International Slavery Remembrance Day

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.

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.

Introduction and Keynote Speech

11.15 – 11.25am: Introduction to International Slavery Remembrance Day by Sarah, curator Nydia Swaby and Ese Onojeruo at the Queen's House
11:25 – 11.35: Keynote speech by Wanda Wyporska

Join historian, author and Chief Executive of Black Cultural Archives, Dr Wanda Wyporska, as she opens the day with reflections on the enduring legacies of transatlantic slavery and colonialism. Drawing on her work championing Black British history and heritage, Wanda will explore how museums, archives and cultural institutions can contribute to remembrance, dialogue and reparative practice.

Performance

11:40am: Performance by Ethnovox 
Ethnovox choir opens the day with a powerful musical performance, bringing together songs of remembrance, resilience and hope to welcome audiences into a day of reflection, dialogue and reparative practice.

Film Programme

11am – 4.30pm: Film programme in the National Maritime Museum's Lecture Theatre
Curated by June Givanni of Pan African Cinema, watch a programme of films by leading contemporary artists and filmmakers exploring the legacies of slavery, colonialism, memory and resistance through moving image.

Cinema archive display

11.15 – 4.30pm: Cinema archive display in the National Maritime Museum's Ocean Court
Discover materials from the June Givanni Pan African Cinema Archive, celebrating the histories and global significance of Black filmmaking and moving image culture.

Artist Tour

12.30 – 1pm: Artist Tour with Sharon Walters in the Queen's House
Join artist Sharon Walters on a tour of the Queen's House.

Closing ceremony

4.15 – 5pm: Closing ceremony: Emancipation walk to the river, with Ethnovox
Close the day with a collective act of remembrance led by Ethnovox Choir. Through song and reflection, we will walk together to the River Thames, honouring the lives, resistance and enduring legacy of enslaved African people. At the river, participants 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.

Sharon Walters

1.15 – 2.15pm: Sharon Walters in conversation 
Join artist Sharon Walters in conversation with Curator of Atlantic Nydia Swaby, talking about her artworks The Many Invincible Ones.

June Givanni

3 – 4pm: June Givanni in conversation
Filmmaker and writer, June Givanni, and curator Imruh Bakari come together for a conversation reflecting on Pan-African cinema, archives and cultural memory
 

There are four different workshops on offer during International Slavery Remembrance Day 2026, giving you a chance to take part and get hands-on in the museum.

Textile workshop

1 – 3pm: Textile Workshop by Jahnavi Inniss in the Caird Library
Create a collaborative textile artwork inspired by Royal Museums Greenwich's collections, exploring themes of memory, resistance, community and repair through quilting traditions and collective making.

Craft workshop

11am – 4pm: Craft workshop with Love Hannington in the National Maritime Museum's Seminar Room
Facilitated by Love Hannington, this workshop explores the question: What forms of imperial power emerged through and after abolition? Using the Fon Stool and its references to the alliance between King Toffa of Porto-Novo and French colonial powers, participants will discuss how power was represented through political relationships and symbolism. 

You can create embossed aluminium foil artworks using cardboard, string, glue, and foil to design symbols representing power, alliance, resistance, or community. 

Musical workshop

12.30 – 2pm: Sing Freedom workshop by Ethnovox in the Group Space at the National Maritime Museum
Join a singing workshop with Ethnovox. Sing Freedom includes African songs of struggle and hope; songs sung on the plantations in the US and West Indies; songs from the Windrush Generation and songs that continue to speak to our struggle for inclusion and equality today.

Performance workshop

4.30pm: Performance workshop with Esme at the Queen's House
Esme will use poetry to respond to this year’s themes of reparation and repair, writing and performing a long from poem informed by her archival research. Contending with notions of justice, agency and the deeply felt experiences slavery that continue to inform our collective day-to-day, she will use poetry as a means to re-/centre black perspectives in the difficult questions of how histories linger, disturb and haunt us.