The enslavement of Africans during the Transatlantic Slave Trade tore millions of people away from their families, deprived them of their human rights and left trauma spanning generations. The racist legacy reverberates today in harmful prejudices and beliefs that continue to impact people of African descent across the world.
To mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, as well as the International Decade for People of African Descent, the United Nations will host two new exhibits highlighting the horrors of slavery and acts of resistance.
In one of the new exhibits, the United Nations Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery, in collaboration with the Iziko Museums of South Africa, will present an adaptation of the exhibit “Who were the enslaved? Commemorating lives under enslavement at the Cape of Good Hope.” Originally shown at the Iziko Slave Lodge in Cape Town in 2022, the exhibit examines slavery in South Africa and highlights stories of individuals enslaved at the Slave Lodge in the 132 years it served as a prison for slaves.
The exhibition will be on display in the Visitors’ Lobby at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 19 March to 25 April and can be accessed by the public Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays. Click here for more information about how to access the United Nations.
“This powerful exhibit reflects on untold stories and reveals acts that demonstrate the courage, resistance and resilience of enslaved peoples – and their profound contributions to humanity,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has said.
In the other new exhibit, UNFPA, with support from the United Nations Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery, will present “Ibo Landing,” featuring original drawings by Jamaican-American artist Donovan Nelson. The Ibo, also referred to as Igbo, are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. In 1803, a group of enslaved people from this region committed one of history’s most storied and tragic acts of resistance in defiance of enslavement, committing suicide by drowning after arriving in the U.S. state of Georgia.
The exhibit, which captures the sorrow and horrors of this historic event, will be on display from 25 to 28 March, near the Vienna Café at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Attendees are encouraged to register here.
In addition, the United Nations General Assembly will hold a meeting to commemorate the international day on 25 March. The keynote speaker will be Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies and Chairman of the Caribbean Community Commission on Reparation and Social Justice. The youth speaker will be Yolanda Renee King, author and granddaughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. You can watch the meeting live on UN Web TV.
Photo above: The Ark of Return is a Permanent Memorial to Honour the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Designed by American architect Rodney Leon, it was unveiled at the United Nations in New York on 25 March 2015 and stands as a reminder that the legacies of slavery – including racism and inequality – continue to affect us.
