Emancipation Observances Use Power Of Music
A week of commemorative activities to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (March 25) came to a close at the United Nations (UN) recently with world diplomats pledging to end contemporary slavery in its many forms.
Under the theme 'Forever Free - Celebrating Emancipation', the UN honoured the victims of 400 years of slavery while moving to denounce racial discrimination and, intolerance in today's society.
"While we recall slavery's horrors, we must also address the lingering consequences. While we remember the victims, we pledge to fight for equality, justice, and peace. This is the most meaningful way to honour their memory," Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated.
The packed agenda of events, which included discussions, an exhibition, and artistic performances, concluded on March 25 with a special sitting of the General Assembly where envoys from around the globe committed to eliminating human trafficking, child labour, sex slavery, and the recruitment of child soldiers - all of which are regarded as modern forms of slavery.
A Continuing Endeavour
Speaking on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, Grenada's representative, Dessima Williams, said the struggle for full emancipation remained a continuing endeavour and that it was time to abandon the idea that one race could ever be inferior to another.
A highlight of the commemoration was the Forever Free exhibition where two important documents were on display: an original copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln, and a copy of the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution that outlawed slavery in the US in 1865.
Representing the United States, Rosemary DiCarlo told the special session that the repugnant practice of slavery was one of the most painful chapters in American history, and that it had taken a long time for the rights legally granted to enslaved people to be truly fulfilled. She paid tribute to the civil rights movement, which had worked to move beyond the legacy of slavery.
A few days before the General Assembly's commemorative meeting, the UN hosted a Global Emancipation concert in its hallowed halls where musicians from Africa, the Caribbean, and the US riffed on the global theme of freedom.
Ban Ki-moon noted that the voices and messages of the nameless victims of slavery are transmitted in the music and poetry of Africans on the continent and in the diaspora.
"We hear the voice of the victims in the stories and scholarship of writers. We hear them in the work of young people who study the past to create a better future," he said.
Traditional African songs, dances, as well as jazz and reggae rang out in the chamber of the General Assembly at the March 22 concert, filling the night with the ancient spirit of the ancestors and the celebration of freedom.
Performing that evening were the multi-ethnic group Benyoro, whose members hail from Mali, Martinique, and the US, and whose music is a modern take on traditional West African melodies; the newly appointed UNESCO Artiste for Peace, Marcus Miller, and his jazz band: the National Ballet of Cameroon; the reggae band, Steel Pulse; and the singer, Somi, who specialises in a hybrid interpretation called New African jazz.
In keeping with the liberation motif, the evening ended with all the musicians on stage doing a moving, full-throated performance of Bob Marley's inspiring and politically charged anthem Get Up, Stand Up, which, of course, had the audience on its feet.
It was beautiful to witness the crowd dancing in the aisle, hands pumping the air, shouting the refrain "Don't give up the fight... never give up the fight."
Reggae music, with its international appeal, its unifying power, and its transformative, aspirational and spiritual message was centre stage in the world hall of diplomacy.
Source: Jamaica-Gleaner
Under the theme 'Forever Free - Celebrating Emancipation', the UN honoured the victims of 400 years of slavery while moving to denounce racial discrimination and, intolerance in today's society.
"While we recall slavery's horrors, we must also address the lingering consequences. While we remember the victims, we pledge to fight for equality, justice, and peace. This is the most meaningful way to honour their memory," Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated.
The packed agenda of events, which included discussions, an exhibition, and artistic performances, concluded on March 25 with a special sitting of the General Assembly where envoys from around the globe committed to eliminating human trafficking, child labour, sex slavery, and the recruitment of child soldiers - all of which are regarded as modern forms of slavery.
A Continuing Endeavour
Speaking on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, Grenada's representative, Dessima Williams, said the struggle for full emancipation remained a continuing endeavour and that it was time to abandon the idea that one race could ever be inferior to another.
A highlight of the commemoration was the Forever Free exhibition where two important documents were on display: an original copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln, and a copy of the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution that outlawed slavery in the US in 1865.
Representing the United States, Rosemary DiCarlo told the special session that the repugnant practice of slavery was one of the most painful chapters in American history, and that it had taken a long time for the rights legally granted to enslaved people to be truly fulfilled. She paid tribute to the civil rights movement, which had worked to move beyond the legacy of slavery.
A few days before the General Assembly's commemorative meeting, the UN hosted a Global Emancipation concert in its hallowed halls where musicians from Africa, the Caribbean, and the US riffed on the global theme of freedom.
Ban Ki-moon noted that the voices and messages of the nameless victims of slavery are transmitted in the music and poetry of Africans on the continent and in the diaspora.
"We hear the voice of the victims in the stories and scholarship of writers. We hear them in the work of young people who study the past to create a better future," he said.
Traditional African songs, dances, as well as jazz and reggae rang out in the chamber of the General Assembly at the March 22 concert, filling the night with the ancient spirit of the ancestors and the celebration of freedom.
Performing that evening were the multi-ethnic group Benyoro, whose members hail from Mali, Martinique, and the US, and whose music is a modern take on traditional West African melodies; the newly appointed UNESCO Artiste for Peace, Marcus Miller, and his jazz band: the National Ballet of Cameroon; the reggae band, Steel Pulse; and the singer, Somi, who specialises in a hybrid interpretation called New African jazz.
In keeping with the liberation motif, the evening ended with all the musicians on stage doing a moving, full-throated performance of Bob Marley's inspiring and politically charged anthem Get Up, Stand Up, which, of course, had the audience on its feet.
It was beautiful to witness the crowd dancing in the aisle, hands pumping the air, shouting the refrain "Don't give up the fight... never give up the fight."
Reggae music, with its international appeal, its unifying power, and its transformative, aspirational and spiritual message was centre stage in the world hall of diplomacy.
Source: Jamaica-Gleaner
