ADHT Events To Mark UN Day Of Remembrance
On Saturday [March 24] and Sunday [March 25] the African Diaspora Heritage Trail [ADHT] Bermuda Foundation will host its annual series of events in commemoration of the United Nations International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery & the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
A spokesperson said, “The transatlantic slave trade was the largest and most inhumane forced migration in recorded human history. Africans were taken from the continent and spread to many areas of the world over the 400-year period – 1400s – 1800s.
“As a direct result of the transatlantic slave trade, the greatest movement of Africans was to the Americas with 96 percent of the captives from the African coasts arriving on cramped slave ships in ports in South America and the Caribbean islands.” [here]
“Prior to the transatlantic slave trade the African diaspora was confined to the continent of Africa. But between 1501 -1830, with 4 Africans crossing the Atlantic for every 1 European, the Americas became more of an extension of the African diaspora then of the European diaspora. We still see evidence of this legacy with large populations of people of African descent living throughout the Americas.
“On 17 December 2007, the United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 62/122 which declared 25 March as the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade to be observed annually. In passing this resolution the UN invited all nations to commemorate the memory of the victims of the transatlantic slave trade. In this the 10th year of this commemoration the UN has changed the branding to the Remember Slavery Programme.
“One of the main goals of this annual commemoration calls for “the establishment of an outreach programme to mobilize educational institutions, civil society and other organizations to inculcate in future generations the causes, consequences and lessons of the transatlantic slave trade, and to communicate the dangers of racism and prejudice.” [here]
“This year the theme is “Remember Slavery: Triumphs and Struggles for Freedom and Equality” which “celebrates the gains of people of African descent from slavery to the present. It also acknowledges the challenges that have been overcome in the movement towards freedom and equality.” .
“The Remember Slavery programme also supports the activities of the International Decade for People off African Descent [2015-2024] which “affords an opportunity to showcase the contribution of people of African descent and recognise that they represent a distinct group whose human rights must be protected and promoted.” [here]
“This year is the African Diaspora Heritage Trail [ADHT] Bermuda Foundation’s 7th annual commemoration of this event. In 2012, the first year the ADHT commemorated the day, with the ACE Bermuda Ltd., now Chubb Bermuda, providing the technical expertise and location, student representatives from each local senior school as a group were able to participate in the live UN Global Student Videoconference.
“The theme for that year was “Honouring the Heroes, Resistors and Survivors” and this group of young people developed and presented a PowerPoint sharing the history of Mary Prince. In fact, it was through their petition to the National Heroes Committee that year that Mary Prince was selected to be the National Hero in 2012.
“This year the ADHT will highlight the Bermudian Heritage Museum, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary – the Museum opened its door on 8th March 1998. As a part of this year’s commemorative activities the ADHT will mount and unveil a new brass ADHT site plaque at the Museum.
“As the Museum showcases the “triumphs and struggles for freedom and equality” for Black Bermudians, it is most appropriate that the Museum should be highlighted. The Museum has as its goal to “research, collect, preserve, display, promote and manage this wonderful history based on the heritage and accomplishments of Black Bermudians.”
“The unveiling of the plaque will take place at 3.00pm on Saturday 24th March. The Museum will be open and free to the public that day.
“On Sunday 25th March starting at 4.00pm, the official Day of Remembrance, the ADHT will be holding its annual church service at Cobbs Hill Methodist Church on Moonlight Lane in Warwick, next to Warwick Workmen’s Club.
“The history of this church also speaks to this year’s UN theme. The church stands as a monument to the “triumphs and struggles” of enslaved Bermudians who built the church late at night after a full day’s work. It took these men and women 2 years to complete the main sanctuary which they built between 1825 – 1827. Many of the descendants of the original builders of the church still attend the church today.
“The public is invited to attend these events as we Remember Slavery and the “triumphs and struggles for freedom and equality.” Persons can contact Maxine Esdaille at 504-7749 or email blessedbabe77@hotmail.com for further information.”
Not impressed at all!
The ADHT needs to do more to keep this history alive and some members need to step down and allow other people to step up!
Not much effort put into doing anything this year!