Videos: Emancipation Commemoration Event
Yesterday afternoon [July 24] the Emancipation Commemoration Street Fair was held at Union Square in Hamilton, and served to celebrate the historical reasons behind the annual Cup Match holiday, which marks the day when all slaves in Bermuda were freed on 1st August 1834.
There were a number of presentations on African creativity in medicine, education, religion, music, and cuisine, talks highlighting the links between Cup Match and emancipation; films produced by Bermudians and other members of the African diaspora, displays of original African artwork, musical performances and more.
Video of the All Star Jazz Band:
Speaking on the Emancipation Commemoration Street Fair in the House of Assembly on Friday, Minister of Community Affairs Michael Weeks said, “As early as the 1600’s, Africans were captured – millions were traded and millions lost their lives as they were taken from their homelands to the “new world” as cargo to be auctioned and sold as chattel along the route of the middle passage. Finally on 25th March 1807, the slave trade was abolished through legislation. Then on 1st August 1834, all slaves in the British empire were emancipated.”
Video #2 of the All Star Jazz Band:
“While we should not lose sight of the very real sense of oppression and injustice that persons of African descent continued to experience after Emancipation Day on August 1st 1834, we should not forget, nor ignore the very real achievements that our ancestors with very few resources, were able to accomplish as they sought to build their families, their communities and their identities as freed men and women,” said the Minister.
Video of the Gombeys performing at the Street Fair:
“It was this resiliency, in the face of the denial of full civil rights within a hostile social and economic environment, throughout the 19th and 20th century, seen throughout the then British empire, that gave real life to the ‘creativity of the African mind’. But our story does not begin on those slave ships, they represent but part of our journey. Our story begins at the dawn of human civilization. It was Africa and Africans after all that gave civilization to the world.”
Video #2 of the Gombeys performing at the Street Fair:
“Emancipation did not mean freedom for all who were enslaved. The goal of freedom had serious challenges and it is the creativity of the african mind that helped many to overcome and establish their place in the world. It was Africans who first ventured out through successive migrations to populate the world over 50,000 years ago and with them they took the creativity of the African mind with them.”
Video of Keith Caisey’s presentation:
“Before the 1950’s, opportunities for higher education for blacks were limited. The strain on families meant that young men were forced in many cases to leave school at age 13 to find work as tradesmen, tailors, cobblers, farmers or messengers. Young ladies were trained in dress making, cooking and cleaning houses. Those who were fortunate enough to excel academically were given the opportunity to study overseas through the help of donations from their churches, club affiliates or from the friendly societies to which their parents belonged.”
Video of Charlie Marshall discussing the Cup Match cricket game:
‘The 1950s saw a new generation of young blacks returning home qualified in the fields of education, medicine, law and religion. Throughout the twentieth century, black students had the opportunity to learn without limits. They were introduced to foreign languages, music, dance, and tennis; they excelled in the sciences, woodwork, secretarial and hotel trades – their teachers reminded them that the sky was the limit and the students believed this to be true.”
Video of a spoken word performance:
“As Dermuda developed so did its people. The development of the radio, television, the telephone, and the airplane meant that many black visitors arrived and our own locals travelled to study and to live in other places. With the heightened awareness of one’s civil and human rights, there was a greater push for equal opportunity for educated blacks.”
“A trade school, which opened in Dockyard in 1844, was established to provide technical education for apprentices of the trades. Parish schools were also established for blacks in Paget, Devonshire, Pembroke, Smiths, St. Georges and Sandys.
Video #2 of a spoken word performance:
In 1897 when the Berkeley Educational Society was founded, opportunities for blacks dramatically improved. Many black students from schools such as Elliot, Sandys and Victor sSott competed to attend the newly-established Berkeley Institute. It is here that a vast number of Bermuda’s black leaders received their formal education – studying for the first time a wider range of subjects and, if their families could afford, travelling overseas to live and to be educated.
“Today the creativity of the African mind is clearly evident. The creativity, resilience, and dedication of our forebears have led to a generation of black Bermudians who are established home owners and business entrepreneurs; who are free to vote, voice an opinion and govern the land. It is this freedom we take a moment today to celebrate,” concluded Minister Weeks.
Video #3 of a spoken word performance:
This was a wonderful event put on by the Dept of Cultural Affairs within the Ministry of Community Development.
While it was well attended, i hope to see more people acknowledging and interested in our heritage and what exactly Cup Match is really about.
Well done to those who organized and worked both behind the scenes, and out front as well!
It really angers me when a huge Emancipation from Slavery event is held, and they make no mention of the whites or other races who were enslaved. It really irritates me because it is like some blacks don’t care that other races were slaves alongside their own kind. It is like only they matter.
Whites and North American natives were slaves too. The proportions were roughly the same, maybe not fifty fifty. But thousands of white and indian slaves served and suffered also. Do they not matter because of their skin color? They don’t matter because they are not African?
Blacks sold their own people to buyers who enslaved them. Whether you want to admit it or not. Many blacks willingly went as slaves. Not all of course. Because it meant potentially a better life for them and future generations. You see, not all slaves were mistreated. Many were treated like family.
And when you check the black-based slavery website ROOTS, regarding Bermudian slaves, you will see that most were EXCITED to go to Bermuda because they were treated SO WELL! In fact I have read many personal accounts from way back then on the Roots website, by black slaves, who praised their masters for the loving care they showed them. They were fed well on the boats, and looked after well.I cannot speak for every slave. Also you had many who acted up and were violent, these ones were punished. That is what you hear about often exaggerated.
Many blacks owned black slaves. And guess what? Enough about black slaves for now.
Many blacks and whites OWNED WHITE AND INDIAN SLAVES! Yes, in Bermuda also!
These whites were usually children who were KIDNAPPED from their country of origin, unlike in Africa were TYPICALLY they were “legally” bought from the black tribe leaders. White children were stolen from streets and shipyards, and stuffed on boats like animals and never saw their families again. Most of them went to America and died in the Industries doing illegal child labor – working until death.
The fact about global slavery always shows this one common theme: whites, especially young white girls, are the most popular sex slave. It has been from ancient times until now. It still happens in Africa, the white sex slave trade. TRUE!
But back to Bermuda’s white and indian slaves. They were here too in the thousands. They suffered slavery also. So I am tired of Bermudians PRETENDING like blacks were the only slaves. Its a smelly lie that needs to be aired out in the open.
The Bermuda Aquarium has a room on black slavery in Bermuda, and mentions NOWHERE of the whites and indians who served ALONGSIDE the black slaves! Do we live in some black-supremacist society or something????
I really hate it actually. I hate the hypocrisy.
All you people had better study documented slave history, not some fairy tales your grandparents told you. Hopefully you will wake up to reality. Black africans were not the only slaves. And guess what?
WHITE SLAVES WERE TREATED THE WORST!!!!!!!!!!
That is documented history! And being an indentured servant was WORSE than being a slave. And most indentured servants WERE WHITES!!!!!
So go cry me a river you Afro-centrists! You are not the only race on earth who deserves recognition for their suffering. And it sickens me that you want everyone to CARE about the slavery and suffering of blacks ages ago, while you DENY the fact that whites and indians served and suffered as slaves also!
The fact is in every white country nowadays, there are probably no black slaves.
The fact is that in Africa now, there are thousands upon thousands of white slaves.
And did you know that black Africans still to this day enslave their own people??? Did you know??!!!! They enslave their own children like animals, who work in mines just to mention one. Its disgusting.
In Sudan, a slave master crucified his black slave child as torture-punishment for running away! What age do we live in???
But you Afrocentrists wanna cry a river about black slavery at the hands of whites. That is all it is about. Blame whitey. Well look at your own people now. Look at your own people who sold their tribes and families into slavery for MONEY.
Who is more evil? The drug dealer or the drug-buyer? Both are guilty, but th drug dealer is worse. So someone who buys a slave is actually not as guilty as THE ONE SELLING THEM!
What is tragic is, the people OF ANY COLOUR who were kidnapped and taken against their own will, and who then suffered as slaves in any form. That is tragedy.
But you people better get your facts straight before you go on and on about black slavery, because YOUR PEOPLE WERE NOT THE ONLY SLAVES, AND YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO MATTER!
God bless all the white and indian slaves for all their suffering. God bless those white children who served as sex slaves. God bless those white and indian children who worked until death in mills and factories. God bless those slaves.
God bless ALL slaves, not just African ones.