By Sue-Ann Wayow

THE work stemming from the Emancipation Day holiday is far from complete says President Christine Kangaloo.

The celebrated holiday on Friday provides an opportunity for reflection, not only on the history of  enslavement of the African people, but also on the legacies of that period that exists today she said.

In her Emancipation Day message, Kangaloo said African slavery remains one of humanity’s gravest and most shameful injustices as over four centuries, millions of men, women and children were forcibly taken from their homes, stripped of their identities, and transported, in the vilest of conditions, into lives of servitude and oppression.

But they never surrendered.

Kangaloo said however, certain aspects of slavery still exists as systems remain unjust and colonial ties still strive.

“While the structural chains of slavery were broken, the social, political and economic repercussions of that heinous institution remain with us to this day and continue to affect the descendants of enslaved people and the continent from which they were taken,” she said.

This year, the Emancipation Support Committee has chosen “Shaping Sustainable Futures Through Reparatory Justice” as the theme of its celebrations.

Kangaloo said, “It is a timely and a welcome theme. Reparatory justice acknowledges the long-term effects of slavery and colonialism and seeks appropriate redress. It is not limited to financial compensation, but includes institutional reform, investment in education and development, cultural and historical restoration and public recognition of past injustices. It is a holistic framework aimed at repairing historical harm and addressing its consequences.”

She said as individuals, citizens are called upon to also reflect more deeply on the enduring legacies of slavery and colonialism.

“We are challenged to confront the injustices and inequalities that persist in our society and to examine on our own roles in either perpetuating or challenging these wrongs.

“When we recognise that we are still grappling with the repercussions of the class and other divisions that separated us during centuries of slavery, when we admit that we sometimes walk around with the weight of a diminished view of our capacity to cut some of the ties that still hold us to our former colonial masters – we are reminded that the work of emancipation is far from complete.”

The president encouraged all to match remembrance with commitment to building the future the enslaved envisioned.

Kangaloo urged, “Let us reaffirm our resolve to upholding and protecting the dignity, freedom and humanity for which they fought. Let us reject the attitudes and behaviours which undermine their hard-won freedoms and which stand in opposition to all they endured to overcome. Let us move forward fully committed to building a society in which the promise of full emancipation is fully realised.”