Essential information
| Type |
Events and festivals
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|---|---|
| Location | |
| Date and times | Sunday 23 August 2026 | 11am-5pm |
| Prices | Free |
International Slavery Remembrance Day commemorates the 1791 uprising in Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti), a pivotal moment in the struggle against slavery that helped accelerate the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.
Each year, we honour the lives, resistance and resilience of enslaved African people while reflecting on the enduring legacies of slavery and colonialism.
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This year's programme explores the relationship between remembrance and reparative practice, asking what role museums, artists and cultural institutions can play in addressing historical injustice today. Drawing on the collections of Royal Museums Greenwich, the programme brings together artists, filmmakers, researchers and community practitioners to explore how histories of slavery are interpreted, challenged and reimagined through artistic practice, archives and public engagement.
Through workshops, film, performances and conversations, the programme considers how remembrance can move beyond commemoration towards new ways of understanding the past and contributing to more just and equitable futures.
The programme approaches reparative practice as an evolving process of listening, reflection, creative intervention and institutional responsibility. By bringing together multiple perspectives, International Slavery Remembrance Day invites audiences to consider how museums and artists can contribute to a broader culture of historical justice, remembrance and repair.
Resources and responses
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What is International Slavery Remembrance Day?
Between the 1400s and 1800s, 12-15 million men, women and children were forcibly transported from Africa to the Americas.
This day stands as a reminder of the bravery, courage, resilience and determination of enslaved African people who continuously fought for their freedom.
It is a time to remember that people fought and died to establish their own freedom and liberation from the tyranny of enslavement.
The day also raises the contemporary legacies of transatlantic slavery, which are manifested in the continued racism and prejudice against Black and Caribbean communities.
UNESCO selected the 23 August to mark the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. 23 August was the day that self-liberated enslaved people on the island of Saint Domingue (today Haiti and the Dominican Republic) rose up against French colonial rule, and played a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.
In pictures
Look back on previous Slavery Remembrance commemorations hosted at the National Maritime Museum.
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The emancipation ceremony during Slavery Remembrance Day 2024
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Inside the Atlantic Worlds gallery at the National Maritime Museum
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Procession from the National Maritime Museum to the River Thames
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Music during the emancipation ceremony
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Jahmila Heath performs at the National Maritime Museum during Slavery Remembrance Day
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People dancing outside the National Maritime Museum
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Author Stella Dadzie speaking at the National Maritime Museum
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The emancipation ceremony by the River Thames
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Young people at the National Maritime Museum
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Musical performance
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Procession to the River Thames
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Historian S.I. Martin speaking at the National Maritime Museum
