BELIZE CITY, Mon. Aug. 2, 2021– On August 1, 1834, the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect and led to the emancipation of all enslaved people of African descent in British colonies. Following this major milestone in African history, people of African descent in other countries in the Caribbean region have been commemorating the day as Emancipation Day. This year, the country of Belize observed Emancipation Day as a public and bank holiday for the first time.

The Minister of Culture, Hon. Francis Fonseca, in recognition of the historical significance of the day, spoke of the injustices done against the enslaved Africans. “Slavery was one of the most evil chapters in all of human history. Over 20 million African men, women, and children were brutally and inhumanely forced from their homelands and brought to the Americas and the Caribbean to work on agricultural estates. Here in Belize, these enslaved Africans were bought and brought from the slave markets of Jamaica and Bermuda to provide free labor for the logwood and mahogany trade,”he said.

In his address, the Minister of Culture called on Belizeans to join the fight to correct the injustices done to Belizeans’ African ancestors. He said, “Today as we celebrate Emancipation Day, let us, as a nation, renew our commitment to correcting this injustice and addressing these inequities. We must do so by creating greater opportunities for education, for employment, for land and housing ownership. We must also celebrate the proud history of resistance and resilience embodied in our African ancestors.”