Remembrance Day celebrates the end of the slave trade
Former Mayor of Ealing, Cllr Munir Ahmed, with Debbi Allen at a previous Sankofa event
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West London Stand Up To Racism is to commemorate Sankofa at an event taking place in Bollo Brook Park, South Acton (W3 8PQ), on Sunday 4 September, at 3:00pm.
Sankofa is the annual international remembrance day of the slave trade and its abolition. The day was designated in 1998 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). It relates to the events that took place on the night of the 22 August, 1791, in Santo Domingue (now known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic), when enslaved men and women from Africa rose up against slavery and established an independent black state.
That uprising played a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade and greatly impacted the establishment of universal human rights.
Rupa Huq MP for Ealing Central and Acton, Cllr Hitesh Tailor, Deputy Mayor of Ealing, Cllr Aysha Raza, Cabinet Member for tackling inequality and Moyra Samuels, Grenfell Justice activists are expected to be among the speakers.
Scratchylus, international reggae artist, Alex LoSardo, Love Music Hate Racism organiser and Sangoma Drummers would be amongst the entertainers.
Debbi Allen, co-convenor of the West London Stand Up To Racism, said, “We would not be organising Black Lives Matter protests today if the transatlantic slave trade had not taken place in the first place. That is the root cause which led to millions of people being captured from Africa and forcibly transported to the plantations in the Americas where they suffered utmost brutality at the hands of the slavers. We need to learn about that history and teach our children. Problems with racism still exist today and we want to bring together all the communities to learn from each other and to appreciate each other’s culture. I, myself, a black woman whose parents came from Jamaica and mother worked as a nurse in the NHS, am trying to teach my children and I think this event would be the best opportunity.”
Balwinder Rana, the other co-convenor said, "We also want to mark the 75th anniversary of the independence of India and Pakistan from the British rule that began the process of decolonisation. From that date, after centuries of oppression and exploitation by the western colonialists, all the colonies began to free themselves. We came to this country because of colonialism but we constantly face racism here. We need to join with all the white anti-racists and defend our rights as the citizens of this country so that our children could grow up in a truly multi-racial, multi-cultural society".
The organisers say that it would be a family friendly and a socially distanced day with speeches also about the important issues of the day, as well as poetry readings, live music and dancing.
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August 25, 2022
