Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition

联合国教科文组织总干事伊琳娜·博科娃在贩卖黑奴及其废除国际纪念日的致辞

23 August 2013

2013年8月23日

On 23 August, which marks the anniversary of the slave uprising in Saint Domingue, UNESCO celebrates the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

8月23日是圣多明戈奴隶起义的纪念日，教科文组织开展这一国际日活动是为了铭记奴隶贸易和奴隶贸易的废除。

Transmission of this history is the cornerstone of UNESCO’s efforts to build peace, intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding. The slave trade reduced millions of human beings to mere chattels and was a crime of universal scope that shook the very foundations of civilization. The significance and implications of this history must be known to all and must be taught in and outside schools, through the media and in the public arena. UNESCO is committed to achieving this through teacher training, support for research and the protection of cultural and documentary heritage.

传承这段历史是教科文组织努力建设和平、开展文化间对话和促进相互理解的标志性活动。奴隶贸易使几百万人沦为商品：这一全球性的罪行是对人类文明基础的挑战。这段历史的重要性和含义必须让所有人知晓，必须在学校内外传授，并通过媒体在公共场所宣传。教科文组织致力于通过教师培训、支持研究、保护文化和文献遗产来开展这项活动。

Under the Slave Route Project, UNESCO aims to reveal the extent and consequences of this human tragedy and to portray the wealth of the cultural traditions that African peoples have forged in the face of adversity – in art, music, dance and culture in its broader sense. This year, on the eve of the twentieth anniversary of the Slave Route Project, I designated as a UNESCO Artist for Peace Mr Marcus Miller, who will undertake the mission of promoting the UNESCO Slave Route Project and conveying its message of respect through music. These endeavours will contribute to efforts for the Decade for People of African Descent (2013-2022), proclaimed by the United Nations in 2012.

教科文组织通过奴隶之路项目，揭示了这一人类悲剧的程度及其后果，也展示了非洲人民在逆境下创造的丰富文化传统——在艺术、音乐、舞蹈和更宽泛的文化领域。今年，在奴隶之路项目20周年的前夕，我任命了著名的爵士音乐家Marcus Miller先生为教科文组织的和平艺术家，他的使命是通过音乐来宣传教科文组织的奴隶之路项目，传递“尊重”的理念。这项工作也有助于推动联合国2012年宣布的非洲裔国际十年（2013--2022年）活动。

The slave trade is not merely a thing of the past: it is our history and it has shaped the face of many modern societies, creating indissoluble ties between peoples and continents, and irreversibly transforming the destiny, economy and culture of nations. Studying this history is tantamount to paying tribute to freedom fighters and to acknowledging their unique contributions to the affirmation of universal human rights. They have set an example for us to continue the struggle for freedom, against racial prejudice inherited from the past and against new forms of slavery that subsist to this day and affect some 21 million people.

奴隶贸易不仅仅属于过去：它是我们的历史，影响了众多当今社会的面貌，在各国人民和和各大洲之间建立了牢不可破的联系，也不可逆转地改变了各国的命运、经济和文化。研究这段历史也是向当年的自由战士致敬，感谢他们为争取普遍人权作出的独特贡献。他们为我们树立了榜样，要为自由而不懈地斗争，反对历史遗传的种族歧视，反对萦绕至今并使2100万左右的人们依然沦为受害者的各种新形式的奴隶制。

Today, I invite all governments, civil society organizations and public and private partners to redouble their efforts to transmit this history. May it be a source of respect and a universal call for freedom for future generations.

值此国际纪念日，我呼吁各国政府和公私合作伙伴加倍努力，支持纪念这段历史，使它成为尊重和在全球为后代人争取自由的源泉。

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