Prime Minister David Thompson????

The resilience, fortitude and ingenuity of over two million Africans brought to Barbados during the British Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, was honoured yesterday when the government of Barbados unveiled a plaque to commemorate the abolition of the approximately 200 year tragedy.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Prime Minister David Thompson urged Barbadians not to forget their past.

???I know there are many who question why it is necessary for us to commemorate events like this one. Why dwell in the past??? Is the question we frequently hear.?? I would like to exhort you to never forget, and to keep the memory alive,??? he said.

Prime Minister Thompson also stressed the importance of recognising ???how precious and yet ephemeral is the freedom we enjoy today???.

???We have also to appreciate the fact that as we go about our lives, often taking this freedom for granted, the practice of slavery is alive and well and exists on every continent in a variety of forms. Let us use these moments and the placing of this plaque at a site on, or near which our African forefathers came ashore in Barbados as captives and intended slaves, to reflect on the beauty, strength, wisdom and indomitable character of the African cultural legacy,??? he underlined.

Pointing out that the Barbados government understood and appreciated the sacrifices made by the island???s African ancestry, Mr. Thompson called on Barbadians to remember their ancestors??? ???phenomenal ability to overcome all challenges placed in their way with quiet, enduring dignity.???

???We should recognise that we are of strong noble stock and that we have within us the fortitude and the ingenuity to make the adjustments necessary to enable us to emerge from any challenges,??? he emphasised. aalleyne@barbados.gov.bb

Pin It on Pinterest