2009 Commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance
of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
On March 25, 1807 a group of nations joined together for what was arguably the first international human rights initiative: the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. In recognition of that event, the General Assembly of the United Nations has adopted a resolution designating March 25 as an International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
On March 25, 2009 Culture Project presented Breaking the Silence, Beating the Drum, a major concert commemorating the abolition of the Trans-atlantic slave trade. Held in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations, one of the most unique venues in the world, the concert featured artists from Africa, the Caribbean, North America, Central and Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and Europe.
Featured artists:
* Akon & Peter Buffett * Blind Boys of Alabama * * Izaline Calister *
Staceyann Chin * Toumani Diabate * * Whoopi Goldberg * Gilberto Gil * Sarah Jones * Salif Keita * * Carl Lewis * Emeline Michel * Lenelle Moise * * CCH Pounder * Phylicia Rashad * Nile Rodgers * * Passing Strange’s Stew *
"We must acknowledge the great lapse in moral judgment that allowed [the Transatlantic Slave Trade] to happen. We must urge present and future generations to avoid repeating history… Above all, even as we mourn the atrocities committed against the countless victims, we take heart from the courage of slaves who rose up to overcome the system which oppressed them."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
United Nations, 25 March 2008
