NORTHERN Caribbean University (NCU) recently hosted a video conference to facilitate discussion on the book Olaudah Equiano: the Interesting Narrative and Other Writings, in commemoration of the bicentenary of the abolition of the Transatlantic slave trade.

Parties to the discussion, held on May 3, included representatives from Jamaica, Ghana and the United Kingdom.

The discussion formed part of a series of activities planned by Lambeth – a community in London which was once home to several abolitionists who were a part of the 18-year campaign to end slavery – to mark the bicentenary.

“The video conference… allowed for stimulating discussions in the interfacing of these three countries. Using live video uplink, Lambeth Library readers engaged readers from Accra, Ghana and Mandeville, Jamaica, in the discussion of Equiano’s book, which is one of the key texts of the abolition movement,” NCU said in a release to the Sunday Observer. “In 1789, Olaudah Equiano, a Nigerian slave who eventually bought his freedom and moved to England, wrote his own story. His story was read by many across the globe and this video conference allowed for the discussion of the novel itself, and all the issues that are apparent in its context.”

NCU representatives Lyn Kennedy-McKenzie, of the Department of History, Geography and Social Sciences; Desrine Cayol, of the English and Modern Languages Department; along with renowned Jamaican Poet, Yasus Afari were the key people guiding the discussions locally. Also participating in the day’s discussions were representatives from Church Teachers’ College, Belair School and Manchester High School.

Each country, beginning with London, was given the opportunity to give their impressions of the book, and to raise important issues that arise as a result of slavery.

“The individuals in London had high praises for the achievement of Equiano, having, as a black man, written a book in that era (mid to late 1700s), pointing out that he did not allow his circumstances to control his outlook,” noted NCU. “A London representative indicated that Equiano did what he had to do to survive, and referred to him as a Martin Luther of the day.”

The London discussions also raised the theme of reparations, and it was pointed out that there were two main things to be considered in the reparations debate, the NCU pointed out in its release.

These considerations concerned questions of whether blacks can really be free without compensation and how, given its celebrated status, the British Empire could deal with the matter of reparations.

The Jamaican discussions were equally interesting, and even more controversial, according to NCU’s report on the event. “Yasus Afari referred to slavery as ‘genocide against humanity’, stating that there are still many unresolved issues to be addressed,” the university said. “The theme of acculturation/creolisation was brought up, as the question was raised as to what extent Equiano was a product of Africa and/or Europe, since he eventually married a white woman.”

At the same time, it was noted that black people continued to grapple with identity issues even as the race continued to laud all things European as the ideal.

“We must assert our indigenous identity,” NCU quoted Afari as saying, while he pointed to the oppression of the language, religion, and social interaction of Blacks during slavery, as part of the reason for the current struggle with identity.

The Ghanians brought an African perspective to the discussion, noting, according to NCU, that slavery was an emotional, regrettable experience, which greatly impacted them, as they are only celebrating their 58th year of independence though they abolished slavery long before it was abolished in Europe. They all emphasised, NCU noted, the need to bring the Diaspora and Africa together to allow Africans to be seen as one people with one identity.

“On March 25, 1807, the slave trade was finally abolished. It is Lambeth’s vision that the 2007 bicentenary would allow us to ‘remember our past in the slave trade, use the lessons we have learnt in the present and leave a lasting legacy for the future’,” said NCU.