The UNESCO Slave Route Project: Resistance, Liberty, Heritage

The UNESCO Slave Route Project: Resistance, Liberty, Heritage. . (side 1) , Launched in 1994, the international and inter-regional project ‘The Slave Route: Resistance, Liberty, Heritage’ addresses the history of the slave trade and slavery through the prism of intercultural dialogue, a culture of peace and reconciliation. It thereby endeavors to improve the understanding and transmission of this human tragedy by making better known its deep-seated causes, its consequences for societies today and the cultural interactions born of this history. The project is structured around five key fields of activity: scientific research, development of educational materials, preservation of written archives and oral traditions, promotion of living cultures and contributions by the African diaspora and, lastly, preservation of sites of memory., The promotion of the memorial heritage related to the slave trade and slavery plays a decisive role not only in educating the general public, and young people in particular, but also in facilitating national reconciliation and social cohesion processes in societies., It is in this perspective that ‘The Slave Route project has created a label to encourage the preservation of sites of memories and the establishment of itineraries that can tell this story and ensure that this heritage receives due attention at the national, regional and international levels., This site fulfills the quality criteria set by the UNESCO Slave Route Project in conjunction with the International Network of Managers of Sites and Itineraries of Memory., (side 2) , Amelia Island, Fl , The Paris Peace Treaty of 1783 ended British colonization and returned control of Florida to Spain. No longer under legal or tariff restrictions, great numbers of captives were imported from Africa by traders, and forced to work on the rice and indigo plantations. These people comprised the predominant work force in East Florida during the late 1700s. In the early 19th century, after the 1808 United States Constitutional ban on the importation of Africans, Florida became an important trade and smuggling region on the St. Johns and St. Marys Rivers, the border between the United States and Spanish Florida. As a free port (no tariffs) Fernandina, now called Old Town, was the place, “traders registered, had inspected, unloaded, and sold their enslaved imports.” Slaves were easily smuggled across the river into Georgia ad South Carolina from Fernandina. Misery Point north of Old Town was the quarantine location where ill and dying survivors were left if determined unmarketable. In 1817, slave ships the NS Monserrat and the Jesus Nazareno disembarked 351 slaves at the harbor located on this site. According to research, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., states the number of African captives who died during the Middle Passage crossing from Africa, is estimated to be 1.8 million., This location is a “Site of Memory” associated with the UNESCO Slave Route Project and is in the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.