Slavery's 'doors of no return' still haunt Africa

The international community marked the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition on August 23, 2026, with a central ceremony held in Ouidah, Benin. This historic site, a vestige of the slave trade, hosted an event themed "From the Door of No Return to the Door of Return."

The chosen theme underscores the profound and lasting impact of the slave trade on Africa, which forcibly removed millions of able-bodied individuals. Many of those taken never found a "door of return," and for decades, their descendants have desperately sought to trace their origins, often without success. The lingering bitterness and despair are palpable for those who fail to reconnect with their past.

These "doors of no return" continue to symbolize closed pathways for many Afro-descendants, particularly as cultural identities were severed during enslavement, making the search for origins even more challenging. The article pays tribute to the enslaved people of Saint-Domingue (modern-day Haiti) whose revolt on the night of August 22-23, 1791, played a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

UNESCO's institution of this day is recognized as a vital initiative, ensuring this tragedy, which deeply scarred humanity, remains in global memory. The commemoration serves as a stark reminder of human cruelty towards fellow humans. While sites like Gorée Island in Senegal, Ouidah in Benin, and the "Tunnel of Shame" in Côte d'Ivoire attract tourists, they primarily represent places of deportation and immense suffering for enslaved Black people.

The celebration of this day signifies a collective refusal to forget, educating present and future generations about the martyrdom of their ancestors. The article also points to the complicity of greedy kings who facilitated the slave trade by organizing raids and wars to capture prisoners, exchanging them for manufactured goods like weapons and alcohol. These African rulers are presented as equally culpable as the slave merchants for the immense suffering inflicted upon Black populations.