African Descent Society British Columbia promotes the slave routes project: The African Descent Society British Columbia has worked with International experts on the trans-atlantic slave trade and Trans-American slave trade Professor Emeritus David Eltis the co-founder and chief investigator of the slave voyages project the global leading project on the history and roots of slave trade around the World. ADSBC has worked extensively on the awareness of the root causes and tragic effects of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and trans-American slave trade around the global as well as the work of UNESCO international slave routes project an initiative that was officially. UNESCO in support General History of Africa. UNESCO promote the slave Route project is an initiative that was officially
The Slave Route Project is a UNESCO initiative that was officially launched in 1994 in Ouidah, Benin. It is rooted in the mandate of the Organization, which believes that ignorance or concealment of major historical events constitutes an obstacle to mutual understanding, reconciliation and cooperation among peoples. The project breaks the silence surrounding the slave trade and slavery that has affected all continents and caused great upheavals that have shaped our modern societies. In studying the causes, the modalities and the consequences of slavery and the slave trade, the project seeks to enhance the understanding of diverse histories and heritages stemming from this global tragedy.
Objectives and main themes
“The Slave Route Projec[ is a highly ambitious initiative with its sights set resolutely on the future, to the extent that it contributes in the long term to enhancing mutual understanding and intercultural dialogue. The challenge of “living together” in our multicultural societies implies recognition of each person’s history and memory, and at the same times the sharing of a common heritage, in order to transcend past tragedies.[
The concept of a route seeks to reflect the dynamics of the movement of peoples, civilizations and cultures. The concept of slave focuses on the universal phenomenon of slavery, and in particular, the transatlantic, Indian Ocean and Trans Saharan slave trades. The Slave Route Project[1] has three main objectives:
- To assist in providing a better understanding of the causes, forms of operation, issues and consequences of slavery in the world (specifically Africa, Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the Middle East and Asia);
- To present some of the global transformations and cultural interactions that have resulted from this history and
- To contribute to a culture of peace by promoting reflection on cultural pluralism, intercultural dialogue and the construction of new identities and citizenships.
Drawing on the ideas and work of an International Scientific Committee, the project deals with various aspects of the slave trade, and in particular provides:
- Support for scientific research through a network of international institutions and specialists;
- Development of educational materials;
- Collection and preservation of written archives and oral traditions;
- Inventory and preservation of memorial sites and places;
- Promotion of living cultures;
- Promotion of diverse contributions from the African diaspora;
- Promotion of standard-setting instruments.
Transatlantic trade
The transatlantic slave trade and its Middle Passage are unique within the universal history of slavery for three main reasons. Firstly, it endured for approximately four centuries. Secondly, the victims of this trade were exclusively black African men, women and children. Finally, its intellectual legitimization – the development of an anti-black ideology and its legal organization through the notorious Code Noir.
As a commercial and economic enterprise, the slave trade provides a dramatic example of the consequences resulting from particular intersections of history and geography. It involved several regions and continents: Africa, Americas, the Caribbean, Europe and the Indian Ocean. This slave trade is often considered one of the first systems of globalization. This ‘triangular’ trade connected the economies of three continents.
The transatlantic slave trade was the biggest deportation in history and a determining factor in the world economy of the 18th century. It is estimated that between 25 and 30 million people were deported from their homes and sold as slaves in the different slave trading systems. It is estimated that 17 million of these people were traded in the transatlantic route. These figures exclude those who died aboard the ships and in the course of wars and raids connected to the trade.
The trade proceeded in three steps, often called the triangular slave trade. The ships left Western Europe for Africa loaded with goods which were to be exchanged for slaves. Upon their arrival in Africa, the captains traded their merchandise for captive slaves. Weapons and gunpowder were the most important commodities but textiles, pearls and other manufactured goods, as well as rum, were also in high demand. The exchange could last from one week to several months. The second step was the crossing of the Atlantic. Africans were transported to Americas to be sold throughout the continent. The third step connected Americas to Europe. The slave traders brought back mostly agricultural products, produced by the slaves. The main product was sugar, followed by cotton, coffee, tobacco and rice.
Also visit https://en.unesco.org/themes/fostering-rights-inclusion/slave-route