Frequently Asked Questions
Colonial powers often erased the identities and cultural heritage of colonized peoples. A memorial restores dignity to those who suffered by publicly recognizing the harm inflicted on generations of people and their descendants. For communities separated and scattered by the transatlantic slave trade and other colonial practices, a memorial can help piece back together a shared history and heritage. Memorials are powerful educational tools that can increase public awareness and understanding of history, including colonial history that is often ignored or distorted.
WCM is a tribute of remembrance to honor millions of people killed around the world during the horrific chapter of colonization, a dark period of racial terrorism in our past that, though most people would rather forget, casts a shadow across the world and compromises our commitment to a more inclusive society.
The landmark Charter of the United Nations which guaranteed international peace and security, was a promissory note to which people of every color and creed were to fall heir. Instead of honoring its sacred obligation, it is obvious with hindsight that the United Nations defaulted on that promise insofar as people of color were concerned. In fact, under the watchful eyes of the UN, many conquered territories across the world were drenched in the blood of their revolutionary heroes, who were killed in the worst of circumstances - from targeted assassinations to extrajudicial executions, massacres, and genocide. Even Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold, the UN’s chief, a staunch advocate for decolonization, was not spared.
For centuries, access to "the ugly parts" of colonization history has been severely limited by the lack of genealogical records of victims and their descendants. Now, a team of dedicated researchers and genealogists is seeking to change that with "World Colonization Memorial" an ambitious new project, aimed at liaising with countries that were colonized and recovering the names of millions of men, women and children killed during the dark period of colonization. Besides calling the world to acknowledgment, repentance, and healing, the ultimate goal of WCM is to make a searchable database of the hidden story of colonization, identify the real names of individuals lost to this tragic history, and restore their dignity.
Colonization was not just brutal footnotes in history; it reflected a belief in racial differences that reinforced Apartheid and segregation and has resulted in the pattern of unequal justice today. After centuries of massacres, genocides, and extrajudicial executions during that dark period, descendant communities have an obligation to share a common space with the victims. WCM is designed to teach people more about "the ugly parts" of our (world) history, which has been hidden through deliberate miseducation and historical suppression.