Trinidad and Tobago celebrated Emancipation Day on Tuesday 01st August 2023.
• On August 1st 1985 the Government of Trinidad and Tobago declared Emancipation Day a national holiday to commemorate the abolition of slavery.
• The date 1st of August was chosen because it was on that day in 1838 that the Emancipation Proclamation came into effect.
• Trinidad and Tobago was the first independent country in the world to declare a national public holiday for Emancipation.
• This came after the British parliament in London passed a law formally abolishing the slave trade in the British empire on 25th March 1807.
• Since then, emancipation in T&T has grown into a major national festival, where thousands of people participate in various activities.
• The emancipation support committee of Trinidad & Tobago hosts a week of activities leading up to Emancipation Day including cultural performances in music, song and dance.
Emancipation Village in Port-of-Spain Currently...
