How Africans Rising marked the 56th Africa Liberation Day

Africans Rising joined Africans from all corners of the continent and beyond in commemorating the 56th Africa Liberation Day.

This was an annual event held since 1963 to celebrate the determination of the peoples of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.

Today, that goal remains but includes the determination to liberate Africans from all exploitation and ensure a better life for all Africans.

Africans Rising is a Pan-African movement of people and organizations, working for justice, peace and dignity.

"We are determined to foster an Africa-wide solidarity and unity of purpose for the People of Africa to build the Future we want – a right to peace, social inclusion, and shared prosperity," a statement issued by Africans Rising to commemorate the day said.

Since 1963, African Liberation day has acted as a vehicle for Pan-Africans to organise annually and help raise political awareness among African communities around the world on struggles for social, political, and economic emancipation.

Last year, the 25 May event had a total of 70 actions and events carried out by ardent Africans in 52 countries, including 5 outside the African continent; united by the hashtags #AfricansRising, #25May2018, #KilimanjaroDeclaration and #AfricaDay; mobilizing dozens of people around the selected theme with an emphasis on expanding our #StopTheBleeding campaign which refers to the struggle and commitment to stopping corruption and illicit financial flows out of the continent.

This year, there were several co-organised and self-organised events in many African cities, towns and villages drawn from the theme “Africans, Not for Sale: Stop Slavery and Human Trafficking!” and pre-events organized around thematic areas of Africans Rising’s work. Slavery is still rampant in Africa with the continent registering the highest rate of modern-day enslavement globally.

According to 2018 Global Slavery Index, an estimated 9.2 million Africans live in servitude. Most trafficked persons particularly the vulnerable groups such as children are engaged in domestic labor while women are kept as unpaid maids and taken advantage of sexually.

The situation has become dire following the recent case of slave auction in Libya where dozens of people believed to be migrants and refugees are being sold for barely USD 400 to their new masters.

African societies continue to face a lifetime of exploitation especially in countries where people are known to be the descendants of slaves and are treated as property by their masters.

Descent-based slavery is still prevalent in African countries such as: Niger, Chad, Mauritania, Sudan , Libya and Mali.

Africans Rising is thus, calling on all Africans to act and stop this scourge of slavery!! We are also calling upon the citizens and descendants of Africa to identify and organize events near them and invite individuals and organizations to join them; or provide the financial support for specific organizations or movements to host their own event on #25May2019 in any country (ies) / region (s).

Africans Rising calls on everybody to join the movement by signing up to our founding charter, The Kilimanjaro Declaration. To participate on #25May2019, check our mobilization guide on our website.