Launch of a new educational kit on Afro-Quebec history, slavery and human rights
Montreal, March 31, 2022 - The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse has launched a new educational kit entitled "Fugitives! From Slavery to Human Rights" which addresses lesser known aspects of the history of African and Afro-descendant people in Quebec since the transatlantic slave trade. The kit is primarily intended for people who teach and work with young people aged 15 to 24. It aims to better equip them to address complex and charged themes such as slavery, racism and discrimination.
Developed in close collaboration with artist and history enthusiast Webster and author and trainer in feminist and anti-racist practices Amel Zaazaa, the Fugitives kit is being launched as part of Action Week Against Racism and the International Decade for People of African Descent.
"I am very proud to present this kit, which allows us to provide young people with common references points to understand a little-known history and to grasp contemporary social issues such as racism and racial discrimination. It also provides them with the keys to participate in the debate and to propose solutions to the contemporary scourge of racism. And this, in a serene climate, without going into polarization, on the contrary, by proposing a real dialogue", said Myrlande Pierre, vice-president of the Commission.
The idea for the Fugitives! educational kit came about as a result of the exhibition of the same name that Webster presented for the first time in 2019 at the Musée des beaux-arts de Québec. This exhibition is currently on display at the Musée d'histoire de Sherbrooke until April 17. It is also possible to discover it online on the microsite www.fugitifs.ca
"The objective of this kit is to bring the history of the Afro-descendant presence into the classroom. The history of slavery and resistance, Afro-Quebec history, Afro-Canadian history, these are stories that are not taught in the classroom. It's an important project for me because I didn't have access to such resources in my youth. It would have given me a different vision of my Quebec identity, to understand that our past is plural and that there has been an African and Afro-descendant presence in Quebec for several centuries now," said Aly Ndiaye, aka Webster.
"It is not easy to talk about the history of the slave trade or racism. Often people feel ill-equipped or not at ease to talk about these topics. The Fugitives! toolkit addresses this need. It is a comprehensive and ready-to-use toolkit that provides both content and references as well as practical exercises to open dialogue in a safe and inclusive space," said trainer Amel Zaazaa.
The kit is available in English thanks to the valuable contribution of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. "The Fugitives kit is a rich and essential written resource for history, civics and literature," said Roda Muse, Secretary-General of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.
The history of slavery is also the history of a triple denial of humanity, dignity and human rights," said Myrlande Pierre. Although this kit sheds some light on the subject, it does not claim to be exhaustive of all the historical elements relating to slavery or to the history of Afro-descendants and Black people. Although the kit does not dwell on it, we cannot ignore the fateful year of 1804 of the Haitian revolution, a turning point in human history, which had a considerable impact on the affirmation of the universality of human rights.
The Fugitives Kit in English and French, frequently asked questions and other useful links are available on the Commission's website.
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Source :
Dalia Alachi
Information Officer
514 475-4571
dalia.alachi@cdpdj.qc.ca
