| 2007 will mark 200 years since the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the 1807 Bill to abolish the slave trade in the former British Empire. Throughout 2007 a number of initiatives and activities will be organized in various Commonwealth States whose history is related to this event in order to raise awareness on the history of the slave trade, its effects, and the existence of contemporary forms of slavery. The following activities have been planned in close cooperation with the Slave Route Project : Drama and Exhibition “Turning the Tables”: London and the Slavery Legacy Touring in UK, South Africa, Barbados, (under discussion – Bahamas, Jamaica and Ghana) In close cooperation with the Museum of London, Iziko Museums (South Africa) and the Barbados Museum and the Historical Society Bridgetown, the London Museum in Docklands will produce a traveling exhibition composed of museum objects associated with abolitionists Buxton, Wilberforce, Macaulay (2nd Governor of Freetown) and Lushington. The exhibition will be accompanied by a play by the leading playwright, John Matshikiza, on the Abolition of Slavery and Contemporary themes of Human Rights and Freedom. The intention is to use these events as a catalyst to raise awareness of the part played by ordinary men and women in the UK, as well as the actions of enslaved Africans to overcome their oppressors. Liverpool - Establishment of the National Museum and the Centre for the Understanding of Transatlantic Slavery On August 23rd 2007, in recognition of the UNESCO International Day to Commemorate the Abolition of Slavery and its Abolition, National Museums Liverpool will inaugurate the International Slavery Museum in commemoration of the Bicentenary of the abolition of the British slave trade. The museum will expand its popular TransAtlantic Gallery into the world’s first museum dedicated to global slavery . In a later phase (projected for 2008) it will establish a National Museum Centre for the Understanding of Transatlantic Slavery which will provide new comprehensive display galleries and incorporate a public-oriented resource and activity centre and academic research institute. The Centre will be an integral part of the visitor experience to the Museum of Slavery. Both the museum and the resource centre will share premises with the Merseyside Maritime Museum at Liverpool’s Albert Dock, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Joseph Project, Ghana In 2007, year of the 50th anniversary of the Ghana’s independence, the Ghanaian Government intends to celebrate African excellence and to inaugurate "The Joseph Project". The project was conceived by the Ghanaian Ministry of Tourism, which oversees activities implemented by the National Committee for the Slave Route Project. It aims to consolidate relations between the Diaspora and Africa, fostering healing and reconciliation through a reflection on the impact of this tragic past on both Africans and descendants while, equally, looking forward to new paths to development. In addition to its celebration of the country’s independence, the Joseph Project will commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of the Slave Trade in the United Kingdom. Within this framework, Ghana will spearhead a series of activities, actions and interactions to re-establish Africa as a continent for all its peoples, both current citizens and descendants within the Diaspora. Lest We Forget - The Triumph Over Slavery
20 August – 31 December 2007 The Lest We Forget exhibition has been traveling in the UK since 19 May 2007 to mark the bicentenary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. The exhibition was originally developed in 2004 by the Schomburg Center for Research on Black Culture in cooperation with UNESCO for the 2004 International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition. Presented in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish, the exhibition has toured internationally in countries such as the Bahamas, Brazil, Ecuador, Jamaica, Senegal, the United Republic of Tanzania and the United States of America. The Swiss Cottage Gallery was chosen as the first site for the exhibit's United Kingdom tour. For more information on the whereabouts of the exhibition, please contact: Mr. Asif Khan - Senior Policy Adviser 2007 Bicentenary, Museums, Libraries, Archives Council (MLA), Email: asif.khan@mla.gov.uk
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UNESCO Slave route coordination unit |
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