The Caribbean marks Emancipation Day
The day is a celebration of freedom and resilience
Originally published on Global Voices
Photo of some of the Emancipation Day celebrations in Trinidad by sforzamedia, used with permission.
For many Caribbean nations, August 1 is observed as Emancipation Day, which marks the anniversary of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, which paved the way for the end of slavery. In practice, most enslaved people were retained as “apprentices” to be freed in phases, the first of which only came to pass in 1838.
As the first independent nation to declare Emancipation Day as a public holiday on August 1, 1985, Trinidad and Tobago led the way in commemorating the annual observance. Today, many more Caribbean Community (CARICOM) territories observe the occasion as a public holiday and the regional organisation posted a message from the PJ Patterson Institute for Africa Caribbean Advocacy in honour of the 2024 observance — 190 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, it said, “remnants of colonisation persist” through racism and “inequities in the International political economy.”
The statement also acknowledged that the region's “journey toward liberation was ignited by the unyielding spirit of our forebears […] manifested by the Haitian Revolution.” In 1791, enslaved Africans staged the first successful slave revolt in the Caribbean, against the forces of France's Napoleon Bonaparte, adding, “[W]e [condemn] the external barriers and burdens imposed on the political architecture of Haiti which have served to engender and perpetuate poverty, misery, and social degradation in that nation.”
As Caribbean citizens reflect on “freedom from the scourges of slavery and colonialism,” the statement concluded, “we must continue to learn about who we are, to be able to chart a brighter future for generations to come.”
In that vein, here's a glimpse of some of the reflections and celebrations that were shared on Instagram region-wide.
In Trinidad and Tobago, Loop News posted footage of performances and prayers from “Freedom Morning Come,” a play written and directed by Eintou Pearl Springer and produced by the Idakeda Group. The production was staged at 6:00 a.m. AST (UTC-4) in front of the Treasury Building in downtown Port of Spain, where then governor George Fitzgerald Hill declared the abolition of slavery on August 1, 1838.
Sforzamedia, a photographer who was also downtown, posted an image of a troupe of Moko Jumbies, beloved stilt-walker characters that have West African roots, traversing the streets of Trinidad's capital.
Another Moko Jumbie troupe also paraded, this time under the banner of “The Merikins,” formerly enslaved Africans who gained their freedom and, after enlisting in the Corps of Colonial Marines, fought for the British against the United States in the War of 1812. More than 700 of them settled in Trinidad circa 1816, but they also established communities in other Caribbean islands, including Jamaica and The Bahamas.
Trinidadian artist Che Lovelace, meanwhile, shared a detail from a larger painting he is currently working on. To him, the image of the joyous dancer underscores the fact that “Ultimately, for all of us, freedom is a responsibility … we ought to do amazing things with it!”
Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley acknowledged the occasion on her IG account by posting an image of the country's Emancipation statue, which symbolises the breaking of the chains of slavery through the likeness of “Bussa,” an enslaved West African and one of Barbados’ national heroes, who helped start a revolt against slavery on the island in 1816:
Today, we remember and honour our ancestors’ courage and determination to break free and build towards a better future where there is fairness, equality and opportunity present for all.
Today, this resilience, courage and determination is in our DNA. And to that extent, we must continue to face this worlds current challenges with the same convictions that our ancestors held.
I say Happy Emancipation Day to all here in Barbados, across the Caribbean and throughout the world.
Moving up the archipelago, Papillote Press shared a clip from its YouTube video “In the Forests of Freedom: the Fighting Maroons of Dominica,” by historian Lennox Honychurch. The Maroons are descendants of Africans who escaped slavery and formed their own settlements, many of which still thrive today.
Finally, in Jamaica to the north of the archipelago, netizens celebrated the occasion. The Instagram account marcusgarveyinschools posted a stunning portrait of pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey by the artist Prince Eric Nichols, along with Garvey's famous quote further popularised by reggae icon Bob Marley's “Redemption Song.”
Jamaica-born IG user @RaeChuck asked a poignant question: “How do you honour your freedom?”
It’s Emancipation day in Jamaica , we are celebrating the end of slavery today and the freedom to choose our own fate. The freedom to rest, to love, to dream…
Yet freedom and emancipation goes so far beyond the breaking of chains.
We must ask ourselves:
What is freedom to us?
How do we embrace freedom daily?
How do we empower freedom for others?
How do we continue open our minds and hearts to new levels of freedom?
It's up to every Caribbean citizen to answer that question for themselves.