An
international colloquium on slavery, slave trade and colonialism is scheduled
to take place today at the Coral Beach Hotel (Sheraton), where speeches and
presentations will be made by eminent international experts on the topic.
On
behalf of the Gambia government, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs in Banjul have issued the invitations to the three-day event.
The
colloquium will take place from 15 to 27 July 2016 starting at 9:00 a.m. each
day.
“It
will provide the right setting for productive and interactive discussions
pertaining to Slavery and Reparations,” a statement by the Ministry of Justice
said.
“It
will also witness speeches, presentations and panel discussions by eminent
international experts in the field of Slavery, Slave Trade and Colonialism.”
In
organizing the colloquium, according to the statement, the Gambia government
seeks to achieve the following: discuss and advance the frontiers of knowledge
by exploring the impact of Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade on African
socio-economic, political and cultural life; establish the basis for
reparations for the negative impact of slavery and colonialism on Africans and
people of African descent; establish the scale on which African artifacts were
carted away to Europe, thereby depriving the continent of valuable cultural and
economic resources; undertake the exchanging and compiling of information on
Slavery, Slave Trade and Colonialism, and set on making substantial
intellectual contributions to the known history of Slavery, Slave Trade and
Colonialism and by doing so explaining on the available literature.
The
Government of The Gambia has taken the initiative to spearhead the International
campaign on Slavery and Reparation and most importantly, gathering support for
successful tabling of the Resolution at the United Nations, according to the
organisers.
