The Deep Legacy of Slavery, The UNESCO Courier, July-September 2024

From the 16th to the mid-19th centuries, the slave trade led to the deportation of an estimated 12.5 million people from Africa to the Americas. The tragedy of enslavement has shaped our modern world and still impacts us today. This painful legacy, long reduced to silence, is resurfacing today through commemorations and contemporary works of art that pay homage to the violence suffered by generations of men and women.

The UNESCO Courier’s issue explores the many expressions of this memory, from quilombo community rituals in Brazil to colonial vestiges turned into tourism hotspots in Africa. It sheds light on the major role of women for the slavery business, addresses the question of reparations, and immerses us in the life of Esteban Montejo, Cuba’s last Cimarrón slave.