Image Sourcing : UNESCO "The Slave Route"
One devastating legacy of the transatlantic slave trade was racism.
Historically, it was used to justify the enslavement of Africans.
And today, it has led to people of African descent being relegated to the poorest and most marginalized sectors of society. The 2020 theme underscores the reality that lasting effects of the transatlantic slave trade, including racism, continue to divide societies across the globe and hamper our advancement towards a world that respects human rights and enables sustainable development for all.
Only through confronting these legacies can we truly promote inclusion and move forward together.
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Slave Trade
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International Day for the Remembrance of
the Slave Trade and its Abolition
In the night of 22 to 23 August 1791, men and women, torn from Africa and sold into slavery, revolted against the slave system in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) to obtain freedom and independence. The uprising set forth events that eventually led to the abolition of the slave trade.In 1997, UNESCO established 23 August as International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition to pay tribute to all those who fought for freedom, and to continue teaching about their story and their values.
The success of this rebellion, led by the slaves themselves, is a deep source of inspiration today for the fight against all forms of servitude, racism, prejudice, racial discrimination and social injustice that are a legacy of slavery.
The Slave Route Project, launched by UNESCO in 1994, examines the foundations, forms of operation, and consequences of the slave trade and slavery in different regions of the world.
Through research, development of pedagogical materials, preservation of archives, oral traditions and sites of memory related to slavery, it aims to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of this history on our modern world, highlight global transformations and cultural interactions, and contribute to intercultural dialogue.
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Ignorance or concealment of major historical events constitutes an obstacle to mutual understanding, reconciliation and cooperation among peoples.
UNESCO’s Slave Route project: Resistance, Liberty, Heritage has broken the silence surrounding the slave trade and slavery that have concerned all continents and caused the great upheavals that have shaped our modern societies.
Launched in 1994 in Ouidah, Benin, on a proposal from Haiti, it pursues the following objectives:
•Contribute to a better understanding of the causes, forms of operation, stakes and consequences of slavery in the world (Africa, Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, Middle East and Asia);
•Highlight the global transformations and cultural interactions that have resulted from this history;
•Contribute to a culture of peace by promoting reflection on inclusion, cultural pluralism, intercultural dialogue and the construction of new identities and citizenships
Under the guidance of its International Scientific Committee, the project continues to encourage new research in neglected regions; to define new approaches for the teaching of this history;
to elaborate new guides for the identification, preservation and promotion of sites and itineraries of memory related to the slave trade and slavery; to promote the contributions of people of African descent to the construction of contemporary societies; and, to preserve written archives and intangible heritage related to this history.
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