Essential information
| Type |
Events and festivals
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|---|---|
| Location | |
| Date and times | Sunday 23 August 2026 | 11am-5pm |
| Prices | Free |
On 23 August 1791, enslaved people on the island of Saint Domingue (modern-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic) rose up against French colonial rule.
The uprising played a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.
That's why, on 23 August each year, Royal Museums Greenwich commemorates International Slavery Remembrance Day and the long struggle for emancipation throughout the world.
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On International Slavery Remembrance Day, the National Maritime Museum presents After Abolition: Slavery, Empire, and Repair – a full-day programme of talks, workshops, performances, film screenings, and artistic interventions exploring the enduring legacies of transatlantic slavery and empire.
Inspired by contemporary reparations movements across Africa and the UK, the programme brings historical collections into dialogue with contemporary artists, scholars, and activists to examine how abolition shaped Britain’s imperial identity and what repair, restitution, and historical justice might mean today.
Through critical conversations, creative responses, and community engagement, the event centres Africa as a site of intellectual and political leadership while creating space to reflect on the role of museums and colonial collections in ongoing reparative work.
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
