United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

The Slave Route

Themes

The Slave Route

The Slave Route

Flogging on a slave (1863) © US National Archives

Ignorance or concealment of major historical events constitutes an obstacle to mutual understanding, reconciliation and cooperation among peoples. UNESCO has thus decided to break the silence surrounding the slave trade and slavery that have affected all continents and have caused the great upheavals that have shaped our modern societies.

The Slave Route Project, launched in Ouidah, Benin, in 1994, has three objectives, namely to:

contribute to a better understanding of the causes, forms of operation, issues and consequences of slavery in the world (Africa, Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, Middle East and Asia);
highlight the global transformations and cultural interactions that have resulted from this history; and
contribute to a culture of peace by promoting reflection on cultural pluralism, intercultural dialogue and the construction of new identities and citizenships.

The project has played a significant role in securing recognition by the United Nations, at the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban in 2001, of the slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity.

Drawing on the expertise of an International Scientific Committee, the project deals with various aspects of this human tragedy and is active in the following areas:

• support for scientific research through a network of international institutions and specialists;
• development of educational materials;
• collection and preservation of written archives and oral traditions;
• inventory and preservation of memorial sites and places;
• promotion of living cultures;
• promotion of diverse contributions from the African diaspora;
• promotion of standard-setting instruments for the suppression of slavery.