Marking August 23: What Are We Commemorating & What Should We Be Commemorating?

In light of some of the programmes I've recently delivered, it's good to see more individuals and organisations are marking August 23. In 2007 the British Government adopted the UNESCO-approved date as an annual day for reflecting upon the trans-Atlantic enslavement and its abolition.

However informed Africans object to both the colloquial term Slavery Memorial Day and UNESCO's term - International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, simply because it focuses negatively on Africans (as slaves as opposed to enslaved, etc) and does not sufficiently highlight their determination in fighting for their emancipation.

The preferred term is International Day of African Resistance Against Enslavement, because it underscores the significance of August 23 (1791), which heralded the start of the Haitian Revolution, the first successful revolution by enslaved Africans in the so-called New World, which directly led to the abolition of the trafficking of Africans.

In light of the UN declaring 2011 International Year for People of African Descent, I'd hope many more people will embrace and highlight this date as an important one within global African history.

But so long as it's given an African focus, instead of the Western spin of hapless Africans waiting for European abolitionists to emancipate them.

Open Letter by The Equiano Society's Arthur Torrington To Anti-Slavery International

AN OPEN LETTER TO: ANTI-SLAVERY INTERNATIONAL
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TO
The Trustees & Directors
Anti-Slavery International
Thomas Clarkson House
The Stableyard
Broomgrove Road
LONDON, SW9 9TL 10 JUNE 2007

Dear Sir/Madam

I write about my concern that Anti-Slavery International’s (ASI) promotional material is causing misunderstanding among many people of the main issues and legacies of transatlantic enslavement. For example, one of your Fact Sheet ‘Slavery Past and Present’ has a picture showing white sailors taking black Africans below the deck of a slave ship. References to the enslavement of Africans, and British involvement are closely associated with your publicity. There is even a tendency for some White commentators to say or imply that we should not be bothering too much about the stories of the past that give details of African enslavement, but that we should be working to abolish modern slavery. I often hear this as organisations and individuals commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Abolition Act.

This is serious matter because very many African and African Caribbean youth today do not know the history and legacies of the enslavement of their ancestors. For decades the British education system has excluded such studies from the national curriculum. This year, the Government has taken action to address the issue.

I know that some Black organisations and individuals are not happy with some of Anti-Slavery International’s promotional and fundraising material, but are reluctant to write to you, because of the respect that others have for the good work that you do. But, this is done at the expenses of portraying negative images of Black people, and giving the wrong impression to British society. Your material closely associates African enslavement and modern slavery. Whereas, legacies like the consequences of colonialism, poverty in the Caribbean and Africa after 1838, racism, exclusion, racial discrimination, etc do not receive as many column inches in your publicity. You have ensured that your publicity material features more prominently throughout the bicentenary of the 1807 Abolition Act.

Slavery existed worldwide before Africans were enslaved and taken to the Caribbean and the Americas. That institution was maintained in different forms in many pre-15th century civilisations and cultures. In fact, it goes back thousands of years. But, we should not equate transatlantic enslavement conducted mainly by some Europeans with what is happening today. Your promotional and fundraising material tends to give the impression that modern slavery/trafficking has its history in transatlantic enslavement, whereas this is not really so, and may be misleading. It is evident that capitalism and human greed drive the actions of men and women who conduct slavery and trafficking today. Modern slavery, trafficking, etc are also present within Eastern European, Asian, Chinese and other nations, so why do African people almost always feature in your promotional material? Is it that the images of suffering black African people raise more money for your organisation?

I am asking Anti-Slavery International to reconsider how its promotional material is presented.

Yours faithfully

Arthur Torrington

African History Is Wider than Enslavement

Ms Serwah from the New African Perspective submits a powerful opinion piece explaining why African History must not be restricted to the 'black' history of enslavement.

First published in the March 2009 by Ligali's Nyansapo e-newsletter

I am saddened each time I hear people of African descent saying that enslavement should be taught in schools. Yesterday I was at City Hall when a teacher made a similar comment, but thankfully Kwaku set the record straight. African History, which includes enslavement, should be taught in schools. The curriculum in general, should reflect the contribution of people of African descent to world civilization. In my view, teaching enslavement in isolation is disempowering. This is because Africans are usually presented as amorphous victims, and when it comes to the Abolition, African abolitionists and freedom fighters are not given sufficient recognition, and the spotlight is usually on Europeans, such as William Wilberforce.

Africa’s history spans thousands of years, and does not begin and end with enslavement. Although enslavement had devastating consequences which are still with us, it took place over a relatively short period of time compared to the length of African history. Paul Obinna has produced a Timeline to help us appreciate the length and breadth of African history. Last October, during African History Month in Harrow, organisations including BTWSC and Akoben Awards, put on events on Africa Before Enslavement highlighting African empires, education, architecture, and art to raise awareness and dispel the notion that African history is almost synonymous with enslavement.

I also believe that we should rethink the idea of an enslavement memorial, and replace this with a memorial in honour of African abolitionists and freedom fighters highlighting the likes of Queen Nzingah, Ottabah Cugoano, Olaudah Equiano, Harriet Tubman, Toussaint L’Ouverture, Sam Sharp, and Paul Bogle, to name a few.

Ms Serwah

NewAfricanPerspective

http://newafricanperspective.blogspot.com