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Message from Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition
教科文组织总干事奥德蕾·阿祖莱废除奴隶贸易国际纪念日致辞
23 August 2023
2023年8月23日
Between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, around 27 million Africans were captured from their homes. Forced into ships and transported across the Atlantic, only 7.4 million made it to their destination. Those who did were enslaved: objectified, exploited, abused, the fruit of their labour given greater value than their lives.
在十六世纪至十九世纪期间，约有2700万非洲人被从家中掳走，背井离乡。他们被逼乘船，被运送到大西洋另一岸，最终只有740万人到达目的地。那些到达大洋彼岸的人沦为了奴隶：他们被物化、剥削和虐待，他们的劳动成果都比他们的生命更有价值。
This is what enslavement is all about: denying certain people their dignity and fundamental rights, refusing to consider them as human. And, although the slave trade has officially been abolished, its pernicious legacy lives on today, perpetuating discrimination, social exclusion and inequalities worldwide.
这就是奴隶制的本质所在：剥夺某些人的尊严和基本权利，拒绝将他们视为人类。虽然奴隶贸易已被正式废除，但其流毒于今犹在，在世界范围延续着歧视、社会排斥和不平等。
To break the silence surrounding the history of enslavement and address its enduring consequences, UNESCO commemorates the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition every year. Taking place on 23 August, this day honours the enslaved men and women in Saint-Domingue, present-day Haiti, who rose up to claim their freedom in 1791, ultimately founding the first independent Black nation in 1804.
为了打破围绕奴隶制历史问题的沉默，并应对其持续的影响，教科文组织每年都开展废除奴隶贸易国际纪念日活动。这一国际日定于8月23日，是为了向圣多明各（今海地）被奴役的人民致敬，他们在1791年为争取自由揭竿而起，最终在1804年建立了第一个独立的黑人国家。
Indeed, remembering and understanding these traumatic events are the first steps towards healing the deep wounds they have caused. This is the conviction that drives the UNESCO Routes of Enslaved Peoples project, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2024.
事实上，铭记并理解这些创伤性事件，是治愈由它们造成的深刻创伤的第一步。这正是驱动教科文组织“被奴役人民之路”（原“奴隶之路”）项目的信念，该项目将于2024年迎来30周年纪念。
For nearly three decades, this project has carried out research to understand the contemporary legacy of enslavement and the slave trade, such as racism and discrimination. And, working with communities, it has taken steps to revitalize places of history and memory to support dialogue within the African diaspora, and beyond.
近三十年来，该项目开展研究工作，以理解奴隶制和奴隶贸易所造成的当代后果，如种族主义和歧视现象。该项目还与相关社区合作，采取措施复原重现一些历史和记忆场所，以促进非洲侨民群体之间及其与其他群体的对话。
In this way, the project has highlighted the contributions made by enslaved peoples and their descendants to contemporary societies across the globe. This not only means preserving and promoting cultural practices such as jazz, tango, the Maroon heritage and the Garifuna language. It also includes telling the history of the African continent from an African perspective, through our General History of Africa. The content of this ambitious corpus is now being integrated into curricula and teacher training in Africa and worldwide.
通过这种方式，该项目突显了被奴役人民及其后代对全球当代社会的贡献。这不仅意味着保护和促进爵士乐、探戈、马龙遗产和加里富纳语等文化实践，也包括通过我们编写的《非洲通史》以非洲视角述说非洲历史。这套巨著的内容目前正在被纳入非洲和全世界的课程和教师培训当中。
UNESCO also works to address the legacy of enslavement by fighting all forms of racism and discrimination. For example, our Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination gives Member States the opportunity to make ambitious commitments to inclusiveness and equality. Our International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities supports local authorities in implementing anti-discriminatory actions, facilitating the exchange of best practices.
教科文组织还努力通过打击一切形式的种族主义和歧视来应对奴隶制的遗留问题。例如，我们的反对种族主义和歧视全球论坛，就使会员国有机会为实现包容和平等作出雄心勃勃的承诺。我们的国际包容和可持续城市联盟，也支持地方政府落实反歧视行动，促进最佳做法方面的交流。
Finally, UNESCO is taking steps to tackle racial biases that have emerged in the digital era. The Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence seeks to ensure that this technology respects and promotes human rights and dignity, guiding Member States to develop appropriate legislation in this domain.
此外，教科文组织还在采取行动，以应对数字时代出现的种族偏见。《人工智能伦理问题建议书》力求确保这项技术尊重并促进人权和尊严，为会员国在这一领域制定适当立法提供指导。
So, on this International Day, let us pay tribute to the victims of the slave trade and the freedom fighters by renewing our collective commitment to eradicating all forms of racism and discrimination. In the words of the American sociologist and civil rights activist W.E.B Du Bois: "Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season."
因此，值此国际日之际，让我们再次集体承诺消除一切形式的种族主义和歧视，以此向那些奴隶贸易的受害者和自由战士们致敬。正如美国社会学家、民权活动家 W. E. B.·杜波依斯所说：“现在就适于行动，不是明天，也不是某个更方便的时节。”
