Lecture on Legacy of the Slave Trade at University of Aberdeen

By Jernej Letnar

One of the world’s leading scholars in African and African American Studies will give a keynote lecture in Aberdeen today on the legacies of the Atlantic slave trade. Between 1600 and 1800, around 12 million men, women and children were transported from Africa to produce crops on plantations in America and the Caribbean. Millions suffered and died under conditions of unimaginable humiliation and brutality.

But following the work of anti-slavery campaigners in the UK – including Aberdeen philosopher James Beattie and Fraserburgh-born clergyman James Ramsay – the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed on March 25, 1807. A series of events have already been held in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire this year to mark the 200th anniversary of the Act, which saw the beginning of the end of legal slavery of Africans in British colonies.

Now, on Monday, May 28 Emmanuel Akyeampong, Professor of History of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, will reflect on the legacy of the slave trade at a symposium being held at the University of Aberdeen. The title of his lecture is ‘’The Legacies of Slavery and the Slave Trade: Africa and its Diaspora in the 21st Century’’. The symposium will include additional contributions from Professor Andrew Walls, a leading authority on African Christianity, and noted North-east historian, Professor Roy Bridges.

The event has been organised by a Bicentenary committee comprising representatives from Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, the University of Aberdeen, The Robert Gordon University, and the African and African-Caribbean community. All are welcome.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Constitutional Right to Female Sexual Pleasure?

By
Although a right to “sexual pleasure” usually does not fare among traditional rights enshrined in constitutions, such a right was nevertheless proposed by a female member of the Ecuadorian parliament when debating a forthcoming new constitution. Reuters report that the idea behind the proposal was to facilitate gender equality and to avoid sexual violence. Ultimately, however, and in spite of this noble cause, the proposal failed.
Read more

Movie: HOT FUZZ

By
Image
On Wed, 7 th October at 7pm in Taylor A19 the Legal Research Society will present its first movie night of this academic year with a screening of the film HOT FUZZ, a British action comedy with a huge portion of irony and black humour about the bigotry, hypocrisy and intrigues set in an (superficially) idyllic small town in Britain… Synopsis Sgt Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is a fiercely motivated and successful London copper who finds himself transferred to the sleepy town of Sandford . Almost everyone in this manicured little community seems to know and love each other. But if Sandford is a sleepy market town, it is home to some very real nightmares. Not that local coppers like loveable oaf Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) see anything suspicious about Sandford's absurd number of 'accidents'. Angel is no ordinary constable and launches an investigation, much to the amusement of his bumbling boss and his colleagues. Critics “Refreshingly British come
Read more

Head of State: Legal Debat About The UK's Election. Legal Research Society. 22 April 2010

By
Image
Head of State: Legal Discussion About The UK Election. Legal Research Society. 22 April 2010 There is a general feeling that the recent debate in Britain between the main party leaders was rather staid compared to the more theatrical style of the U.S Presidential debate on which it was modelled. Perhaps the British electorate would prefer the plain-spoken, tell-it-like-it-is politics of Chris Rock's prescient spoof of the U.S Presidential election. "Head of State" starts Chris Rock as an unlikely democratic for the presidency of the United State, who goes on to win over the electorate by shunning the political point-scoring and spin employed by other candidates and speaking forthrightly about issues that really concern people. Could such a tactic work for the political underdog in Britain. The screening of this sassy political satire was followed by a discussion of the recent and the forthcoming political debate in Britain, as well as the General Election that w
Read more