Premier draws on shared heritage in Emancipation message

Commonalities among Caribbean nationals and the shared legacy of those enslaved during the trans-Atlantic slave trade were just some of the themes underscored by Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley in his message at the traditional Sunday Morning Well Service yesterday, July 31.

A reflective Dr Wheatley recalled the horrors that took place during slavery and warned that the hard-fought freedom won by slaves at that time should never be taken for granted by their descendants today.

A people who do not have a history, the Premier said, have no identity. “It is as if they do not exist and never did.”

He continued: “They have nothing to connect them and nothing to feel connected to. And throughout history, we have seen this happen to people.”

“We must never take their fight for granted. We cannot observe Emancipation without referring to what the Emancipation is in relation to,” the territory’s leader said.

An ardent student of history himself, Dr Wheatley said that during the time of the slave trade, more than 12 million men, women and children were stolen from their homes and shipped to plantations in the so-called new world.

But the Premier was also keen on striking a chord of unity in his message, noting that there is much similarity among countries with a shared heritage of enslavement.