Friday 23rd August was set aside as the day to mark the “International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition”. On this day, all over the world and especially in Africa, myriads of people joined voices to celebrate the millions of Africans who were stolen and sold but never lost their way.
Why August 23?
According to the Unesco website, “The night of 22 to 23 August 1791, in Santo Domingo (today Haiti and the Dominican Republic) saw the beginning of the uprising that would play a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.”
This is why each year, across the globe, 23rd August is marked as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. Globally, Ministers of Culture are invited to organise events on this date that engages their countries and their people.
On this backdrop, we, at News Central decided to put together a short and simple spoken-word piece to mark another year of our collective greatness.
Have you read about our journey?
The lost milestones; where the oceans washed away our footprints
Stories buried in unmarked graves
A generation branded with the smelter’s rod
Bruised, battered but unbroken
Do you recall the places we’ve been?
The forts and castles; where we stood in the stench of the dead
Agony and pain previously unknown to man
The bonds of society broken by the trader’s greed
Stolen and sold but never lost
And now here we are,
On this journey; beyond the dark days of slavery
We are more than the blurred pages of history
We are the next chapter in a story that is unfolding
Resilient, colourful and proud.
We stand here, in our place
We are the generation that puts Africa. First.