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Statement on behalf of WEOG on the occasion of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade:“Remember Slavery:Celebrating the Heritage and Culture of the African Diaspora and its Roots”
H.E. Ms. Sylvie Lucas, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg
New York, 29 March 2016
Mr. President,
Today we honor the victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, this shameful commerce that from the 16th century onwards, for hundreds of years, has exploited millions of human beings reducing them to cargo crammed aboard slave ships sailing to the Americas to be bought, sold and exchanged.
Although slavery existed in different periods of history and in different civilizations, the transatlantic slave trade, because of its magnitude, remains a unique event in modern history. Its abolition, in 1807, marks the beginning of an important development that, in truth, is still ongoing. The ideology that has underpinned slavery has not been completely eradicated. Racism and discrimination based on the belief of a hierarchy of races and color are unfortunately still present today, as we heard on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 18 March. And each year thousands of persons fall victims to modern forms of slavery and human trafficking.
Mr. President,
The permanent memorial - the Ark of Return - which was unveiled last year at the headquarters of our Organization is there to testify that we are united in the belief that the atrocities and the blatant injustice of the slave trade must not be forgotten. The inauguration of the memorial coincided with the proclamation of the International Decade for People of African Descent, the purpose of which is to protect and promote the rights and acknowledge the heritage and contribution of people of African Descent to the enrichment of our cultures.
Indeed, this year’s theme invites us not only to reflect upon these events, but also to celebrate the heritage and culture of the African diaspora and its roots. The fact that despite the inhuman conditions in which slaves were transported from Africa to the Americas, that despite their uprooting and the repression they suffered for many generations, many of these brave men, women and children were able to preserve their heritage and make it flourish, is a testament to their remarkable resilience.
Their dances, their singing, their rhythms enriched other cultures to produce, among others, gospel, blues, jazz and rock music which generations of young people embraced as symbolic of their own emancipation. The authors of African descent have enriched English, Spanish, Portuguese and French literature, and in the fields of science, medicine, and education, persons of African descent led advancements that strengthen all of our lives. Despite having been denied their most basic human rights, persons of African descent persevered. They claimed their rights and reminded us of the true meaning of being equal in dignity and rights. That is the message of hope we read in their destiny.
Martin Luther King Jr. said that injustice anywhere was a threat to justice everywhere. Similarly, injustice committed in the past against the dignity of slaves and the discrimination that persons of African descent may face today, are an injustice against mankind.
I thank you.