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STORY: UN / SLAVE TRADE REMEMBERANCE
TRT: 01:39
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 25 MARCH 2019, NEW YORK CITY / RECENT
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters
25 MARCH 2019, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
3. Med shot, dais
4. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Slavery and the transatlantic slave trade were among history’s most appalling manifestations of human brutality. On this International Day of Remembrance, we pay homage to the millions of African men, women and children who were denied their humanity and forced to endure abominable cruelty across centuries.”
5. Med shot, delegates
6. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Since the time of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the arts have been used to confront slavery, to empower enslaved communities, and to honour those who made freedom possible. Literature, music, poetry and other artforms have been vital tools in commemorating past struggles, highlighting ongoing injustices and celebrating the achievements of people of African descent. Today, the artists, the writers, the poets who are committed to the struggle for racial equality and empowerment should know we are with them. As we mark the International Day of Remembrance, let us resolve to carry their messages far and wide.”
7. Pan left, GA Hall
8. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Together, let us stand up against old and new forms of slavery, by raising awareness of the dangers of racism in our time, and by ensuring justice and equal opportunities for all people of African descent today.”
9. Wide shot, GA Hall
Addressing a Commemorative meeting of the General Assembly to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Secretary-General António Guterres today (25 Mar) paid homage “to the millions of African men, women and children who were denied their humanity and forced to endure abominable cruelty across centuries.”
Noting that the theme of this year’s observance is: “Remember Slavery: Power of the Arts for Justice,” the Secretary-General said the arts “have been used to confront slavery, to empower enslaved communities, and to honour those who made freedom possible.”
Guterres said, “today, the artists, the writers, the poets who are committed to the struggle for racial equality and empowerment should know we are with them,” and vowed “to carry their messages far and wide.”
In closing, the Secretary-General said “together, let us stand up against old and new forms of slavery, by raising awareness of the dangers of racism in our time, and by ensuring justice and equal opportunities for all people of African descent today.”
The transatlantic slave trade was the largest forced migration in history, and undeniably one of the most inhumane. The extensive exodus of Africans spread to many areas of the world over a 400-year period and was unprecedented in the annals of recorded human history.
As a direct result of the transatlantic slave trade, the greatest movement of Africans was to the Americas — with 96 per cent of the captives from the African coasts arriving on cramped slave ships at ports in South America and the Caribbean Islands.
In commemoration of the memory of the victims, the General Assembly, in 2007, declared 25 March the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, to be observed annually.
The resolution also called for the establishment of an outreach programme to mobilize educational institutions, civil society and other organizations to inculcate in future generations the "causes, consequences and lessons of the transatlantic slave trade, and to communicate the dangers of racism and prejudice."
