Trinidad and Tobago is the first country to celebrate Emancipation Day and this year we will be welcoming the Monarch of the Ashanti Kingdom, The Asantehene, His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, from July 30th to August 5th, 2023.
His Majesty will be the guest of honour at the Emancipation celebrations hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts and the Emancipation Support Committee. He will also offer the Ashanti Diaspora within Trinidad and Tobago the opportunity to meet with him.
Trinidad and Tobago 🇹🇹📍
On August 1, 1985 Trinidad and Tobago 🇹🇹 became the first independent country in the world to declare a national holiday to commemorate the abolition of slavery.
In Trinidad and Tobago, Emancipation Day replaced Columbus Discovery Day, which commemorated the arrival of Christopher Columbus at Moruga on 31 July 1498, as a national public holiday.
The commemoration begins the night before with an all-night vigil and includes religious services, cultural events, street processions past historic landmarks, addresses from dignitaries including an address from the Prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago and ends with an evening of shows that include a torchlight procession to the national stadium.
