Poetry of Abolition
Arts Council England invited eleven leading UK poets to commemorate the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act by writing a poem on the theme of enslavement
The poems featured were commissioned by the Arts Council’s Grants for the Arts programme. The transatlantic trade in peoples from Africa was widespread lasting over several hundred years with conservative estimates placing the number of people enslaved as being five million.
Across the country, artists from the visual arts, dance, theatre, music and literature commemorated the bicentenary, telling the many hidden historical stories of those individuals affected directly and indirectly by the transatlantic slave trade, whilst also exploring the stories and experiences of those who continue to be affected by its legacy and those who are among the many still enslaved across the world today.
View the list of poets and their poems at the Arts Council project website .