International Day for Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Abolition

It is a day designated by UNESCO to inscribe the tragedy of the slave trade in the memory of all peoples. It first started on the night of 22 to 23 August 1791, in Santo Domingo, what is now known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic saw the beginning of the uprising that would play a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. Following the goals of the intercultural project "The Slave Route", it should offer an opportunity for collective consideration of the historic causes, the methods, and the consequences of this tragedy, and for an analysis of the interactions to which it has given rise between Africa, Europe, the Americas, and the Caribbean. It is usually organized by the Director-General of UNESCO where he or she invites the Ministers of Culture of all Member States to organize events every year on that date, involving the entire population of their country and in particular young people, educators, artists, and intellectuals.

The theme of 2021 is "Ending Slavery’s Legacy of Racism: A Global Imperative for Justice." It reflects the global movement to end injustices whose roots lie in the slave trade and highlights the importance of educating about the history of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery; to bring about an acknowledgment of slavery’s impact on the modern world, and action to address its long-lasting effects.