| 25 March 2009
Breaking the Silence, Beating the Drums.
Over the years, the oral history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade has been perpetuated in music by the descendants of the millions of victims of slavery. Too often, that voice has been silenced, but through resilience and resistance the beat goes on. Today, through its diverse rhythms, the struggle and the music is heard and felt at the four corners of the world.
Designed to bring a voice to the traditionally unheard oral history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the March concert at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York draws on that voice to tell the story of centuries of slavery, exploitation and oppression.
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The Blind Boys - United Nations General Assembly Hall
The event, filmed for UN television for global broadcast and webcast, featured performances by:
Akon
Peter Buffet
Blind Boys of Alabama
Staceyann Chin
Gabri Cbrista
Toumand Diabate
Gilberto Gil
Whoopi Goldberg
Impack Theater Group
Bill T Jones
Sarah Jones
Salif Keita
Carl Lewis
Ky-Mani Marley
Emeline Micbel
Lenelle Moise
CCH Pounder
Phylicia Rashad
Liev Schreiber
Sing for Home
Audrey Babcock
Angela Brown
Djordje Hesic's
Daisy Jopling
Lester Lynch
Noals Stwart
Stew
Nile Rogers
In addition to other events that will be sponsored around the world on the occasion of the commemoration, the 25th March concert at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York aims to draw on that voice to tell the story of centuries of slavery, exploitation and oppression so that we may never forget the magnitude of this shameful crime, but also honor and celebrate the achievement of a race denied freedom and yet carrying and broadening a tradition of exuberant expression. The event will feature a combination of artistic expressions including music, dance, and the spoken word performed by internationally renowned artists tracing the influence of African sounds through the Caribbean and into the Americas, where it expands into all corners of cultural practice. While the treaty to stop the transatlantic slave trade halted State-sponsored slavery in most parts of the world, it took decades for the practice to be totally eradicated. The indenture and traffic of human beings remains a major problem. We must remember its legacy and commit ourselves to ending it. The ignoble condition of human beings sold as merchandise not only causes prejudice and suffering for its victims, but dehumanizes its perpetrators and opens the way to other forms of exploitation which still afflict our world today
Featuring these artists on the worlds stage of the UN General Assembly Hall on 25 March 2009 will be an unprecedented collective act of celebration in the name of social justice. The evening will bring together diverse musicians representing various regions interspersed with a variety of short performance works, readings testimonials and video presentations.
The concert is the capstone to a series of events taking place throughout the day and around the world, and will be broadcast around the world through a simultaneous web-cast, as well as taped for broadcast. The day as a singular point of commemoration will provide the opportunity for educational outreach, connecting thousands of schools, other academic institutions and civil society organizations through video conferencing. Location: UN Building (NYC)
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