Two Afro-Venezuelan women. The International Day for People of African Descent has been celebrated since 2021. Photo: Twitter/@DrodriguezMinci.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro reiterated the commitment of the Bolivarian government in the fight against racial discrimination. .
The president made this comment on the occasion of the International Day for People of African Descent, celebrated on August 31. He stated that the Venezuelan state will continue its fight against all sorts of inequality that Afro-descendant communities face.
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Celebro el Día Internacional de las y los Afrodescendientes, de la herencia rebelde que nos dejaron nuestras abuelas y abuelos africanos. Seguiremos luchando contra el racismo, la discriminación y la desigualdad. pic.twitter.com/542cnFlLQS
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) August 31, 2022
The president added that the day is to celebrate “the rebellious heritage of our African grandmothers and grandfathers.”
The International Day for People of African Descent is an initiative promoted by the United Nations Organization with the aim of recognizing the contributions that African and Afro-descendant people have made throughout history in the various diasporas, in different parts of the world where they was subjected to slavery and indentured labor. Through this recognition, the day seeks to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination towards Afro-descendant people.
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The day has been celebrated since 2021, when the UN analyzed the achievements made halfway into the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024).
That evaluation found that, although some progress had been made in legislative terms, Afro-descendant communities still suffer from interrelated forms of discrimination, marginalization, and exclusion.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the persistent inequalities in the health sector, as well as the lack of recognition of Afro-descendants in many sectors of society.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/EF/SC
