During the imperialist rule run by the colonial powers of Europe, the slave trade was a cruel but common practice. (Representative image: Shutterstock)
Named by the United Nations, the day aims to remember and honor the tragedy of the slave trade in memory of all those who were dehumanized by cruel treatment or systemic racism.
August 23 is marked as the International Day for Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition. During the imperialist rule run by the colonial powers of Europe, the slave trade was a cruel but common practice. Through this practice, a section of the world and its people, mainly from Africa and Asia, became mere slaves, bought and sold and transported to colonial settlements in Haiti, the Caribbean, and other parts of the world.
History
The International Day for Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition is observed on 23 August because of an important event that took place around this date. Santo Domingo, which is modern day Haiti and the Dominican Republic, was a former colonial settlement of France in the eighteenth century. The days of 22 August and 23 August 1791 saw the beginning of the rebellion that would play a key role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade led by the European colonial powers. The rebellion inspired the Haitian Revolution, which was led by black and mixed-race people against the colonial rulers.
Importance
Named by the United Nations, the day aims to remember and honor the tragedy of the slave trade in memory of all those who were dehumanized by cruel treatment or systemic racism. According to the United Nations, this day should provide an opportunity to collectively consider the historical causes, methods and consequences of this tragedy. This day should always remind people to continue to analyze and criticize such practices which can turn into modern forms of slavery and exploitation.
It should be remembered that after years of independence from slavery and colonial rule, Haiti and the Dominican Republic are facing an internal crisis. Haiti’s President Jovenel Mosse was assassinated earlier in July, plunging the country into a state of civil war, while on August 15 it was rocked by a devastating earthquake that has killed 2,189 people so far.
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