International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 2023: The 25th of March is International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. In 2008, it was observed for the first occasion. The day honours and remembers the more than 15 million people who were brutalised by a slave system for more than 400 years. During the transatlantic slave trade, the Panamanian port city of Portobelo was a crucial entry point for enslaved Africans who would be transported to various destinations if they survived the perilous ocean voyages. In various forms, slavery still exists today despite its abolition.
History of the International Day of Remembrance for Slavery Victims and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
The transatlantic slave trade was the world’s largest and one of the cruellest coerced migrations. Over the course of 400 years, a colossal exodus of Africans spread across the globe in a manner that had never been witnessed or documented by humankind. Four times as many Africans as Europeans crossed the Atlantic between 1501 and 1830, rendering the American population more of an extension of Africa than of Europe.
Between the 16th and 19th centuries, approximately 15 to 20 million Africans were transported against their will to Central, South, and North America, as well as Europe. Between Europe, the Americas, and West Africa, the transatlantic slave traffic was a lucrative triangular trade. It laid the groundwork for the majority of Britain’s prosperity. In various slave trading systems, men, women, and children were transferred as slaves. During the journeys, up to 2.4 million slaves perished, and millions more perished shortly thereafter. Slaves were sold as servants on plantations, mines, and paddy fields.
Britain was the first nation to outlaw the slave trade in 1807, and by 1815, the British had convinced the Netherlands, Spain, France, and Portugal to do the same. Nearly five years later, in 1820, the United States deemed slave trading illegal, and it was eventually outlawed in 1865.
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HOW TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR THE VICTIMS OF SLAVE TRAFFICKING AND TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE
Promote knowledge
Utilize your platform and voice to bring attention to the dangers of prejudice and discrimination in the modern world. Utilize the hashtag #rememberanceofvictimsoftransatlanticslavetrade to share racist posts and facts.
Make contributions
We must also acknowledge with a heavy heart that, despite the abolition of slavery, it persists in modern forms. Visit the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery to make a donation or learn more about how to assist victims of modern-day slavery.
Experience the Ark of Return
The Ark of Return is a permanent memorial to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. The visible reminder that the legacy of slavery, including prejudice and inequality, continues to affect us.
5 FACTS WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THE SLAVE TRADE
A lengthy travel
The trip from Africa to America took roughly seven weeks.
Commencement of Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave traffic began in the 1440s.
The use of slaves on plantations
African slaves were transported to Portugal and Atlantic islands such as Madeira to work in agriculture.
The initial recipients
The Portuguese were the first to engage in the slave trade and reap enormous profits from it.
Africa Central and West
Approximately forty percent of slaves were from West-Central Africa.
WHY INTERNATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR THE VICTIMS OF SLAVE TRADE AND SLAVERY IS IMPORTANT
It educates us about a tragic past.
Understanding the dehumanising practises and effects of slavery will motivate us to take action. The future can only be improved by learning from past errors. This will lead to the world’s urgently needed wholeness and healing.
It honours the slave trade’s victims.
This event commemorates the millions of lives lost to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade and pays respect to them. In addition, it emphasises the prevalence of modern servitude and the necessity of its eradication.
It aids in raising awareness
Despite the fact that slavery has been abolished for more than 400 years, its legacy endures. This day draws attention to the events that occurred and the methods of retribution. In addition, it raises awareness of the detrimental effects of bigotry and prejudice.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE VICTIMS OF SLAVERY AND THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | March 25 | Saturday |
| 2024 | March 25 | Monday |
| 2025 | March 25 | Tuesday |
| 2026 | March 25 | Wednesday |
| 2027 | March 25 | Thursday |
