The National Maritime Museum will mark International Slavery Remembrance Day on 23 August 2026 with a free public programme exploring the relationship between remembrance and reparative practice. The event brings together artists, filmmakers, researchers and community practitioners to consider how museums and cultural institutions can engage with histories of slavery and their ongoing legacies.
Taking place across the National Maritime Museum, Queen's House and Caird Library, this year's programme asks what role remembrance can play beyond commemoration, and how artistic practice, archives and public engagement can contribute to conversations around historical injustice, reparative practice and social justice.
Drawing on the National Maritime Museum’s collections, visitors will be invited to explore how histories of slavery are interpreted, challenged and reimagined through a programme of workshops, film screenings, performances, artist-led activities and talks. Throughout the day, artists and speakers will examine themes including memory, resistance, cultural heritage, collecting practices and the continuing impact of slavery and empire.
International Slavery Remembrance Day is observed annually on 23 August, commemorating the uprising that began in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) in 1791 and recognising the resistance of enslaved people across the world.
For more information visit: https://www.rmg.co.uk/ISRD
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Introduction and Keynote Speech
The day will begin with a keynote address delivered by Wanda Wyporska, Chief Executive of Black Cultural Archives, and a musical performance by the Ethno Vox choir, introducing the themes of remembrance, repair and reparative justice explored throughout the programme.
Location: Queen’s House
Time: 11.15–12.00
Fon Stool Workshop
Led by artist facilitator Love Hannington, this workshop explores the question: 'What forms of imperial power emerged through and after abolition?' Using the Fon Stool from Porto-Novo in the National Maritime Museum collection, participants will examine the stool's connections to King Toffa of Dahomey and explore how political alliances, diplomacy and symbolism were used to project and maintain power during the colonial period.
Location: Seminar Room
Time: 11.00–16.00
Film Programme
A programme of films by contemporary artists and filmmakers explores slavery, colonialism, cultural memory and Black resistance. The screenings are presented in collaboration with the June Givanni Pan African Cinema Archive.
Location: Lecture Theatre
Time: 11.00–16.30
Pan African Cinema Archive Display
Materials from the June Givanni Pan African Cinema Archive will be displayed throughout the day, highlighting the global significance of Black filmmaking and moving-image culture.
Location: Propeller Space
Time: 11.00–16.30
'Sing Freedom' Workshop
Led by Ethno Vox, this participatory singing workshop explores songs of struggle and hope, from African musical traditions and plantation songs to Windrush-era music and contemporary calls for equality and inclusion.
Location: Group Space
Sharon Walters Artist Tour
Artist Sharon Walters will lead a tour of The Many Invincible Ones, her display in the Queen's House inspired by historic photographs in the National Maritime Museum’s collection. Through collage, metalwork and mixed-media works, the display explores themes of resilience, reconnection, healing and hope while centring the stories and experiences of women of African descent.
Location: Queen's House
Time: 12.30–13.00
Sharon Walters in Conversation with Nydia Swaby
Artist Sharon Walters and curator Nydia Swaby discuss The Many Invincible Ones, examining the research, artistic practice and historical narratives behind the display, and the role contemporary artists can play in reinterpreting museum collections.
Location: Queen's House
Time: 13.15–14.15
Textile Workshop
Artist Jahnavi Inniss invites participants to contribute to a collaborative textile artwork inspired by the collections of Royal Museums Greenwich. Drawing on quilting traditions and collective making, the workshop explores memory, community and renewal.
Location: Caird Library
Time: 13.00–15.00
June Givanni in Conversation with Imruh Bakari
Film curator June Givanni and filmmaker, writer and curator Imruh Bakari reflect on Pan-African cinema, archives and cultural memory, exploring the importance of preserving and sharing Black film histories.
Location: Queen's House
Time: 15.00–16.00
Poetry Performance
Drawing on archival research, poet Esme Allman will respond to this year's themes of reparation and repair through a newly written and performed long-form poem. Contending with notions of justice, agency and the lived experiences of slavery that continue to shape contemporary society, the work seeks to re-centre Black perspectives within conversations about how histories linger, disturb and influence the present.
Location: Queen's House
Closing Ceremony and Emancipation Walk
The programme will conclude with a collective act of remembrance led by Ethno Vox. Participants will walk together to the River Thames, honouring the lives, agency and enduring legacy of enslaved African people. At the river, visitors are invited to scatter flower petals in memory of those affected by the transatlantic slave trade and all who fought for freedom, justice and equality.
Location: Queen's House and River Thames
Time: 16.15
ONLINE RESOURCES
Why do we mark International Slavery Remembrance Day?
Learn about the origins of International Slavery Remembrance Day and its significance in commemorating the resistance of enslaved people and reflecting on the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade.
URL: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/ocean/why-do-we-mark-international-slavery-remembrance-day
Curating International Slavery Remembrance Day 2025
Explore the development of Royal Museums Greenwich's International Slavery Remembrance Day programme and discover how artists, curators and partners approached themes of remembrance, representation and historical reflection.
URL: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/art-culture/curating-international-slavery-remembrance-day-2025
Look Inside: The Many Invincible Ones by Sharon Walters
Discover the artworks in Sharon Walters' display at the Queen's House, created in response to historic photographs in the collections of Royal Museums Greenwich. Through collage, metalwork and mixed-media works, the display explores themes of resilience, reconnection, healing and hope.
URL: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/art-culture/look-inside-many-invincible-ones-sharon-walters
Atlantic Worlds Gallery
Explore the National Maritime Museum's Atlantic Worlds gallery, which examines the histories, cultures and legacies that shaped the Atlantic world, including stories of trade, migration, resistance and the transatlantic slave trade.
URL: https://www.rmg.co.uk/national-maritime-museum/attractions/atlantic-worlds-gallery
INFORMATION FOR VISITORS:
Venue: National Maritime Museum and Queen’s House, Greenwich, SE10 9NF
Date: 23 August 2026
Time: 11.00–17.00
Admission: Free
Visitor enquiries: 020 8858 4422
Instagram: @royalmuseumsgreenwich
Facebook: @royalmuseumsgreenwich
NOTES TO EDITORS:
The National Maritime Museum holds the world’s largest maritime collection telling stories of Britain’s epic relationship with the sea, housed in historic buildings forming part of the UNESCO Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site.
The National Maritime Museum is part of Royal Museums Greenwich which also incorporates the Royal Observatory, the 17th-century Queen’s House and the clipper ship Cutty Sark. This unique collection of museums and heritage buildings, which form a key part of the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site, welcomes over two and a half million British and international visitors a year and is also a major centre of education and research. The mission of Royal Museums Greenwich is to enrich people’s understanding of the sea, the exploration of space, and Britain's role in world history. For more information, visit www.rmg.co.uk.
For further information or images please contact:
Royal Museums Greenwich Press Office
Tel: 020 8312 6790
Email: press@rmg.co.uk