Caribbean Countries Rename Commemoration on End of Slavery

Starting this year, Caribbean countries will rename August 1, which commemorates the end of slavery imposed by British colonialism in the region, as African Emancipation Day, local media reported.

According to press reports, the proposal was submitted by Trinidad and Tobago with the purpose of making the true meaning of the date clear; that is, the liberation of thousands of men and women taken by force from Africa and subjected to centuries of slavery on this side of the world.

They even mention statements by Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley, who considered it necessary to be specific regarding the name of the day, because internationally many individuals try to take advantage of such a significant event for the Caribbean for their own benefit.

“There is no comparison between slavery and other forms of human humiliation (…) we, the descendants of slaves, have the duty to preserve our history, our legacy and to present our claim without apologies to anyone,” the dignitary added.

After the signing of the act that eliminated slavery in all the colonies of the United Kingdom on August 1, 1833, territories such as Trinidad and Tobago, Bermuda, Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica, among others, have celebrated this date under the name of Emancipation Day.