Student’s View of Abolition 200 Service
Maureen Owor a Ugandan student at the University of Bristol who attends
the University Catholic Chaplaincy, was one of the hundreds who went to
last Sunday’s ecumenical service in Bristol Cathedral to mark the 200th
anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act.
This is Maureen’s view of the service.
Overall it was very well organised and colourful. The message came across very well that slavery has not ended in real terms and it is incumbent upon every person professes to believe in a Christian god to play their part in bringing about reconciliation. By having mixed choirs and dancing groups of both blacks and whites; this message came across in an apt visual form.
As a student who came in from overseas, I was shocked to learn about modern day slavery in Europe and how it manifests itself through open and indirect racism, trafficking in women and children and all its diverse forms. What also astounded me is the lack of public outrage: every body goes about their business without much concern for what happens in their neighbourhood. Society in the West needs to think more communitarian and less individualistic and indeed it is those persons who think about 'we' rather than 'I' who have exposed these egregious crimes and made a difference to the lives of those affected. The challenge is to take up this mantle and reflect true Christianity in our lives and work towards abolition of modern day slavery.
Useful URL : http://www.bristol.gov.uk/abolition200
This is Maureen’s view of the service.
Overall it was very well organised and colourful. The message came across very well that slavery has not ended in real terms and it is incumbent upon every person professes to believe in a Christian god to play their part in bringing about reconciliation. By having mixed choirs and dancing groups of both blacks and whites; this message came across in an apt visual form.
As a student who came in from overseas, I was shocked to learn about modern day slavery in Europe and how it manifests itself through open and indirect racism, trafficking in women and children and all its diverse forms. What also astounded me is the lack of public outrage: every body goes about their business without much concern for what happens in their neighbourhood. Society in the West needs to think more communitarian and less individualistic and indeed it is those persons who think about 'we' rather than 'I' who have exposed these egregious crimes and made a difference to the lives of those affected. The challenge is to take up this mantle and reflect true Christianity in our lives and work towards abolition of modern day slavery.
Useful URL : http://www.bristol.gov.uk/abolition200
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