International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery & Transatlantic Slave Trade

“The legacy of centuries of enslavement, exploitation, and colonial rule reverberates to this day. We must learn and teach the history of slavery: the crime against humanity; the unprecedented mass human trafficking; the unspeakable human rights violations.”- António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations. The narrative surrounding slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade cuts deep for those of us who are descendants of enslaved peoples. Undoubtedly, many of the problems being experienced by Caribbean societies are directly related to the scourge of slavery which bombarded these societies for more than 400 years. The legacies of the Transatlantic Slave Trade continue to reverberate decades after the abolition of slavery. The United Nations states that the enslavement of over 13 million Africans during the Transatlantic Slave Trade was driven by the racist ideology that these women, men and children were inferior because of the colour of their skin. Additionally, countless families were torn apart. Scores of human beings lost their lives. Despite experiencing serious human rights violations and intergenerational trauma over centuries, enslaved people persevered in their resilience, demonstrating courage and defiance against the conditions of enslavement, forced labour, and systemic violence and oppression. March 25 is observed as The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The theme this year is “Fighting slavery’s legacy of racism through transformative education”. The UN argues that the racist legacy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade reverberates today in harmful prejudices and beliefs which are still being perpetuated and continue to impact people of African descent across the world. Transformative education, which seeks to empower learners to see the social world critically and through an ethical lens to challenge and change the status quo as agents of change is essential to the work of teaching and learning about slavery in order to end racism and injustice and to build inclusive societies based on dignity and human rights for all people, everywhere. The Ark of Return In 2015 the United Nations established a permanent memorial to commemorate the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The memorial is located on the United Nations Visitors Plaza in New York. The monument allows for much reflection and invites people everywhere to contemplate the legacy of the slave trade and to fight against racism and prejudice today. Visitors can pass through the Ark of Return to intimately experience three primary elements. The first element, Acknowledge the Tragedy, is a three-dimensional map that depicts the global scale of the triangular slave trade. The second element, Consider the Legacy, is a full scale human figure lying in front of a wall inscribed with images of the interior of a slave ship. This element illustrates the extreme conditions under which millions of African people were transported during the Middle Passage. The third element, Lest We Forget, is a triangular reflecting pool where visitors can honour the memory of the millions of souls who were lost. The permanent monument stands as a reminder that the legacies of slavery including racism and inequality continue to affect us. The UN states that some tragedies in human history are so monstrous, and of such magnitude, that we resolve to commemorate the victims yearly in order to show them the respect that was denied to them in their lifetimes, and to ensure that this will never happen again. The African Holocaust For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic Transatlantic Slave Trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history. In commemoration of the memory of the victims, the General Assembly, in its resolution 17 December 2007, declared 25 March the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, to be observed annually. Since then, March 25 is commemorated as the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The day provides us an opportunity to honour and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system. As Jamaicans we are the legacies of the TransAtlantic Slave Trade. Undoubtedly, the Transatlantic Slave Trade was the largest forced migration in history and is undeniably one of if not the most inhumane acts against any set of people. The widespread exodus of more than 15 million African men, women and children from the motherland was conducted over 400 hundred years. The African Holocaust or Maafa involved numerous European powers such as England, Spain, Denmark, and The Netherlands who were all responsible for the trafficking of our ancestors. In the British West Indies the slavery system was referred to as Chattel Slavery. This was a system whereby the slaves and their offspring were enslaved during their lifetime and were the sole property of the owner. The slaves were bought and sold as commodities. The Slave Voyages Database produced by David Eltis and his colleagues estimates that between 1626 and 1808, some 3,429 voyages were made to Jamaica, transporting an estimated 1.21 million Africans to work on sugar estates, coffee plantations, wharves, domestic households and livestock farms on the island. There is much that we know about the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, and today is a day we remember: the crime against humanity; the unprecedented mass human trafficking; the degrading economic transactions and unspeakable human rights violations. According to the United Nations (UN), there is also much that we do not know, and today is a day we learn. Behind the facts and figures are millions of human stories; there are stories of untold suffering and pain. Stories of families and communities ripped apart. We need to teach more about the stories of awe-inspiring courage and defiance of our ancestors against the cruelty of oppressors. Our students need to hear the stories of Paul Bogle and the countless others who died at the hands of British colonizers. Jamaica It is rather fitting that Jamaica as of this year will observe the International Day for the Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Slave Trade. The Governor General signed a proclamation for the annual observance of the National Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Trafficking in Enslaved Africans and Chattel Enslavement. Jamaicans will honour the victims of slavery and the slave trade with a wreath laying ceremony which will take place at the ‘Negro Aroused’ statue at the Kingston Waterfront. The statue, which symbolizes the new respect for the freed slave, was created by late sculptor Edna Manley. Additionally, members of the National Council on Reparations, led by Chair, Laleta Davis Mattis and Deputy Chair Bert Samuels, will pay tribute by throwing carnations into the sea in memory of those who died during the Middle Passage, the forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean. Never Forget Unfortunately, slavery has still not ended. Slavery continues in many parts of the world, in the form of forced labour, human trafficking, sexual exploitation or captivity in slavery-like conditions. In Jamaica it is important that we revisit the education system and in doing so the teaching of History Education should be compulsory at the secondary level. Undoubtedly, too many of our students are unaware of their history and have a rather passing connection to their ancestral past. Today we remember over 15 million African women, men and children who suffered the horror of enslavement and the trans-Atlantic slave trade over a period of 400 years. The international community honour the resilience of those who endured as well as pay tribute to the memory of those who lost their lives; those who struggled for freedom and their determination to uphold the dignity and equality of all human beings. May this important day be one of deep reflection for the descendants of slaves throughout the Americas. In the words of Audrey Azoulay Director-General of UNESCO, it is time to abolish human exploitation once and for all, and to recognize the equal and unconditional dignity of each and every individual. Today, let us remember the victims and freedom fighters of the past so that they may inspire future generations to build just societies. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #SlaveryAbolitionDay #InternationalDayofRemembranceofVictimsofSlaveryandTransatlanticSlaveTrade