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| David Lammy heralds programme of events to mark bicentenary of slave trade abolition. |
| Thursday, 15 March 2007 |
A fantastic array of events and exhibitions, large and small, are planned across 2007 to mark the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire.
David Lammy today welcomed the tremendous response of the cultural and heritage sectors to the commemoration, at the National Portrait Gallery.
The International Slavery Museum, a brand-new, world class cultural and educational venue will open in Liverpool in August. Part of National Museums Liverpool, it will build on the groundbreaking Transatlantic Slavery Gallery in the Merseyside Maritime Museum and will prove to be a magnificent new international institution and a worthy legacy of 2007.
Other shows and events will be held throughout the year at some of our biggest museums and arts venues, including the British Museum, the V&A, the National Gallery, the Science Museum, the Tate, the Natural History Museum, the Museum of London, the National Maritime Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.
English Heritage will play a big part too. It has announced its commitment to researching, for the first time, connections between the transatlantic slave trade and properties in its care. Additionally, it will review formal descriptions of listed buildings to acknowledge the historic links between the built environment, transatlantic slavery and the abolitionist movement.
The Heritage Lottery Fund has also awarded over £10 million to 90 projects related to the bicentenary across the country. This includes the biggest ever grant to a community group, £408,000 to help the Leeds West Indian Centre Charitable Trust to run a programme of activities involving the local community in the commemoration of the bicentenary. Many of the other grants have gone to small institutions and community groups.
At the National Portrait Gallery, Culture Minister, David Lammy said:
“Our national museums and galleries are the underpinning of our Britishness and they hold the stories that make up who we are as a nation. The events of 2007 provide the perfect way in which to take these stories to new audiences. Almost 8 million children visited DCMS sponsored museums and galleries last year and the bicentenary provides a great opportunity to take these stories to a new generation of visitors and explain them in a way which has a real meaning.”
Sandy Nairne, Director, National Portrait Gallery, London said:
“2007 is an important anniversary through which heritage and cultural organisations can acknowledge both the appalling genocide caused by the trade in slaves and the struggle to bring about its end. The 200th anniversary also encourages a better understanding of the legacy of the slave trade and the continuing work to end slavery today.”
Background:
The 2007 Bicentenary is an important opportunity to reflect on the struggles of the past; to pay tribute to the courage and moral conviction of all those – black and white – who campaigned for abolition; and to demand to know why today, in some parts of the world, forms of slavery still persist.
The government’s focus for the bicentenary year is to:
• Raise awareness of the bicentenary;
• Commemorate those who suffered and died as a result of the slave trade;
• Recognise the efforts of those who struggled for abolition and of those who ensured the new laws were enforced, including slaves, former slaves, states, people and ordinary citizens;
• Tackle contemporary or legacy issues that arise from the slave trade, including: poverty and inequality on the African continent; access to education for children and young people in developing countries; inequality, discrimination and racism in Britain today; and contemporary slavery in all its forms.
1. 25 March 2007 marks 200 years to the day since the Parliamentary Bill to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire was passed. The government's focus for 2007 is on both commemorating those who suffered and died as a result of the slave trade, celebrating those who campaigned for its abolition and also on addressing the contemporary issues of human trafficking, poverty and tackling discrimination.
2. A dedicated government website has been launched for the bicentenary. It contains information on the history behind the abolition, events happening throughout 2007 and how government is tackling the legacies of slavery.
3. Portraits, People and the Abolition of the Slave Trade: A Journey through the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection, has been organised to commemorate the 2007 Bicentenary of the Abolition of the British Slave Trade. Curated by cultural geographer, Dr Caroline Bressey, it consists of a trail highlighting portraits of key individuals who have been linked to the Slave Trade and its abolition. This journey through the Collection begins in the Tudor period and ends with images and comments from people, like Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, who are prominent in the fight to stop slavery today. The trail will be supported by a varied programme of events, and runs from 17 March to 22 July 2007. For more info, please go to The National Portrait Gallery website.
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