United States/ Unesco: creation of a twinning network of slavery memorial sites and museums

On Monday September 23, at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Audrey Azoulay, Director General of Unesco, announced the creation of a twinning network of sites of memory and museums of slavery in Africa, the Americas and Europe, in support of knowledge-sharing and intercultural dialogue.

We must better recognize, consider and remember the millions of African men, women and children who were captured, deported to the Americas and then exploited to supply Europe with sugar, coffee, indigo and cotton", Unesco's Director General pleaded on Monday at an event in New York in honor of the victims of slavery.Europe in sugar, coffee, indigo and cotton", pleaded Unesco's Director General on Monday at an event in New York in honor of the victims of slavery.

As Unesco celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of its "Slave Routes" program, created in 1994 on the initiative of Benin and Haiti, Audrey Azoulay, Director General of Unesco, made a plea to the victims of slavery.ti, Audrey Azoulay wishes to give fresh impetus to the necessary work of remembering and passing on "one of the greatest crimes in the history of humanity, which still marks entire communities".

With the support of Brazil, Colombia, Congo, France, Jamaica and the Netherlands, Unesco will set up a twinning network of sites and museums dedicated to the memory of slavery in Africa, the Americas and Europe. It will create opportunities for interaction and cooperation from one side of the Atlantic to the other, in the form of festivals and events, school exchanges and virtual visits, and the sharing of best practices between professionals.

By federating these historically linked sites, Unesco intends to raise their profile with the general public and promote a better global understanding of the history of slavery, particularly among younger generations. To the same end, Audrey Azoulay has called on governments "to give greater prominence to the history of slavery in textbooks and school curricula".

An alliance of university chairs

To continue advancing knowledge of these historical facts and their impact on contemporary societies, Unesco will also set up an alliance of university chairs. These will bring together researchers from three continents to focus on priority issues such as the fight against racism and discrimination against people of African descent.

As early as the 1960s, Unesco pioneered the search for a new narrative on the African continent and its suffering as a result of enslavement, with the publication of theGeneral History of Africa. This multi-volume work, which mobilized over 230 historians, continues to be a benchmark in scientific research. A ^9th volume was published in 2023.

About Unesco

With 194 member states, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization contributes to peace and security by promoting multilateral cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture, communication and information. Unesco coordinates a network of over 2,000 world heritage sites, biosphere reserves and global geoparks; several hundred creative, learning, inclusive and sustainable cities; and more than 13,000 associated schools, university chairs, training and research centers. Headquartered in Paris, the organization has offices in 54 countries and employs over 2,300 people.

As a reminder, Unesco's 1945 Constitution states: "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed".

Source: www.adiac-congo.com