Plight & sacrifices of African ancestors remembered in special ceremony
The all-white-themed event was held behind the Crafts Alive Village in Road Town, Tortola, with a small group of persons attending.
Opening and hosting the event, Art. K Christopher said the remembrance ceremony is an opportunity to remind the territory of its journey through slavery to where it is today.
“The initiative started as a way to memorialize what the ancestors went through along with the ancestors who sacrificed so much for us to be here, who gave their lives,” he said.
He said it was also created for people to consider and remember all the things that the ancestors sacrificed to pave the way for modern VI.
“So, this is a memorializing of that of those ancestors and that tragic event that we call the transatlantic slave trade. But additionally, we also seek to memorialize our ancestors, those who came before us, and our family members who made extreme sacrifices during their lives. So that we could live a more comfortable life, so that would be here today,” he said.
Libations poured
As part of the programme, libations were poured to pay tribute and honour to the ancestors, along with prayers, singing, chanting and more as part of a packed programme schedule.
Presenter Ms Julian Leonard had an interactive learning session spoke on the origins of the human race and the role of Africans in the start of cavillation along with the need to decolonize the local education sector.
Guest Speaker Ms Enya Douglas, a Humanities Professor at the HLSCC delivered the main presentation on the Decolonisation of Education and added that the VI is on the right path to overcome the legacies of Colonialism. She said the decolisanation of education is necessary since it was used as a systematic tool to force the colonised to conform to the culture and traditions of the colonisers.
Director of Culture, Dr Katherine A. Smith and member of the studies "Klub' in sharing remarks congratulating the team or putting on its remembrance ceremony in its 16th year, spoke briefly on the Virgin Islands Culture & Heritage Policy & Strategy and referenced two sections such as 'Overcoming the Legacy of Colonialism' and ''Correcting Historical Gaps' in support of events like the Wreath Laying Ceremony.
She said from the perspective of the VI Cultural Policy and Strategy and the decolonizing of education, there is more to be done in overcoming the legacy of colonialism while underscoring the importance of teaching sensitively and accurately about difficult topics such as genocide, enslavement and colonialism.
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