
A UNESCO World Heritage site, Gorée Island is known as an infamous symbol of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It was from this outcrop just off the coast of the capital, Dakar, that millions of enslaved Africans were forced onto European ships, bound for plantations in the Americas in the 18th century.
Africans Rising chose the site and the annual holiday to host the launch of its emerging Pan-African movement determined to build a new future for the peoples of Africa.
“We gather at a site that is a symbol of our brutal past in order to affirm our commitment to peace, justice and dignity and to build the future we want,” said Africans Rising Movement Coordinator Muhammed Lamin Saidykhan.
As part of its continent-wide launch Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity held a programme of activities on Gorée Island, in solidarity with scores of African Liberation Day activities held in more than 30 countries.
- Read the May 25 – African Liberation Day Mobilization Guide – Africans Rising 2017
- Media Coverage: It’s time to get back to the original message behind Africa Day – Quartz Africa
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