Alliance Française & UNESCO Regional Office for East Africa presents a photo-text exhibition on the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the French National Day of Remembrance of the Slave Trade, Slavery and its abolition.
The exhibition offers an inspiring look at the cultural, political, economic and social practices enslaved Africans developed while enduring the dehumanizing conditions of slavery.
Produced by The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the New York Public Library, in conjunction with the UNESCO Slave Route Project, the exhibition is unique in that it focuses less on enslaved Africans as victims and more on the ways in which they reshaped their destinies and place in history through the creation of distinct cultures.
Among the chief guests at the opening included Ms. Stephanie Seydoux, Deputy Head of Mission for the French Embassy, Mr. Mohammed Djelid, Director of Unesco Regional Office for Eastern Africa and officials from the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture.
The UNESCO production Slaves Route: A Global Vision was screened on this occasion followed by presentation/discussions on‘”From Old to New Forms of Slavery: Lest we forget” by Mr Radoslaw Lukasz Malinowski, Director of Awareness Against Human Trafficking (HAART) and Sr. Maggi Keneddy, Cardinal Lavigerie’s Anti-Slavery Campaign.
The thought-provoking documentary and the exhibition elicited much interest and appreciation from the public and highlighted the importance of ensuring universal awareness of the tragedy of the slave trade and slavery not only for the past but also for the present and the future.
‘LEST WE FORGET: The triumph over slavery’
Alliance Française Ground floor gallery, Utalii Lane, Nairobi
8-31 May 2013