Leader of the Opposition, Kamla Persad-Bissessar says Emancipation Day is a day for celebrating the liberation of enslaved Africans as well as an opportunity to reflect on and learn from that dark period in TT's history.

In her Emancipation Day message she said the enslavement of Africans in the Caribbean and the Americas, via the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, is perhaps the greatest crime against humanity in the history of mankind.

She said it was important that younger generations was made aware of what slaves in TT were forced to endure.

'Even as we reflect on the atrocities imposed upon enslaved Africans, we also see a people who refused to be defeated. A people who would never stop fighting for the freedom that was their birthright. It is the history of a proud African culture whose spirit could not be shackled or broken. It is the history of an emancipated people forging a new nation in the fires of hope and prayer to chart their own destiny.

'It is those qualities of fierce determination to remain unyielding in the face of unspeakable oppression that we must replicate today as we face the massive burdens caused by the Pandemic.'

She added that African descendants contributed significantly to national development and it was important to recognise and appreciate those contributions.

'As we mark the 187th anniversary of the coming into effect of the Emancipation Proclamation, I join the nation in celebrating the incredible journey of our African brothers and sisters, drawing inspiration from the courageous fight for emancipation, and the freedoms which we are all able to enjoy today.'

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