LONDON.- The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is supporting a campaign to erect a permanent slavery memorial statue in Hyde Park.

Memorial 2007 want to erect a memorial in London’s Hyde Park to commemorate the millions of enslaved Africans whose lives were sacrificed during the transatlantic slave trade. The sculptor Les Johnson has been chosen to create the statue and a maquette of the chosen design will be exhibited at City Hall from August 18th – 1st December to mark International Slavery Memorial Day on August 23rd.

Boris Johnson said: “It is important that this era in our history is never forgotten. Hyde Park is a fitting site for a permanent memorial to the millions who lost their lives and the courageous people who fought to end the brutal transatlantic slave trade. I commend the efforts of the organisation, Memorial 2007, who have championed this project. I am also delighted that the maquette will be exhibited at City Hall. “

The memorial is to be placed in the Rose Garden of London's Hyde Park, in a setting reflecting the greenery and colour of the African landscape.

Oku Ekpenyon, Memorial 2007 said: ”There is a lack of knowledge and understanding about the history of Africa, the repercussion of slavery and what it meant for Britain. This memorial will be an educational resource as the focus of curriculum based and life long learning. It will also serve within a broader context to highlight in a national and public setting the centrality of the experience of enslaved Africans and their descendants in the history of Britain. This in turn will function as a focus for family and local history researchers.”