Remembering the slave trade in the 21st century

A Brazilian boy, standing in front of the painting "Trabalhadores" by Orlando Mattos. Photo: CARF Brazil

About sixty theologians, church leaders, social scientists and activists, mainly from Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean will gather in Runaway Bay, Jamaica, to explore responses to past and present forms of slavery.

The conference, which commemorates the 200th anniversary of the British trans-Atlantic slave trade being abolished, will be an occasion for a collective sharing of memories, critical reflection and analysis. It will explore questions such as: What do repentance and reparations mean? What are their concrete and tangible expressions? How does the church uphold the cause of justice on behalf of the slain Abels of our world? Is it possible to unmask the race bias of economic globalization and thus expose its potential to institutionalize injustice, legitimize cultures of exclusion and further commodify the human person?

Remembering the church that existed 200 years ago as a threatened and enslaved community in the dungeons and ports, the ranches and plantations, bearing witness to the prophetic hope of liberation through resistance and revolt, the conference will celebrate those African cultures and spiritualities that made this witness possible. It will also affirm the struggles of the Dalits in India, the indigenous peoples and those others who are resisting different forms of slavery today.  

The international ecumenical conference 'Abolished, but not destroyed: Remembering the slave trade in the 21st century' is co-organized by the World Council of Churches, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Council for World Mission and hosted by the United Church in Jamaica and Cayman Islands.

Read the concept paper of the conference

More information on WCC work on overcoming racism