The history of slavery is one that affects every generation, every race and every continent. Although the trans-Atlantic slave trade was formally abolished in 1807, there remain an estimated 12 million enslaved people.
Modern forms of slavery range from child domestic workers in the Philippines to child soldiers in Uganda to the trafficking of women for use in the sex industry in the capital cities of Europe.
March 25th 2007 marks the bicentenary of the British parliamentary act to abolish the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Across Britain , there will be commemorations of this historic event. This will provide a unique opportunity for those organisations working on the issue of contemporary slavery to get their voices heard. ‘The Voice of Slavery' will be central to these efforts, raising awareness of the persistence of slavery in its many forms, and highlighting this abuse. This will be achieved using the words and music of slaves. This allows us to hear the words of those whose voices were silenced, and provides a highly accessible route by which our message may be heard. The slave songs that form the basis of the project are all songs of resistance and rebellion, or are contemporary songs which are used to raise awareness of the current situation.
Sunday 25th March 2007
On this date, an event will be held at the Kentish Town Forum. This will bring together many of the musicians, poets and artists including Supergrass, Finley Quaye, Ed Harcourt, Emmanuel Jal and others extra special guests to be confirmed.
A CD of slave songs, consisting of both traditional versions and reworked versions by high profile artists is being planned, the proceeds of which will go to supporting the work of anti-slavery charities, including Stop The Traffik (www.stopthetraffik.org) and Anti-Slavery International (www.antislavery.org).
More details can be found on our website www.thevoiceofslavery.com
Please help support the project by coming down to the Kentish Town Forum on March 25th
You can support The Voice of Slavery by donating online here:
