Slave route project, no. 4 - unesdoc

SLAVE ROUTE PROJECT
Newsletter N° 4
What Next for the Slave Route?
nature of the project, which stands at the crossroads of
history and memory, at the intersection between scientific
research, policy-making and social action. Building on its
achievements and breaking new ground by exploring new
themes, new geographical areas and new lines of action are
the two primary strategic axes for the four years to come.
This issue, therefore, provides an update on the project’s
directions and main achievements. It reports on the initiatives
launched by various partners, without whom the Slave Route
Project would never have had such an impact. It also previews
some of the activities planned for 2007, marking the abolition
of the slave trade by Great Britain, which will afford another
opportunity for in-depth discussion on slaves’ resistance
movements, the abolition processes, the transition to colonial
exploitation and the system’s enduring consequences. This
opportunity must be taken in order to give this crime against
humanity its rightful place in collective memories, research
work, school textbooks, museums and on the political
agendas and screens of the countries concerned.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Next for the Slave Route ......................................................................................... 1
Latest News of the Slave Route Project ........................................................................... 2
New Strategy, New Perspectives ....................................................................................... 2
Ongoing Activities ................................................................................................................. 4
Commemoration of the Bicentenary
of the UK Slave Trade Abolition ........................................................................................ 5
Spotlight on Activities in the Indian Ocean ..................................................................... 8
2006 initiatives supported by the Slave Route Project .............................................11
Activities Granted the Slave Route Project label .........................................................13
Latest Publications ..............................................................................................................14
Portrait of Two Activists of the African Diaspora in Asia ...........................................14
Focus on a Partner’s Activities .........................................................................................15
Looking Ahead ....................................................................................................................15
Ali Moussa Iye
Chief
Section of Intercultural Dialogue
In charge of the Slave Route Project
From the Exposition TEXTURES, Michael Ravassard © UNESCO
The fourth issue of the Slave Route Project newsletter
marks the inception of a new phase in the project’s
development. The 2004 celebration of the International
Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its
Abolition brought to a close and, in a sense, crowned the first
phase of the project. By placing the issue of the slave trade
and slavery on the international agenda as a tragedy not only
for people of African ancestry but for the whole of humanity,
the Slave Route Project has managed to break through the
wall of silence and shame built up around one of the greatest
tragedies in human history.
The first ten years were, above all, a period of exploration
that served to determine the scale of research to conduct,
the lack of knowledge to address, the frustrations to dispel.
In view of the interest aroused and the growing number of
initiatives, it was necessary to reposition the project, find its
niche and redefine its value. An external evaluation was thus
conducted in 2005 by a multidisciplinary team to take stock
of progress in order to understand the problems involved in
attending to this harrowing memory and to revise the project’s
priorities. The evaluation’s highly encouraging conclusions
as well as the insight it provided into the expectations of the
population groups most affected have been instrumental in
the formulation of a new strategy for the project.
Adopted by the Slave Route Project’s International
Scientific Committee – now restructured to make it more
operational – the new strategy reflects the distinctive
THE SLAVE ROUTE
Latest News of the Slave Route Project
Project evaluation:
Encouragement for future actions
2
The 2004 celebration of the International Year to Commemorate the
Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition offered an opportunity to review
the project’s first ten years (1994
to 2004). Following the request of
UNESCO Member States, the Swedish
company Andante conducted an external evaluation in 2005. The evaluation
commended the considerable impact
made by the project despite its limited
budget and highlighted the project’s
efforts to fulfil UNESCO’s role in
developing and disseminating knowledge. The most important finding was
that the silence has been broken. As a
result of associated research activities
to collect oral histories, traditions and
folklore, a substantial amount of information is available today on the slave
trade and its effects in Africa. Likewise, this research has raised awareness on the contributions of African
slaves to their host societies, especially
in the Americas and the Caribbean.
In addition to their positive comments
regarding local research initiatives,
the evaluators noted the project’s
work to draw international attention
to the overall phenomenon of African
enslavement and its consequences.
There are now more books published
in English, French and Spanish as
well as new scientific journals. These
advances mean that historians studying world systems can no longer
neglect the slave trade, as many did
some decades ago.
The evaluators also recognized the
project’s educational outreach activities regarding human rights issues
and intercultural sensitivities related
to slavery. In particular, the project
was commended for its production of
multimedia resources, its support for
cultural activities and its participation
in the development of new museums
and monuments in Africa, Europe,
the Caribbean and the United States
of America.
Lastly, the evaluation underlined
the central role played by the Slave
Route Project at the 2001 Durban
World Conference against Racism,
Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance and
in the proclamation of 2004 as the
International Year to Commemorate
the Struggle Against Slavery and its
Abolition. Commemoration activities
took place in numerous countries. The
commemorative year owes its success
to the numerous seminars, newspaper articles and other media coverage,
museum exhibitions, and other events
often carried out with the assistance
of the National Commissions for
UNESCO.
Challenges
The assessment afforded an opportunity not only to reflect on past achievements, but also to identify challenges
for the future. One of the project’s
strengths is its capacity to mobilize
researchers through its international
network of partners. However, if the
project is to continue to break new
ground, it must take stock of the
latest methodological and paradigmatic shifts in slavery research. This
makes it necessary to include younger
and up-and-coming researchers in
the network, while maintaining ties
with institutes and scholars that were
essential for previous research contributions.
Moreover, the project must broaden
its focus from one centred on the
past to one that links the history of
slavery more directly to contemporary issues such as human rights,
racism and contemporary forms
of slavery and human trafficking.
Concluding that the core objectives
are still relevant for future activities, the evaluators made the following recommendations: (1) prepare
guidelines for long-term involvement
in research, advocacy and education; (2) restructure the project’s
administration; (3) strengthen the
intersectoral nature of its administration as well as its coordination
with other United Nations agencies,
in particular UNICEF and ILO, to
address current human rights issues;
(4) improve methods of historical
research; (5) extend project activities beyond the transatlantic trade
and address less explored themes;
(6) modernize its outreach tools such
as the Slave Route project website
and publications.
Visit our site at:
www.unesco.org/culture/slaveroute
New Strategy, New Perspectives
The new strategy
More than ten years after its launch in 1994, an external evaluation was
conducted on the Slave Route Project and its conclusions have been used to
plot a new course for its second phase. Adopted in February 2006 by the new
International Scientific Committee, the aim of the strategy is to address three
major concerns voiced by the various project partners: 1) strengthening of the
understanding of the universal dimension of the slave trade; and 2) increasing
awareness of its effects on modern societies, synergy, and mobilization of partnerships; and 3) improving the interdisciplinary and intersectoral approaches
to the issue.
The new strategy restates the project’s three original main goals. Furthermore,
it redefi nes the project’s main lines of action as follows: the development of
scientific research, the production of teaching materials, the promotion of living
THE SLAVE ROUTE
cultures and expressions derived from slave trade interactions, the preservation
of archives and oral traditions relating to the tragedy, the inventory of sites,
places and buildings of memory, the promotion of cultural tourism, and the
recognition of contributions made by Africa and the African Diaspora to the
rest of the world.
In each of these lines of action, the strategy recommends a number of activities
to increase the project’s impact, visibility and complementarity with other initiatives, such as introducing research fellowships to encourage young researchers,
developing teaching materials at the sub-regional level and mapping sites of
memory in every region.
To better discern the full scale of the tragedy, the project’s activities are to be
stepped up in regions that have received little attention, such as the Arab-Muslim
world, Asia and Andean America. It also proposes to explore issues that have
been given lesser attention thus far, such as the psychological effects of slavery,
the management of memory in the societies derived from slavery, new forms of
citizenship and actions to combat discrimination in those multicultural societies.
To implement this ambitious strategy the roles and responsibilities of the
project’s various partners must be clarified, the coordination of activities at
UNESCO must be improved and a sound approach to partnership mobilization
and communication must be adopted. Action has already been taken in some
areas, such as the restructuring of the International Scientific Committee and
the widening of geographical areas.
For further information on the strategy, visit the website:
www.unesco.org/culture/slaveroute
Restructuring the Project’s International Scientific Committee
The International Scientific Committee of the Slave Route Project (ISC) was
established in 1994, following the adoption of resolution 27 C/ 3.13 by the
27th session of the General Conference. This advisory body convened for the first
time in Ouidah, that same year, and has held six subsequent meetings in Cuba,
Angola, Portugal, Italy and Brazil. Throughout its existence, the Committee
has hosted some of the world’s most eminent scholars on African enslavement
and the African Diaspora. Their counsel has provided crucial guidance for the
project’s development and raised its international profile.
As part of measures taken after the 2005 external evaluation, the ISC was
restructured to better enable members to fulfi l their mission. The selection
criteria sought to diversify the membership and ensure greater balance in the
evaluation of new research areas, partners and publications. Each of its 20
members was appointed by the UNESCO Director-General and together they
represent a multiplicity of languages, areas of expertise, institutional associations and countries or regions in Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe,
Asia, the Indian Ocean and the Arab-Muslim world.
From 22 to 24 February 2006, the 20 members of the new Scientific Committee convened their inaugural meeting at UNESCO headquarters. In the spirit
of information sharing, the meeting opened with a debate on the preservation
of memory relating to slavery and the slave trades. It was also an occasion for
the members to discuss the new directions for the project’s second phase and,
in particular, to exchange ideas on how best to move forward in their roles as
advisers, ambassadors and partners of the Slave Route Project.
The Members
of the New Scientific Committee
Mr James Anquandah (Ghana)
West African archaeologist and President
of the Ghanaian Committee for the Slave
Route Project
Mr Miguel Barnet (Cuba)
Writer, expert on Cuban folklore and cultural
heritage and Vice-Chairperson of the Slave
Route Project ISC
Ms Aisha Bilkhair-Khalifa (United Arab
Emirates)
Sociologist and expert on Arab-African relations, Rapporteur of Slave Route Project ISC
Mr Ubiratan Castro Araujo (Brazil)
Historian, lawyer and specialist on AfroBrazilian heritage
Ms Isabel Castro Henriques (Portugal)
Coordinator of the Portuguese Committee for
the Slave Route Project, historian of slavery
and the transatlantic slave trade
Mr Jocelyn Chan Low (Mauritius)
Historian, former director of the Mauritian
Cultural Centre and Rapporteur for the Slave
Route Project ISC
Mr Jean-Michel Deveau (France)
Vice-Chairperson of the restructured ISC, historian of colonization and slavery, member of
the Slave Route Project ISC since its inception
Mr Quince Duncan (Costa Rica)
Writer and human rights leader
Ms Marta Beatriz Goldberg (Argentina)
Specialist on the history Argentine society
during the colonial and post-colonial periods
Mr Laënnec Hurbon (Haiti)
Coordinator of the Haitian Committee for the
Slave Route Project
Mr Paul E. Lovejoy (Canada)
Historian specializing in the world history of
slavery, Director of the “Nigerian Hinterland”
project
Mr Nestor N. Luanda (Tanzania)
Historian and editor of the “Journal of the
Historical Association of Tanzania”
Ms Luz María Montiel (Mexico)
Anthropologist and originator of the
Afroamérica-La Tercera Raíz project
Mr Rex Nettleford (Jamaica)
President of the Slave Route Project ISC, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of the
West Indies, founder of the National Dance
Theatre Company of Jamaica
Mr Nicolas Ngou-Mvé (Gabon)
Specialist on the history of Latin America
Mr Kiran Kamal Prasad (India)
Anthropologist and activist against forced
labour and the exploitation of working
children in Afro-Indian communities
Ms Anne Remiche-Martynow (Belgium)
Sociologist, filmmaker and radio producer
Mr David Richardson (United Kingdom)
Historian of the slave trade and its economic
contribution to Atlantic triangle societies,
Director of the Wilberforce Institute for the
study of Slavery and Emancipation
Ms Sheila S. Walker (United States)
Expert on the African Diaspora and member
of the Slave Route Project ISC since 1994
Ms Benigna Zimba (Mozambique)
Historian, sociologist and Vice-President of
the Slave Route Project ISC
3
THE SLAVE ROUTE
Ongoing Activities
Tracing routes of memory in the Caribbean
A project designed to identify and preserve «Places of Memory for the Slave Route
in the Caribbean» was launched in May 2006 in Havana (Cuba) at a meeting
organized by the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and
the Caribbean, in close cooperation with the Slave Route Project. The meeting,
held from 17 to 19 May 2006, brought together experts and representatives from
the region (Haiti, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Aruba) to discuss a strategy
aimed at disseminating knowledge on tangible and intangible heritage related
to the transatlantic slave trade and slavery and their major impact on the history
of the Caribbean. Drawing on the experience of other regions, the participants
established a set of methods and criteria for identifying, recording, evaluating,
preserving and publicizing features and vestiges, such as places, sites, buildings
and objects, which bear witness to this tragic history. A team will be set up in
each country to conduct such research and in order to raise public awareness on
the importance of the past for understanding Caribbean societies. The research
findings, whose aim will be to highlight the shared heritage of the peoples of
the region, will be used to map routes of memory in the Caribbean.
For further information, contact
Frederic Vacheron, [email protected]
UNESCO Office in Havana
4
DVD on «Slave Routes»: A Global
Vision
As part of the new strategy’s emphasis on making better use of technological outreach tools, the Slave Route
Project is developing an educational
DVD “Slave Routes: A Global Vision”,
to present the histories and diverse
heritages stemming from the global
phenomenon of African enslavement.
Aimed at a general audience, the film’s
compilation of images, footage, interviews with experts in the field and
historical narration will provide an
overview of African displacements
through slavery. Its scope moves
beyond the trauma of slavery to exemplify its victims’ struggle for human
dignity through acts of resistance and
the eventual abolition of slavery – an
achievement which remains today a
crucial reminder of the power of grassroots organization and global humanitarianism. Through a visual exploration of the African Diaspora’s multiplicity of cultures, spiritual and artistic expressions and the introduction of
technology and knowledge from their
original communities into new enviHaiti. Mélodi in front of Sans-Soucis Castle © K.M. Pagé
ronments, the film will also show how
African slaves and their descendants
helped to shape the modern world. An
excerpt of the documentary is scheduled to be shown at the 2007 Zanzibar
International Film Festival. (Please see
p. XI)
From Oblivion to Memory
in Central America
This project proposal is a follow-up
to two initiatives organized by the
UNESCO Office for Central America:
a workshop on Raising Awareness
of Slavery and its Impact on Present
Society, held in Panama in August
2004; and a Sub-regional Workshop
on Afro-descendents, organized in
San José in August 2005.
The project aims to break the
silence that has prevailed in Central
America on the subject of slavery.
It will initially compile existing
historical analyses of the causes
and dynamics of the trade in slaves,
their strategies to gain freedom and
the role of African people and Afrodescendants in the construction of
regional societies. This subject has
been ignored and obscured within
official Central American history
and altogether excluded from school
textbooks.
This proposal is the fruit of the
proactive dynamic created by
those working in civil society
sector that are concerned about
the rights and social conditions
of Afro-descendants in Central
America. As part of their struggle
for the recognition of rights, various
organizations working together
at the national coalition and
federated at the regional level by
ONECA (La Organización Negra
Centroamericana) have called for
priority to be given to the creation
of educational resources that
acknowledge the history of Afrodescendants.
The project will produce a series of
didactic materials to train teachers
and to lobby government institutions
in the education field, the ultimate
goal being the integration of the role
THE SLAVE ROUTE
of Afro-Central American people
into the official history taught
formally in education centres.
Meetings for researchers and leaders
will be held in the second half
of 2007, in cooperation with the
Social Science Research Institute
(University of Costa Rica) and
ONECA.
For more information, please contact
Virginie Accatcha,
[email protected] UNESCO
Office in San José
Commemoration of the Bicentenary
of the UK Slave Trade Abolition
2007: Focus on Commemoration of the Bicentenary
25 March 2007 marks the two-hundredth anniversary of the
Parliamentary Bill passed to abolish the slave trade in the
former British Empire. The 1807 parliamentary ratification
of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was the culmination of
years of grass-roots activism, research and political lobbying
by a broad coalition of former slaves, religious and political
leaders including the British Antislavery Association, and
everyday citizens who believed that the Enlightenment principles of humanity and universal liberty were applicable to all.
In response to the mobilization of public support in 1806
long-time anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce and
Charles Fox lobbied the House of Commons to end the slave
trade while Lord Grenville sought support for the measure
in the House of Lords. One year later, the Parliament passed
the 1807 bill, which criminalized British involvement in the
trade.
In December 2006, a United Nations resolution, introduced by Caribbean countries and supported by the British
Government was adopted to commemorate the importance
of the Bicentenary of this pivotal event in the advancement of global humanitarianism and to organize activities
throughout 2007. A number of initiatives and activities in
Britain and various Commonwealth States will raise awareness on the history of the slave trade, its effects and the
existence of forms of servitude today. On the following
page, we would like to highlight several events planned
with the support of the SLR project.
(4) A student and teacher contest to encourage students
to actively participate in events aimed at breaking the
silence on the tragedy.
Drama and exhibition “Turning the Tables”: London
and the Slavery Legacy
Touring in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Barbados
(under discussion – Bahamas, Jamaica and Ghana). In close
cooperation with the Museum of London, Iziko Museums
(South Africa), the Barbados Museum, the Historical Society
in Bridgetown and the Museum in Docklands (London) will
mount a travelling exhibition of museum objects associated
with the abolitionists Buxton, Wilberforce, Macaulay (second
Governor of Freetown) and Lushington. The exhibition
will be accompanied by a play by leading playwright John
Matshikiza on the abolition of slavery and the contemporary
themes of human rights and freedom. The intention is to use
these events as a catalyst to shed light on the part played
by ordinary men and women in the United Kingdom, both
black and white, as well as actions taken by enslaved Africans
to overcome their oppressors.
2007 Bicentenary Activities
Activities sponsored by the Office of the Mayor of London
(1) Unveiling of a Slavery Memorial Statue and the
proclamation of Slavery Memorial Day.
(2) Two major international conferences on the legacy
of the transatlantic slave trade: political, historical,
psychological, cultural, educational and ideological.
(3) A major concert on 23 August to mark the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade
and its Abolition.
The Buxton Table, at which negotiations regarding abolition took place
© Museum in Docklands (London)
5
THE SLAVE ROUTE
Liverpool – Opening of the
National Museum and Centre for
the Understanding of Transatlantic
Slavery
On 23 August 2007, the International
Day for Remembrance of the Slave
Trade and its Abolition, National
Museums Liverpool will inaugurate
the International Slavery Museum, in
commemoration of the bicentenary of
the abolition of the British slave trade.
The museum will expand its popular
Transatlantic Gallery into a museum
dedicated to global slavery. In a later
phase (projected for 2010), it will
establish a National Museum Centre
for the Understanding of Transatlantic Slavery intended to house both a
public-oriented resource and activity
Libation Ceremony at Liverpool Pier Head 2004, Ron Davis © National Museums Liverpool 2004
6
centre and an academic research institute. The Centre will be an integral
part of the visitor experience to the
Slavery Museum. The museum and
the resource centre will share premises
with the Merseyside Maritime Museum
at Liverpool’s Albert Dock, a UNESCO
world heritage site.
The Joseph Project, Ghana
In 2007, year of the 50th anniversary of
the Ghana’s independence, the Ghanaian Government intends to celebrate
African excellence and to inaugurate
“The Joseph Project”. The project was
conceived by the Ghanaian Ministry
of Tourism, which oversees activities
implemented by the National Committee for the Slave Route Project. It aims
to consolidate relations between the
Diaspora and Africa, fostering healing
and reconciliation through a reflection
on the impact of this tragic past on
both Africans and descendants while,
equally, looking forward to new paths
to development. In addition to its celebration of the country’s independence,
the Joseph Project will commemorate
the bicentenary of the abolition of the
Slave Trade in the United Kingdom.
Within this framework, Ghana will
spearhead a series of activities, actions
and interactions to re-establish Africa
as a continent for all its peoples, both
current citizens and descendants
within the Diaspora.
THE SLAVE ROUTE
Adoption of UN General Assembly Resolution for 2007
At the initiative of the Jamaican Government, the UN General
Assembly at its 61st session adopted the Resolution 217A
(III) to commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of the
transatlantic slave trade. 2007 marks 200 years since the UK
Parliament passed the 1807 Bill to abolish the slave trade in
the former British Empire. Throughout the year, a number of
initiatives and activities in Britain and various Commonwealth States are planned to take place throughout the
year in collaboration with the UNESCO Slave Route
Project to raise awareness on the history of the slave
trade, its effects and the existence of forms of servitude
today.
1 Resolution 217 A (III).
A/61/L.28
06-62313 2
Recalling that the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which operated between the fifteenth and late nineteenth centuries, involved the
forced transportation of millions of Africans as slaves, mostly from West Africa to the Americas, thereby enriching the imperial empires of the time,
Honouring the memory of those who died as a result of slavery, including through exposure to the horrors of the middle passage
and in revolt against and resistance to enslavement,
Recognizing that the slave trade and slavery are among the worst violations of human rights in the history of humanity, bearing
in mind particularly their scale and duration,
Deeply concerned that it has taken the international community almost two hundred years to acknowledge that slavery and the
slave trade are a crime against humanity and that they should always be deemed so,
Recalling that slavery and the slave trade were declared a crime against humanity by the World Conference against Racism,
Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban, South Africa, from 31 August to 8 September 2001,
Acknowledging that the slave trade and the legacy of slavery are at the heart of situations of profound social and economic inequality, hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice, which continue to affect people of African descent today,
Recalling paragraphs 98 through 106 of the Durban Declaration and emphasizing, in particular, the importance of the “provision of effective remedies, recourse, redress, and compensatory and other measures at the national, regional and international levels”
aimed at countering the continued impact of slavery and the slave trade,
Recognizing the knowledge gap that exists with regard to the consequences created by the slave trade and slavery, and with
regard to the interactions, past and present, generated among the peoples of Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, including the
Caribbean,
Welcoming the work of the International Scientific Committee of the Slave Route Project of the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization, which aims to correct this knowledge gap, and looks forward to its report in due course,
Recalling resolution 28 adopted by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
at its thirty-first session, proclaiming 2004 as the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition,
and recalling also 23 August as that Organization’s International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition,
Noting that 2007 will mark the two-hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which contributed
significantly to the abolition of slavery,
1. Decides to designate 25 March 2007 as the International Day for the Commemoration of the Two-hundredth
Anniversary of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade;
2. Urges Member States that have not already done so to develop educational programmes designed to educate and inculcate in future generations, including through school curricula, an understanding of the lessons, history and consequences of
slavery and the slave trade;
3. Decides to convene, on 25 March 2007, a special commemorative meeting of the General Assembly on the International Day for the Commemoration of the Two-hundredth Anniversary of the Abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave
Trade;
4. Requests the Secretary-General to establish a programme of outreach, with the involvement of Member States and civil
society, including non-governmental organizations, to appropriately commemorate the two-hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade;
5. Also requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its sixty-second session a special report on
initiatives taken by States to implement paragraphs 101 and 102 of the Durban Declaration aimed at countering the legacy of
slavery and contributing to the restoration of the dignity of the victims of slavery and the slave trade.
7
THE SLAVE ROUTE
Spotlight on Activities in the Indian Ocean
Inventorying sites and places of memory
8
The project on the inventory of slavery-related sites and places of memory on
the islands in the south-west Indian Ocean – Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius,
Reunion, Rodrigues and Seychelles – began in 2006, following a programme
carried out in the region to compile oral traditions linked to the slave trade.
The three-year programme, funded by UNESCO and led by the UNESCO Chair
in Reunion, was concluded with the 2004 publication of its results and the
proceedings of the international symposium, “Oral Memory and Slavery in the
Islands of the South-Western Indian Ocean”. This preliminary work of cataloguing and preserving oral traditions has paved the way for current plans to produce
a comprehensive inventory of places and sites of memory relating to the Indian
Ocean slave trade, which will be instrumental in fi lling the gaps in written
records. A common set of methods and criteria for the selection of places and
sites was created in co-operation with regional experts so as to harmonise the
work of the various research teams on each island. This methodical approach
will better understand diverse aspects of the region’s slave trade and slavery,
which must take into account the system of “indentured labour” introduced
after slavery abolition. The inventory will make it possible to find previously
unknown relics and slave markets, to map out routes of memory and to develop
educational materials to teach island residents about slavery’s legacy.
For more information, contact Tim Curtis, Programme Specialist at the
UNESCO Office in Dar-es-Salaam: [email protected]
Stelae of Memory 1663 – 2005, Saint Paul, Reunion © Sudel Fuma
Marking the slave route
in the Indian Ocean
Launched in 2004 by the UNESCO
Chair in Reunion with the support
of the Slave Route Project, the goals
of the Stelae of Memory project are
to mark out the route of the Indian
Ocean slave trade and shed light on
the links between the Mascarene
Islands, Madagascar, the African
mainland and India. In 2004, two
stelae designed by regional sculptors
were erected and an endemic garden
was planted in places of memory in
both Fort Dauphin (Madagascar) and
Saint Paul (Reunion) to symbolize
the interwoven history of these two
islands.
A “garden of memory” has since been
created as part of the project within
the walls of an old slave warehouse
on Mozambique Island – a UNESCO
World Heritage site – to commemorate
the historic ties between the Mascarene
Islands and the African mainland.
During the fourth phase of the Stelae
of Memory project, a symbolic monument will be erected in 2008 in India,
a country that was not only a destination for slaves but also a supply
source, and became a hub of the slave
and “coolie” trades.
THE SLAVE ROUTE
Castaway slaves
of the Indian Ocean
In October 2006 the Forgotten
Slaves project, led by the underwater
archaeological research group, GRAN
(Groupe de recherche en archéologie
navale), with the support of UNESCO
and the Slave Route Project, entered its
operational phase.
Launched in 2004, the project aims
to shed light on every aspect of a
tragedy that unfolded after a French
slaver, L’Utile, was shipwrecked off
Tromelin Island in the Indian Ocean
in 1761. The ship’s crew left a group of
about sixty slaves on the island, promising to return for them. That promise
was never kept and it was only fifteen
years later that the survivors – seven
women and an eight-month-old
child – were found on the tiny island
which had neither water nor any other
resources.
The archaeological excavations
conducted on land and underwater
were designed to retrace the history
of the shipwreck and, above all, to
learn more about the strategies and
skills that the castaway slaves used to
survive on that inhospitable, barren
island.
In addition to its undeniable scientific
scope, the exploratory work was also
a means to make as many people as
possible aware, through education
and the media, of the issues arising
from slavery and its consequences.
With this in mind, an online bulletin– accessible via the UNESCO web
portal was posted daily during the
three week operation so that visitors
to the project’s website could follow
the progress of the work. Thanks to
special software schoolchildren in
Reunion and elsewhere were able to
take part in the operation, dialogue
with the researchers and post their
contributions online.
Financial support for the three
weeks of underwater excavations was
provided by the corporate foundations
of Groupe Banque Populaire and the
Regional Council, General Council
and Regional Department of Cultural
Affairs of Reunion.
For further information, visit the Utile
website at:
http://www.archeonavale.org/
Tromelin/
Student participants in Reunion of the Forgotten Slaves educational outreach activities © GRAN
9
THE SLAVE ROUTE
Transport of Slaves to the Creole Islands from the 18th – 19th centuries in the South-West Indian Ocean
F ro m s
o u th -e as
t Asia
The map below shows the flow of slaves from the African mainland to Mauritius, Reunion, Rodrigues, the Seychelles
and other small Creole islands in the Indian Ocean between 1690 and 1848. According to the estimates produced by
the UNESCO Chair, in cooperation with the Laboratoire de Cartographie Appliquée at Reunion University, more than
1,160,000 victims were shipped to the islands.
Size of slave population
650,000
500,000
10
300,000
100,000
10,000
Size of slave population
removed in the period 1690-1848
Size of slave population
unloaded in the period 1690-1848
Slave trade departure points
Slave transport routes
Slavery in Mauritius lasted
from 1725 to 1835
This map was created by Sudel Fuma and cartographic engineers Bernard Remy and Emmanuel Marcade
THE SLAVE ROUTE
2006 Initiatives supported by the Slave Route Project
Bermuda
Hosts African Diaspora Heritage Trail Conference
The concept of the African Diaspora Heritage Trail (ADHT)
is one of a unified cross-border cultural tourism initiative
to educate visitors and enhance economic viability of African Diaspora countries. The ADHT Conference itself is a
platform for forging long-term cooperation between the
Caribbean, African nations, North America and South
America. It represents a yearly opportunity for countries
of the Diaspora, venues within the Diaspora and the best
minds to gather annually to discuss heritage and cultural
issues pertaining to tourism, culture, education, economic
development and the improvement of the quality of life
in host communities. Building on the momentum created
at the fi rst conference in 2002, from 27 September to
1 October 2006, experts gathered in Hamilton, Bermuda,
to discuss this year’s theme “Linking Our Future: From
Philosophy to Practice in Heritage Destination Development”. Alongside the scholarly discussions on a range
of social and historical topics, the international forum
also offered participants an opportunity to report on the
progress of their activities and exchange ideas for future
initiatives.
Much has been accomplished since 2002 when the
Honourable David H. Allen, former Minister of Tourism in Bermuda, had a vision for scholars, historians
and cultural activists throughout the African Diaspora to
come together and create a plan to introduce and encourage travel throughout the “Heritage Trail” in Africa and
the Caribbean. Under the UNESCO Slave Route Project’s
Tourism of Memory Programme, the Bermudan Government undertook, in conformity with the UNESCO/WTO
programme, the inventory of existing sites of memory in
Bermuda, introduced a preservation policy and provided
descriptive panels at each site, with an acknowledgement
of the UNESCO Slave Route Project’s moral support. At
the 2006 conference, participants were invited to experience the fruition of their efforts by taking part in the
newly launched Bermuda Heritage Trail. The next ADHT
Conference will be held at Nassau, Bahamas, in August
2007.
Visit the website at www.adht.net
Remembering slavery through film
At the ninth Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF),
held from 14 to 23 July 2006, the Slave Route Project organized a round table on “Images and memory of slavery: can
cinema fathom the tragedy of the slave trade?” The purpose
of the meeting was to integrate the issue of the slave trade
and slavery within the themes at ZIFF. The location of the
festival further boosted the impact and legitimacy of this
event, for Zanzibar had long been a key site of the eastern
slave trade, and the history of its importance for slave trafficking as well as various slavery systems that coexisted
there is crucial to understanding that tragedy in the Indian
Ocean. ZIFF thus afforded the Slave Route Project an excellent opportunity to relate the concerns of researchers to
those of the film directors and producers interested in that
tragic period of history.
The round table – organized in cooperation with ZIFF,
the Black Film Project, Iziko Museums of Cape Town and
Radio France International (RFI) – examined the place of
slavery in audiovisual productions and discussed the roles
and responsibilities of filmmakers and audiovisual professionals in raising the awareness and in fulfilling the duty
of remembrance of the tragedy.
In light of the interest generated by the round table, the
ZIFF organizers have decided to look into the possibility of
instituting a “Slavery Prize” to be awarded to films providing especially enlightening insight into this tragedy.
For more information: www.ziff.or.tz
Women at the Plaza de Armas in Havana, Joanna Pinkteren © UNESCO
11
THE SLAVE ROUTE
50th Anniversary of Historic Black Writers
and Artists Congress
On 19 September 1956, visionaries from across the black
world convened the First International Congress of Black
Writers and Artists in the Descartes Amphitheatre at the
Sorbonne, Paris. By bringing together such prestigious
delegates as Alioune Diop, Aimé Césaire, Léopold Sédar
Senghor and Richard Wright, the first congress gave a
global status to black intellectualism, thereby preparing
the way for liberation movements and cultural innovation worldwide.
Fifty years later, scholars, activists, dignitaries and artists
from Africa and the African Diaspora gathered in Paris
to commemorate the 50th anniversary of that historic
event and assess its legacy. The event’s patrons, including
Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO; Aimé
Césaire, writer and Honorary Mayor of Fort-de-France;
Abdou Diouf, Secretary-General of the International
Organization of Francophonie; Wole Soyinka, Writer,
Nobel laureate and President of the African Community
of Culture; and Henry Louis Gates Jr., Director, W.E.B.
Du Bois Institute for African and African American
Research were joined by other luminaries from across the
globe, such as writers René Depestre and Edouard Glissant,
Deputy for French Guyana Christine Taubira and Costa Rican
congresswoman Epsy Campbell, in addition to a special video
message from Aimé Césaire.
During the four-day event, participants commended the strides
made by the 1956 delegates and addressed the contemporary
challenges of geopolitics, economic marginalization, cultural
and linguistic diversity, gender inequality and the creation of
new forms of solidarity in pursuit of universal human rights
and citizenship. The conference also hosted cultural events,
including a “Theatrical Evening” sponsored by France Culture
and Organization of Francophonie, and the premiere screening of Bob Swaim’s documentary, “Lumières Noires”. The
proceedings closed on a triumphant note with a memorable
jazz concert featuring Nathan Davis, Maurice Brown, Claus
Reichstaller, Benny Golson, Patrice Rushen, Abraham Laboriel and Billy Cobham, followed by a tribute to Alioune Diop
whose award was accepted by his widow, Mrs Yandé Christine
Diop.
To read more about the event, Visit the W.E.B. Dubois Institute
website at
http://dubois-paris2006.fas.harvard.edu/2006.html
12
International Conference
on the African Diaspora in Asia
Two Siddi participants at the Afro-Indian workshop in Goa © N. Cacchioli
On 13 January 2006, the TADIA Society (The Society for Research, Culture,
Education and Development of the African Diaspora in Asia), in association with
the UNESCO Slave Route Project, hosted
its first international conference on the
Siddis and the African Diaspora in Asia.
This three-day forum, which was cosponsored by the Ford Foundation (New
Dehli), the Prince Claus Fund for Culture
and Development and the Calouste
Gulbenkian Foundation (Lisbon), was
an occasion for scholars, documentary
film-makers, musicians, and social activists to share their work and engage in
lively debates. In addition to the discussions on academic matters, representatives from the Afro-Indian communities, or Siddis, were also invited to give
their own perspectives on their history
and views of their African origins during
round table meetings. Additional activities, such as the Festival of African and
Afro-Diasporic Song, Music, Dance and
Drama and the Festival of African and
Afro-Diasporic Cinema, gave conference
THE SLAVE ROUTE
participants and the Goa community
an opportunity to learn more about
Afro-Indian heritage.
One of the most productive achievements of the gathering was a threeday workshop held for Afro-Indians
from the Indian states of Maharashtra
and Karnataka on “Socio-Economic
Development Strategies”. In spite of
language and religious differences,
participants were able to discover
their shared heritage of performance,
dance, and spirituality and to exchange
strategies for socio-economic change.
The conference proceedings will be
published in 2007. The second international conference is to be held in
2009 in Maputo, Mozambique.
nities of African descent living in
Turkey and other parts of the world.
In a general discussion, Afro-Turkish participants spoke emotionally
of their desire to group together their
communities that had been displaced
through resale, poverty and political
turmoil. As a fi rst step, the association, with the support of the UNESCO
Slave Route Project and in collaboration with local scholars, will conduct
a research project to collect and assess
oral histories and other historical
material relating to the slave trade and
slavery and identify sites of memory
such as slave markets and slave gathering places.
Afro-Turks come together
for the first time
On 18 November 2006, the Cultural
Organisation for the Defence and
Mutual Aid of Africans (Afrikalilar
Dayanisma, Kültür ve Yardimlasma
Dernegi) held its inaugural meeting
in Ayvalik, Turkey. The present-day
Afro-Turk population is the result of a
series of forced and voluntary migrations of Africans (primarily from
the Horn of Africa and North-East
Africa), which spanned the Ottoman
Empire’s duration until early twentieth century. For the region’s AfroTurkish population who had travelled
from towns and villages throughout
the northwestern Balıkesir province,
the meeting was a much-anticipated
event and a crucial move towards the
creation of support network. In his
opening remarks, the association’s
founder, Mustafa Olpak, underlined
the importance of honouring their
slave ancestors by educating themselves and other communities about
their heritage. Afterwards, the panel,
composed of Gül Muyan, journalist
for the Turkish network TRT2, sociologist Esma Durugönül, lawyer and
historical author Harris Pappadakis
and Ali Moussa Iye in charge of the
UNESCO Slave Route Project, shared
information with participants about
the circumstances of other commu-
13
A woman from the Afro-Turk Community © Engin Aydeniz
Activities granted
the Slave Route Project label
The label “Project supported by the Slave Route” was created in order to
promote and give credibility to initiatives that contribute to the realisation of
the Slave Route Project objectives. Ninth Slave Trade Memorial, organized by
the “DiversCités”Association in Bordeaux, France (9-13 May 2006).
• “Hilda”, a play by Marie Ndiaye, performed at the Avignon festival in France (1625 July 2006).
• Work entitled “Atlas des esclavages” [Atlas of Slavery] by Marcel Dorigny and
Bernard Gainot, published in November 2006.
• Work Entitled Kenya-Crète-Istanbul: Des côtes des Esclaves. Biographies humaines
[Kenya-Crete-Istanbul: Slave Coasts. Human Biographies], a book by Mustafa
Olpak, published 20 November 2006 by Librairie Özgül
• Forum on indentured labour in Mauritius and other countries organised as part
of the intercultural dialogue.
• A project by Sonik Productions to produce a 26-episode TV series (26 minutes
per episode) and a 75-minute documentary film (35mm) on the slave trade.
THE SLAVE ROUTE
Latest Publications
• Il fut un jour à Gorée : L’Esclavage raconté à nos enfants [Once
Upon A Time in Gorée: Telling Our Children About Slavery]
by Joseph N’Diaye, illustrated by Serge Diantantu and prefaced by Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO.
Editions Michel Lafon, 2006.
• Raconte-moi l’esclavage : [Tell Me About Slavery] by JeanMichel Deveau, prefaced by Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO. UNESCO Publishing/Nouvelle
Arche de Noé Éditions, 2006.
• 2006 slave Route Project Brochure, published in Arabic,
English, French, Portuguese and Spanish
Portrait of Two Activists of the African Diaspora in Asia
Farida al-Mubrik
throughout Gujarat and other parts of
India. She has also received national
recognition for her partnership with
Ishani Surgical Hospital, whose staff
offers free medical care for all Siddis
in Bhavnagar and sets up medical
camps in neighbouring villages. In
addition to these activities, al-Mubrik
currently heads a relief programme for
those affected by the devastating 2006
monsoon season. While attending to
the immediate needs of those who
have lost their homes and livelihood
in the flooding, Farida al-Mubrik lays
the groundwork for her next goal: to
give rural Siddi boys and girls access to
the Bhavnagar schools by establishing
a children’s hostel.
Mustapha Olpak
an emblem of her family’s origins and
spiritual practices. As well as a guardian
of Afro-Indian traditions, al-Mubrik’s
life work is to assist disadvantaged
families in the local Siddi population
of her town. In 2000, she founded the
Sidi Goma al-Mubrik Charitable Trust
and for the past six years has mobilized
government officials and community
leaders to uplift her community. Beginning with small-scale activities such as
the provision of sewing machines and
sewing courses for widows and school
supplies for students, al-Mubrik’s
work has expanded to neighbouring
cities and inspired similar initiatives
Mustapha Olpak currently has one
thing on his mind – to learn as much
as he can about the history of African
enslavement in Turkey and share this
little known history with others. The
grandson of two former slaves from
Kenya, Olpak speaks emotionally of
his five-year quest to piece together
the fragments of his family’s history. A
marble worker by trade, he transformed
his family research into a first-person
reflection on his slave heritage in the
2005 publication of Kenya-Crete-Istanbul: Biography of a Family of Slaves.
After an overview of Ottoman slave
history, the book traces his family’s
struggle to overcome the trauma of
enslavement and make a new life for
themselves in Crete and, later, Turkey.
For the author, the book’s publication
was only the beginning of his tireless
campaign to shed light on the history
and social conditions of Turkey’s population of African descent. In 2006, he
founded the “Association of Solidarity,
Culture and Mutual Aid for Africans”
in order to create a network for others
affected by the tragedy of slavery so
that they could become full participants of their local communities. His
book attracted the attention of the Turkish media and his story continues to
spark interest amongst experts. It was
translated into French and published
in Paris with the support of the Slave
Route Project. Mustafa has a lifelong
dream to help to make a better life for
himself and his community and bring
their experience out of the shadows of
history. Yet his wisdom and ability to
create a working coalition have enabled
him to begin to make this dream come
true. Despite his modesty, Olpak’s
charismatic words and determination
touch the hearts and minds of all those
who come into contact with him. He
Mustafa Olpak, N. Cacchioli © UNESCO
Farida al-Mubrik © UNESCO
14
Farida al-Mubrik speaks with great
pride about her great-grandfather, a
court treasurer, who became one of
the most influential East African slaves
among those purchased by a Bhavnagar king during his visit to Africa. Four
generations later, her ancestor’s integrity as a royal administrator has become
part of the folklore of her region. On
first entering her home in the town of
Bhavnagar, India, Farida shows the
visitor her family’s cherished heirloom,
an East African tanbur drum, passed
down from generation to generation as
THE SLAVE ROUTE
has succeeded in convincing journalists and scholars to support him in
his struggle against ignorance. In line
with its mission to break the silence
on slavery in the Arabo-Islamic world,
the UNESCO Slave Route Project
will contribute to the groundswell of
support for this vital work.
Focus on a Partner’s Activities
« Nuestra Tercera Raíz »,
Mexico discovers its «African roots»
The project La Tercera Raíz (The Third Root) was launched in 1974 at the
instigation of Dr Luz María Martínez Montiel, a member of the International
Scientific Committee for the Slave Route Project since 1994. Based at the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia de México, it involves research on the
African presence and heritage in Mexico and throughout Latin America.
In 1987, La Tercera Raíz embarked upon an operational phase marked by a host
of conferences, exhibitions, festivals and documentary fi lms on the subject,
culminating in 1996 in the establishment of the Afroamérica México Association, with the objective of raising public awareness of Mexico’s “third root”.
Since 2004, when it entered into partnership with the Programa Universitario
México Nación Multicultural-UNAM, the project has returned to its original
academic task of pursuing research on Mexico’s African heritage and plural
identity. In 2006, under this vigorous partnership, a project was drawn up for
the establishment of a documentation centre in Mexico City, as was a plan to
extend the activities of the country’s Afro-American Museum.
For further information, visit the website:
http://www.nacionmulticultural.unam.mx/tem5.html
Looking Ahead
Performance: Requiem for a slave
Le Requiem Noir [Black Requiem], an oratorio honouring the victims of slavery,
was composed in Dakar in 2006 to mark the centenary of the birth of Léopold
Sédar Senghor and the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade by Great
Britain in 1807. The project, a tribute to the vitality of the cultures derived
from that chapter of history, is the fruit of collective work initiated by Pierre
Lunel, former President of the University of Paris 8 (Vincennes-Saint Denis).
It is a highly colourful show involving more than 80 performers from different
backgrounds and giving pride of place to choral singing. The Requiem Noir
will be performed by a wide variety of musicians such as the Senegalese rapper
Didier Awadi, the singer Yandé Codou Sène, the Soli-Tutti vocal ensemble
and associated choirs conducted by Denis Gautheyrie. After its premiere in
Senegal in December 2006, the show will tour France until June 2007, with
nine performances at various town halls throughout the Paris region.
It will also include an educational component designed to raise awareness of
the slave trade and slavery through, inter alia, an exhibition entitled Devoir
de mémoire : le triomphe sur l’esclavage [A Duty to Remember: Triumph Over
Slavery] mounted by the Slave Route Project in the towns where the performances are taking place, together with text readings and the screening of a
documentary film.
Brown University Committee
on Slavery and Justice
Brown University, located in one of the
oldest neighbourhoods of Providence,
Rhode Island, is making US history
through its efforts to address its own
historical links to the New England
slave trade. The need for this initiative
arose following the controversial publication of an anti-reparations advertisement in a 2003 issue of the university
newspaper, the Brown Daily Herald. To
clarify the institute’s role in the slave
trade and address concerns on what
remains an emotive subject within
the community, university President
Ruth Simmons appointed the Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice.
After more than three years of scientific research, and reflection on the
ethical implications of the university’s
slavery past, the committee published
their findings. The report, available to
the general public on the committee’s
website, (www.brown.edu/Research/
Slavery_ Justice) called for actions
such as a slave memorial, the establishment of a research institute, the
creation of fellowships for postgraduate and senior researchers and higher
recruitment from ethnic minority
students, particularly from Africa and
the West Indies. The committee has
also furnished an extensive collection
of digitalized archival material and the
curriculum unit, A Forgotten History:
The Slave Trade and Slavery in New
England, for teachers to download.
For more information please contact:
The Slave Route Project Coordination Unit
Division of Cultural Policies and Intercultural Dialogue
1, rue Miollis, 75015 Paris
Tel.: (33) 1 45 68 49 45
Fax: (33) 1 45 68 57 51
Email : [email protected]
Web site: http://www.unesco.org/culture/slaveroute
15
Memorial pour lʼesclavage, Stonetown, Zanzibar © UNESCO