Abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade

cork | anti-capitalism | event notice Saturday April 14, 2007 19:29 by Joe Moore - Socialist Workers Party mapuche at eircom dot net 086-2668341

The Big Question, Can Africa be truly free from the effects of the Slave Trade?

Two hundred years after the passing of a bill in the British parliament outlawing the Atlantic Slave Trade are the African people still suffering the effects of the greatest crime against humanity.

Two hundred years ago last March, a bill outlawing British involvement in the Atlantic Slave Trade, was passed in Westminster. This was the first step in a long journey that eventually led to the ending of the greatest crime against humanity, ever perpetrated.

From the early 16th century to the end of the 19th century, over 20 million Africans were enslaved and between 10 and 30 million lost their lives.

Although the media focus is on the role played by the MP William Wilberforce, the Atlantic Slave Trade was ended by the resistance of the slaves themselves and the mass movement in Britain in support of the abolition of slavery. The greatest rebellion was in the country now called Haiti. As a result of the influence of the ideals of the French Revolution, a rebellion began in 1791 which overthrew the slave owning class in what was then France's richest colony.

A British invasion of the island led to one of the greatest military defeats, when an army of ex-slaves inflicted casualties of over 80,000 on the greatest imperial power in the world.

In Britain over 350,000 people signed a petition against the Slave Trade. This was supported by a successful consumer boycott of sugar, the main slave produced commodity.

The Atlantic Slave Trade eventually ended in the 1880's, with Cuba and Brazil being the last countries to outlaw this barbarity.

This did not however end the suffering of the African people. From the 1880's until the early 20th century, the European imperial powers divided the African Continent between them, in the so-called"scramble for Africa".

Freedom was eventually secured in the second half of the last century after heroic struggles by the African people against the colonial powers, especially in Algeria, Kenya, Mozambique and Angola.

Although political freedom was achieved, the continents natural resources are still controlled by Western multi nationals. This situation was referred to by Kwame Nkrumah, the leader of newly independent Ghana, as "neo-colonialism"

These issues will be discussed at a public meeting entitled "The Big Question, Can Africa be truly free from the effects of the Slave Trade"

The meeting will take place on Thursday 3rd May in the Victoria Hotel, Patrick Street, Cork, at 8.00pm
Speakers, Uche Odinukwe, a Nigerian activist
Joe Moore, Cork SWP.

Tá fáilte roimh các. All are welcome.