This terrible trajectory —a bottomless abyss- engendered all humiliations and an impressive trail of suffering and horror. But it sparked a buzz of humanity from which all forms of resistance, heroism and resilience grew. The shadows of darkness generated light. Dehumanization fostered great leaps of humanity. Humanity in survival, humanity in music and dances, humanity in thought and in the revival of all knowledge or creative forms.
While we cannot forget all the shadows that reflected the horrors of the Trade, it is our duty to pass on the torch of the light. We should not turn this crime into a source of bitterness, or in locking ourselves therein, but we should raise it to the height of the foundation of a human experience. It is this transmutation that I welcome today, and that is precisely what this memorial will symbolize.
We are at the United Nations, an organization that embodies the wishes and hopes of most peoples of the word. That this memorial is constructed under its aegis is a sign that it is neither a mere nor a single act by slave descendants.
Our children reside and find love on all continents. They work in all languages of the world. They dance on all world music rhythms. They live in cities where many stories and memories are constantly shared and challenged. Therefore, no history can be told if the history of others is not sustained. No memory can be sustained if the memory of others is not preserved. Country Studies Information currently unavailable. Diplomacy and Aid Information currently unavailable.
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Date Published. Title of Web Page. A mountainous and densely-populated overseas department of France, the Caribbean island of Martinique has a French and Creole heritage. Tourism flourishes and it is the birthplace of the African-French music form "the Beguine".
Despite a reliance on aid from Paris, Martinique has one of the higher standards of living in the region. Serious protests at rising prices and persistent unemployment flared in on Martinique and other French Caribbean islands, prompting France to negotiate more aid and the promise of constitutional reform. Visited by the explorer Christopher Columbus and briefly occupied by the Spanish, Martinique was settled by the French in Other colonial powers vied for control of the sugar-producing island and it came under brief periods of English rule in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Head of state: President of France.
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