On March 25, on the occasion of International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade and to honour slavery’s victims UN Department of Global Communications, UNESCO and UNFPA organized a virtual cultural event, “Still We Rise”,.
Bringing together powerful voices of leaders and advocates, the event entitled “Ending slavery’s legacy of racism: a global imperative for justice”, shed light on the horrendous history of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, the impact it has had on the contemporary world, and the urgent need to address its legacy of racism.
Urging action to end slavery’s legacy of racism, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, UNESCO Deputy Director-General Qu Xing, UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem, Honorable Jean Augustine, hip-hop artist Webster, musicians Peter Gabriel, Yo-Yo Ma and Angelique Kidjo spoke up against discrimination.
Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, honored ‘the legacy of the victims, their courage and tenacious efforts to hold on to their cultures and the memory of their birth names, and their homelands and kin in the face of untold brutality’. She reaffirmed that the United Nations is strongly committed to building a world in which all people live in dignity, freedom and peace.
“Without justice there can be no peace. When we acknowledge the grave injustice of the transatlantic slave trade, we give victims a form of justice. We advance justice when we challenge the full spectrum of injustice in our world and we promote justice when we fight contemporary forms of servitude and exploitation”, said the Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.
Warning about the negative impact of inaction, UNESCO Deputy Director-General Qu Xing underscored that “slavery is based on the premise that some humans are expendable” and that ‘this dehumanizing ideology lives on in the racism and discrimination that prevails in contemporary societies’. He further continued that ‘until we address the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade, we will continue to live in its shadow”. In this context, UNESCO is committed to dismantling racist structures through programmes that involves translating rights into economic, social and political equality and into full and equal participation in society.
Echoing the UN Deputy Secretary-General and UNESCO Deputy Director-General, UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem stressed that ending enslavements legacy of racism is a global imperative for justice. “Lack of access to health care and education, chronic disease and economic hardship – the legacy of racism is reflected in unfair justice system and in shameless white supremacy ideology that continues to grow across the world”, said Ms. Kanem. She called on all parties to commit to staying focused, to taking concerted action and to accelerating all efforts to end racism and racial discrimination.
H.E. Ms. Fatima Kyari Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the UN, and Missouri Sherman-Peter, Permanent Observer of the for the Caribbean Community to the United Nations in New York added the insightful perspectives from the regional tragic experiences with the slavery and its legacy.
At an interactive discussion, the Honourable Jean Augustine and Melissa Noel revealed the key elements of the continued fighting against injustice and inequality, especially in the field of social justice for all and equity in education. Dr. Augustine stressed that the pandemic provides ‘the opportunity to reflect on who has previously been excluded and discriminated against and how we can make our society more inclusive”. Encouraging stakeholders that “ all voices should be at the table, so that societies will make better decisions”.
“Resistance”
Dedicated to the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery
“Resistance. Nowadays, I’m the black life that matters. I’m anger, I’m the voice who will not be silent for anyone. No justice, no peace.”
Hip hop artist Webster
Adding their voices to this global call and spreading a message of hope, youth from across the world rendered Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I rise” in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Kiswahili. The powerful musical performance “Biko” featuring Peter Gabriel, United Nations Messenger of Peace and Silkroad’s Yo-Yo Ma, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo, provided the final touch to the event.
UNESCO important work on honoring slavery’s victims and fighting against racism includes i) UNESCO’s Slave Route project that develops research on the history of slavery and deepen our knowledge of the ideological foundations of racism; ii) UNESCO’s General History of Africa project that offers an African perspective on African history as well as iii) UNESCO’s International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities that offers a platform where cities can share good practices to combat racism and discrimination.