Passage of Time - Uncovering the Untold Histories of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Saturday 24 March 2007, 11.30am Admission free - tickets must be obtained in advance

To mark the 200th anniversary of the parliamentary abolition of the British transatlantic slave trade, the British Library and BBC London are jointly hosting a commemorative day in the British Library Conference Centre. A limited number of tickets can be obtained by applying online at http://www.bbc.co.uk/london.

Passage of Time is a day of talks, performances and debates chaired by BBC London presenter Dotun Adebayo. Two lectures about the history and legacy of the British transatlantic slave trade will be given. The first lecture will be delivered by Dr Hakim Adi of Middlesex University, entitled An Examination of the Wider Historical Context of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Dr Adi has published widely on the history of Pan-Africanism, the African Diaspora and Africans in Britain..

The second talk will be given by Peter Herbert, one of the UK's best known black lawyers and a part-time judge. Its subject, The Legacies of Slavery for Contemporary British People, will set the tone for the debate which follows, when both speakers will be joined on stage by Esther Stanford, a campaigner for slavery reparations, and The Guardian journalist Joseph Harker. The question for the debate is 'What Should the Legacy of this Anniversary Be?'

Other highlights include readings from the works of Thomas Clarkson, Olaudah Equiano and William Wilberforce by actors Patrick Robinson and Jan Lower, as well as a recital of music by 18th century African composer Ignatius Sancho, performed by composer, singer and pianist Juwon Ogungbe. An open workshop led by the carnival arts group Mahogany will aim to produce two friezes, one depicting slavery and the other freedom. There will also be an opportunity to contribute reflections on the slave trade and the abolitionist movement in a commemorative book. BBC London will record the lectures, readings and various activities for the website www.bbc.co.uk/london The debate will be recorded and broadcast on radio the following day in the Sunday Night Special with Dotun Adebayo and Valley Fontaine from 8pm to 10pm.

A small display of related books and documents will also be shown in the Sir John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British Library from 24 March until 1 July. Entitled Enslavement & the Struggle for Liberation, the display includes the 1789 first edition of The interesting narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Equiano was an enslaved African who bought his own freedom, eventually settling in England. His autobiography describes his experiences of the slave trade and slavery in Africa, England, the Caribbean and America and is a powerful anti-slavery text. The book became a publishing phenomenon, with nine British editions (as well as several imprints in other countries) before the author's death in 1797.

Also displayed is the minute book of the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, which was formed on 22 May, 1787, by 12 men - nine Quakers and three Anglicans - in order to campaign for an end to the slave trade. The group, soon renamed The Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, created a powerful popular movement that strengthened William Wilberforce's campaign in Parliament for abolition.

For more information or images, please contact Ruth Howlett at the British Library Press Office: +44 (0)20 7412 7112 or ruth.howlett@bl.uk

Notes for Editors

Passage of Time - Uncovering the Untold Histories of the Slave Trade is a free commemorative day held in the British Library Conference Centre on Saturday 24 March 2007. Doors open at 11.30am. Tickets must be obtained by emailing yourlondon@bbc.co.uk and adding 'Passage of Time' in the subject heading.

Enslavement & the Struggle for Liberation is on display in The Sir John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British Library from 24 March to 1 July 2007. Admission free. is on display in The Sir John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British Library from 24 March to 1 July 2007. Admission free.

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