Friday, July 20 2012

The Emancipation 2012 Blessing of the Grounds is scheduled for this Sunday (July 22) at 6 pm at the southern grounds (just outside of the Grand Stand) of the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port- of- Spain.

This ceremony, which is conducted by a spiritual elder, involves the blessing of the earth through libations. These libations bless and cleanse the earth, helping the spirit and the physical to harmonise.

According to a press release, in 2012, as the Emancipation Support Committee celebrates the 174th anniversary of the abolition of chattel slavery in the English speaking Caribbean, “we continue to remember our ancestors. The ceremonial lighting of the flambeaux (the icon of liberation) will be done by our special guests, youth and visitors. This ceremony links the generations past and present and the continent in the celebration of human freedom.”

The theme for this the 20th anniversary of the Emancipation Support Committee and the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence is “Forever Forward: Reflection, Resistance, Renewal.”

Among those expected to bring greetings are Maureen Modiselle, High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa, Lawrence Tunde Bade-Afuye, Deputy Head of Mission,High Commission of the Republic of Nigeria and Fidelia Graand-Galon, Ambassdor of the Republic of Suriname.