Since before the era of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the arts have been used to confront slavery, and honour those who made freedom possible.   

As an artist who grew up in “a culture that was shaped by that particular history, making it part of his work’s DNA”, Christopher Cozier, from Trinidad and Tobago, has often drawn attention to the power of the arts, to deliver justice.  

Highlighting the importance of creativity as a force for change in societies where people were viewed first and foremost as property, Mr. Cozier highlights the “self-worth process” that led slaves to become full citizens. 

He was at UN Headquarters in New York earlier in the year, to remember the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and spoke to UN News’s Ana Carmo.