Many turned up at the National Cultural Centre yesterday to commemorate the 200th anniversary of abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and left touched having ‘walked’ the path of history.
Guyana joined the rest of the region in observing the anniversary with one-minute’s silence at noon for those who died during the Middle Passage and in the resistance to slavery.
Before the start of the programme, which was held under the theme ‘The Middle Passage to Nationhood’, many got a change to view a mini exhibition. Pieces of literature and pictures illustrated the cruelties that were meted out to Africans during slavery. Also on exhibition, were paintings, sculptures and other African artifacts.
The two-and-a-half-hour programme, which was chaired by former deputy vice-chancellor of the Univer-sity of Guyana, Al Creighton saw President Bharrat Jagdeo making a statement. British High Commissioner Fraser Wheeler, Ambassador of the United States of America David Robinson, Brazilian Ambassador Alejandro Marcante Castellanos, Secretary-General of Caricom Edwin Carrington and Lorri Alexander of the National Emancipation Trust among others read messages.
Greetings on the anniversary came from the First Peoples Association, the Indian Commemoration Trust and the Portuguese community. The audience was entertained at various intervals with poetry, drumming, singing, dance and steel pan music.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony urged the gathering to draw strength and inspiration from the history of our African ancestors and move forward to build a better world.
President Jagdeo in his statement said the abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade marked the beginning of the end and the horror of it is well known. Recounting a bit of history, Jagdeo stated that the trade began shortly after Columbus arrived in the Americas.
He said that although slavery was abolished, millions more were transported to “Plantation America”.
He noted that millions died at sea during the Middle Passage and due to hardships and it should be recognized that there was also an African Holocaust during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
There is need to recognize the challenges that still remain as there is modern-day slavery in existence including recruitment of child soldiers and all forms of human trafficking, he said.
Reading a message from Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair, High Commissioner Wheeler said Blair demands to know why forms of slavery still exist today.
He said Blair is surprised that slavery was ever legal and he expressed “sorrow and regret” that it ever happened.
He said the problems that are still in African today needed to be addressed.
Carrington called it a unique occasion. “The echoes across the world are testimony to the influence of that period in history…Words cannot adequately describe human slavery.”
He noted that the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade was a human atrocity that was used to satisfy economic needs and it resulted in virtual genocide.
“It is a historic milestone for teaching, healing and building a better world.”
Also present at the commemoration were Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, other government ministers and other members of the diplomatic corps.
The commemoration was a government of Guyana initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports and the University of Guyana.
Despite the abolition of the trade, from 1807 onwards illegal trading continued for several more decades. About a quarter of all Africans who were enslaved between 1500 and 1870 were transported across the Atlantic in the years after 1807.
To mark this 200th milestone of African history, several initiatives and activities were organized in various Commonwealth states whose histories are related to this event, in order to raise awareness about the slave trade, its effects, and the existence of contemporary forms of slavery.
