Message from Ms. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition
聯合國教科文組織總幹事伊琳娜·博科娃在販賣黑奴及其廢除國際紀念日的致辭
23 August 2017
2017年8月23日
The date 23 August marks the anniversary of the 1791 insurrection of enslaved men and women in the western part of the island of Santo Domingo, which, on proclaiming its independence reverted to its original Amerindian name: Haiti. The uprising conveyed a universal demand for freedom that transcends all limits of time and space. It speaks to humanity as a whole, without distinction of origin or religion, and continues to resonate now with undiminished force.
8月23日是1791年奴隸大起義紀念日。當年的8月23日，聖多明戈島西部被奴役的男男女女發動了一場起義。這個島嶼在宣布獨立的同時，又恢復了最初的印第安語名稱：海地。奴隸們揭竿而起是為了爭取自由，它的普遍意義超越一切時間和空間的限制。嚮往自由是全人類的共性，不分種族和宗教，這次起義今天在我們心中激起的共鳴絲毫不減當年。
By means of International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition, UNESCO aims to recall the crucial importance of the transmission of history in order to shed light on the fight against all forms of oppression and racism today. The 1791 uprising triggered a shockwave that has set the course of peoples』 liberation struggles and of human and civil rights movements for over 200 years. It crystallized the issues, concepts and principles with which it is essential to be familiar in the present fight against modern slavery and human trafficking. We are counting on the teaching of this history to place tomorrow’s citizens on the path to peace and dignity.
通過「販賣黑奴及其廢除國際紀念日」，教科文組織意在強調，歷史傳承在今天打擊一切形式的壓迫和種族主義的鬥爭中所起的關鍵作用。1791年起義影響深遠，決定了200多年來民族解放鬥爭和人權與民權運動的走向。了解這場起義中所凝聚的問題、觀念和原則，對於我們今天打擊現代奴役和人口販賣起著不可或缺的作用。我們堅信，傳授這段歷史能讓明天的公民走上和平與尊嚴之路。
By proclaiming the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024), the United Nations General Assembly hopes to eradicate the social injustice that is a legacy of that history and to combat racism and racial discrimination. Freedom of rights, hard-won by force, must be translated into real freedom through public policies that guarantee to people of African descent the full exercise of economic, social and political equality, and full and equal participation in society. The 1791 uprising, like so many others across the world, shows us the way, but the path ahead is still long.
通過發起「非洲人後裔國際十年」（2015‒2024年），聯合國大會希望消除這段歷史所遺留的社會不平等現象，與種族主義和種族歧視作鬥爭。經過激烈鬥爭得來的法律權利上的自由，必須轉化為真正的自由，這就需要公共政策保障非洲人後裔充分享有平等的經濟、社會和政治權利，全面且公平地參與社會生活。就像世界各地的無數次鬥爭一樣，1791年起義給我們指明了方向，但道路仍然漫長。
In this spirit, at its most recent session, the World Heritage Committee approved the inclusion in the World Heritage List of Mbanza Kongo, Vestiges of the Capital of the former Kingdom of Kongo (Angola) and the Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site (Brazil), thereby acknowledging their outstanding universal value. In 2015, the Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site was recognized as a site of memory associated with the UNESCO Slave Route Project: Resistance, Liberty, Heritage. Recognition of this heritage is decisive in raising the awareness of the general public, educating young people and in the processes of conciliation and social cohesion.
秉承這一精神，世界遺產委員會在上一屆會議上批准將前剛果王國首都遺址姆班扎（安哥拉）和瓦隆古碼頭考古遺址（巴西）列入名錄，由此承認兩 處遺址突出的普遍價值。2015年，瓦隆古碼頭考古遺址已經成為與「奴隸之路：抵抗、自由、遺產」相關的記憶遺址。這處遺產的認定，對開展公眾宣傳和青年教育、推動和解和社會凝聚進程，都起著決定性作用。
This effort is the eternal effort for the comprehensive affirmation of human dignity, and UNESCO devotes to it the full force of its mandate, through education, culture, sharing of information and scientific research, which help to construct in the minds of all ramparts against racism and prejudice. The teaching of the General History of Africa, and the Slave Route programme are examples of this. Ignorance is our enemy: it is used as an alibi by the indifferent who state that 「we cannot change anything」, and sanctions the lies of those who claim that 「they did not know」. Everyone must know the scale of the crime of the slave trade, the millions of lives broken and the impact on the fate of continents up to this very day. Everyone must be fully informed of the struggle that led to its abolition, so that together we can build societies that are fairer, and thus freer.
彰顯人類尊嚴的努力永不止息。教科文組織為此盡其職責範圍內的一切力量，通過教育、文化、信息分享和科學研究，在人們的思想中築起抵禦種族主義和偏見的屏障。《非洲通史》教育和「奴隸之路」項目都是例證。我們的敵人是無知：無知是冷漠者的藉口，他們聲稱「對此無能為力」；無知是撒謊者的託辭，他們自稱「對此並不知情」。每個人都應該知道販賣黑奴的罪行造成了多麼深重的影響：數百萬人的生活毀於一旦，幾個大洲的命運從此改變，影響持續至今。每個人都應該全面了解爭取廢除黑奴販賣的鬥爭，只有這樣我們才能共同建設更加公正和自由的社會。