CARIBBEAN LEADERS have paid tribute to their African ancestors to mark this year’s Emancipation Day celebrations.

In a statement, the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, said those who enslaved across the Caribbean need to be honoured and remembered.

The PM also encouraged the Caribbean community to “commit to seeking justice” for their ancestors.  

In a statement shared on Twitter, Ms Mottley wrote: “Today, Emancipation Day, may we never forget the hardships our ancestors faced under slavery and in the fight for freedom.

“The struggle for total emancipation is not yet over.

“So let us lift up our ancestors’ legacy, and commit to seeking justice and reparations for our people.”

Emancipation Day is celebrated across the Caribbean, in Canada and the UK, to mark the end of slavery in British colonies, on the same date in 1834.

Jamaica’s PM Andrew Holness wrote: “On this Emancipation Day, I invite every Jamaican to reflect on the heroism of our ancestors and the resilience they passed down to us.

“Their courage and determination paved the way for our freedom, and it is our duty to honour their legacy by using that freedom to uplift ourselves and future generations.

“Let us be inspired by our heroes and their teachings, embracing self-reliance, kindness, advocacy, and belief in ourselves.”

Canada’s PM, Justin Trudeau, said in a statement the legacy of slavery is present today and needs to be addressed.

He said: “The legacy of slavery still endures today in the form of intergenerational trauma and anti-Black racism and hate.”

Mr Trudeau added that “the federal government is working to renew Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy and create the first-ever National Action Plan on Combatting Hate.”

He said: “On Emancipation Day, we recognise and celebrate the remarkable contributions that people of African descent, and all those who were subjected to slavery or suffered from its enduring impacts, have made to Canada.”