Annette came from Nigeria as part of a language immersion program to improve her French.
"On Saturday afternoon, we went to Nantes, and when we got there, we discovered the Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery. I was deeply moved to learn how people—men, women, children, in short, human beings—were treated, in both senses of the word: mistreatment and the slave trade.
I knew this history, but I wasn’t aware of what the victims must have felt. At the Memorial, I truly felt the suffering of all these people and the extent of their physical pain—of course—but also, and above all, their emotional pain.
And I think it still affects many people to this day. Personally, for example, after reading the texts, I felt the pain of these people, as if it were inside me.
It was very moving for me when I read Martin Luther King’s words and also when I read the lyrics to Bob Marley’s song, “Redemption Song,” and I felt like singing it. It was very moving to do so; I was very happy to do it. It was as if I were giving my blood for it, with a rush of adrenaline and a great sense of freedom."
A visit to the Memorial is a must for the sake of remembrance and to shed light on the colonial past in a spirit of reconciliation.
Here is a link to learn more and plan your own visit: https://memorial.nantes.fr/
An organization dedicated to this cause:
Les Anneaux de la Mémoire
18 rue Scribe, 44000 Nantes
02 40 69 68 52
contact@anneauxdelamemoire.org www.anneauxdelamemoire.org
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