变：这是一种规范性胜利，彰显了非洲主导叙事的能力，正如英语使用者所说的那样。
It is not entirely new. However, these issues represent a victory in the way the world understands the past: a normative victory that demonstrates Africa's ability to assert a narrative, as English speakers say.
然而，这些问题仍然相对柔和，正是因为它们涉及过去。当涉及权力和未来时，事情就会变得复杂起来。非洲成功地修正了地图；现在它必须能够通过重新定义国际税收的条款、确保联合国安理会的改革以及在气候问题上拥有更大影响力，来重塑国际机构及其在全球体系中的位置。因此，这是一场象征性的胜利，甚至可以说是战略性的胜利。但它仍然主要回望过去。
These questions, however, remain relatively soft, precisely because they concern the past. Things become more complicated when it comes to power and the future. Africa succeeded in correcting the map; it must now be able to reshape international institutions and its own place within the global system by redefining the terms of international taxation, by securing a reform of the United Nations Security Council and by carrying more weight in climate issues. So, this is a symbolic victory, and even a strategic one. But it still largely looks to the past.