Attendees of the Wreath Laying Ceremony throw flowers into the sea at Brandywine Bay on Sunday. Photo: NGOVOU GYANG

The United Nations has set aside Jan. 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in memory of the millions of people killed during the Holocaust in World War II. No corresponding day, however, has been established to remember the millions of enslaved Africans who died during the Middle Passage from Africa to this hemisphere.

 

Attendees of the Wreath Laying Ceremony throw flowers into the sea at Brandywine Bay on Sunday. Photo: NGOVOU GYANG
This has never sat well with Gill Trott, a member of the territory’s Afrikan Studies Club. Six years ago, the former Road Town Wholesale employee sought to change that.

He bought a wreath, and together with his wife he walked to Wickhams Cay and tossed it into the sea in honour of the Africans who lost their lives during the Middle Passage.

He has continued with the tradition each year on the first Sunday in February, and others have joined him.

On Sunday at Brandywine Bay, Mr. Trott was joined by about 30 other residents who were dressed in white as they sang songs and listened to speeches on the struggles of the enslaved people.

Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley chaired the ceremony. 
“It is something that we must do,” he said. “We must honour those who are with us; we must honour those who have come before.”

Before the singing and the speeches, attendees performed libations, a ritual honouring the presence of ancestors that is common in many African tribes.

See the Feb. 5, 2015 edition for full coverage.

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