UNITED NATIONS, March 25 (Xinhua) -- UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday launched the official commemoration of
the victims of the African slave trade by beating drums, calling on the
international community to fight contemporary forms of slavery.
At a ceremony held at the UN headquarters in New
York, Ban joined artists and musicians from Brazil, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, the
Caribbean countries and the United States, as well as students, diplomats and UN
officials to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery
and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Wednesday launched the official commemoration of the victims of the
African slave trade by beating drums, calling on the international
community to fight contemporary forms of slavery.(Xinhua
Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
Addressing
the observance entitled "Break the Silence, Beat the Drum," Ban said the
swearing-in this year of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States
marks a milestone in the 400-year struggle of the descendants of African slaves
for justice, assimilation and respect.
"Estimates vary of how many millions of men and women
were transported. What is not in dispute is the legacy of this vile traffic,"
Ban said.
He said although slavery was abolished, Africa has
yet to recover from the ravages of the slave trade or the subsequent era of
colonization, and people of African descent "still struggle daily against
entrenched prejudice that keeps them disproportionately in poverty."
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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Wednesday launched the official commemoration of the victims of the
African slave trade by beating drums, calling on the international
community to fight contemporary forms of slavery.(Xinhua
Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
Besides,
racism and contemporary forms of slavery continue to pollute the world. "It is
essential that we speak out loud and clear against such abuses," Ban said.
The UN General Assembly decided in December to mark
the victims of slavery each March 25, on which honors the millions of Africans
violently removed from their homelands and cast into slavery.
It is estimated that up to 28 million men, women and
children were taken from Africa from the 16th to 19th centuries and shipped
across the Atlantic, mainly to colonies in North America, South America and the
West Indies.
The United Nations estimated there are currently more
than 250,000 child soldiers serving in dozens of conflicts across the world, and
a total of 5.7 million children are involved in forced labor.
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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Wednesday launched the official commemoration of the victims of the
African slave trade by beating drums, calling on the international
community to fight contemporary forms of slavery.(Xinhua
Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
