INTERNATIONAL DAY : Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery

The International Day of

Remembrance of the

Victims of Slavery

and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 62/122 that established the Outreach Programme on the transatlantic slave trade and slavery, also designated 25 March as the annual International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

The Day is observed with ceremonies and activities at United Nations Headquarters in New York and at United Nations offices around the world.

The Ark of Return is a powerful reminder of the tragic legacy of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.

An initiative of the Caribbean Community and the African Union, it serves as an opportunity for reflection on the more than 18 million men, women and children that were enslaved and transported in harsh conditions to the Americas.

Years ago, I visited Goree Island in Senegal, which was the largest slave-trading centre on the African coast from the 15th to the 19th century.

I saw the small spaces, imagining the crowded rooms where the enslaved persons were packed.

I will never forget the feeling of sorrow and distress thinking on those who went through that very small door overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. A point of no return.

The Ark of Return, as Goree Island, seeks to remind us of the brutality of slavery and the slave trade.

Slavery was not only a dreadful individual ordeal, but a cultural trauma whereby a group of people were subjected to such inhuman pain and torture that it dehumanized their existence, their group identity, values, feelings, and their cultural worldview.

The theme of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade this year is

“Stories of Courage: Resistance to Slavery and Unity against Racism”.

It is important to learn from history and listen to the stories of those who were stolen from their homeland, children who were snatched away from their families, daughters who were raped, sons who were sold, fathers who were emasculated and mothers who were tortured till they dropped dead.

We must discuss the legacy of slavery, especially in the marginalization of persons of African descent, who are still denied justice and equality. We must stand in solidarity, united against these inequalities. This dark chapter of our history should never be whitewashed.

Let us raise our voices as we continue to fight against racism and prejudice around the world.

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