Equatorial Guinea Crest Unveiled On the Spirit of Malabo In NYC
New York, New York – Anatolio Ndong Mba, Permanent Ambassador for Equatorial Guinea to the United Nations and current
chairman of the African states group was on hand Tuesday to witness the unveiling of the country'a crest on the Spirit
of Malabo.
The Spirit of Malabo, a 24 foot custom ocean rowboat built in Brazil, is scheduled to be christened at New York’s
Brooklyn Bridge on August 23rd, which is designed to coincide with the United Nations International Day for the
Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. This is annually observed to remind people of the tragedy of the
transatlantic slave trade. Local dignitaries, religious leaders and others are expected to be on hand for the ceremony.
The crest of Equatorial Guinea contains the silk-cotton tree, also known as the god tree, under which, it is said, the
first treaty was signed between Spain and a local ruler. The arms, created when Equatorial Guinea became independent on
October 12, 1968, also include the motto of the country in Spanish—“Unidad, paz, justicia” (“Unity, peace, justice”)—and
six golden stars for the five principal islands and the coastal territory that constitute the nation.
Later this year, Victor Mooney of Queens will row the Spirit of Malabo 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from the
Canary Islands to New York for HIV/AIDS and to help make the permanent memorial at the United Nations honoring the
victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade a reality. For more, visit www.goreechallenge.com.
ENDS