National Museums Liverpool in the UK is building an International Slavery Museum to complement the Transatlantic Slavery Gallery in the Merseyside Maritime Museum.

The new museum will open on Slavery Remembrance Day 2007 (23 August), which commemorates the uprising of enslaved Africans on the island of St Domingo (modern Haiti and the Dominican Republic) in 1791.

The galleries will feature thought-provoking displays about the story and legacy of the transatlantic slave trade. It will also address issues such as freedom, identity, human rights, reparations, racial discrimination and cultural change.

Additional facilities will include a visitor resource centre in the newly acquired Dock Traffic Office, which will feature an events programme of performances, public lectures and debates.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has pledged £250,000 of annual funding.

Liverpool was Europe’s capital of the slave trade in the late 18th century and grew rich on the profits of trading in enslaved people.

National Museums Liverpool comprises the Walker Art Gallery, Lady Lever Art Gallery and Sudley House. In addition, the organisation looks after the World Museum Liverpool, Merseyside Maritime Museum and HM Customs & Excise National Museum. Details: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk