The country will host a Garvey emancipation rally that coincides with the 129th anniversary of his birth.

Saint Lucia will soon launch activities for the observance of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent.

The events organized by the National Reparations Committee in association with the UWI Open Campus and the Office of the Prime Minister, are being held to recognize the valuable contributions made by people of African origin, of which approximately 200 million live in the Americas.

In proclaiming the decade (2015 to 2024), the international community recognizes that people of African descent represent a distinct group whose human rights must be promoted and protected.

One of the best known proponents of the Pan-Africanism movement was Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., a Jamaican political leader, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator born on Aug. 17. 1887. A Garvey Emancipation and Reparations Rally will be held in his honour coinciding with the 129th anniversary of his birth. It will also include the launching of a joint NRC-Open Campus Reparations Lecture Series and the passing of the CARICOM Reparations Baton.

Nkrumah Lucien, Member of the National Reparations Committee said the launching of the events on Marcus Garvey's birthday is significant.

"We felt that the birthday of Marcus Garvey, given his commitment to addressing issues pertaining to African people and also the insights that he had to provide, was a good occasion for us to launch the two events.”

The local node of the Garvey Emancipation and Reparations Rally will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 17, from 7 - 9 p.m. at the UWI Open Campus, Morne Fortune.

The event will be broadcast live on the National Television Network (NTN).