International Slavery Remembrance Day

"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." It is a phrase often used to shame us for not learning from events and situations that have taken place in history so we can move on from it.

History, while filled with many achievements and discoveries, is also filled with periods of pain and moments of trauma which we would often want to forget.

But it is important to not only understand, but appreciate the struggles of those who fought against oppression so that we do not have to go through their pain.

That is why today is a significant day in remembering a major period of injustice in world history and commemorate the 13th annual International Slavery Remembrance Day.

August 23 commemorates an uprising by enslaved Africans on the island of Saint Domingue (Haiti) in 1971. The day has been designated by UNESCO as a reminder that enslaved Africans were the main agents of their own liberation by resisting injustice and discrimination.

There will be a number of events taking place today in London and Bristol while the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool has organised The Walk of Remembrance, visiting locations linked with the trade including the site of Liverpool's first dock.

Much of the city's wealth in the 18th Century came from the slave trade with ships transporting almost half of the three million Africans taken across the Atlantic by British slavers.

There will also be a traditional African libation ceremony which will be held at the Pier Master's House on the Albert Dock.

The libation ceremony is a traditional act of reflection and tribute to African ancestry by the pouring of liquid onto the ground.

Liverpool as a city don't hide their links to slavery - rather they hope to remember and educate about the events which took place and the legacies of transatlantic slavery such as racism, discrimination, injustices and exploitation which are still prevalent in today's societies.

There is also a desire to empower people with stories which celebrate the resistance, rebellion and revolution that ended slavery and the rise of popular movements for racial justice and social change.

So never forget, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Zohaib Rashid