Today Guyanese commemorate Arrival Day to Guyana. For some, in the instance of Africans, who were brought here through the system of chattel slavery, arrival is nothing to celebrate given the circumstances under which they came, the subhuman treatment they received, the poor conditions under which they were forced to labour on the plantations, and their grossly impoverished standard of living.
For others, as in the instance of the Indigenous Peoples, arrival by others, notably the European brought diseases, deaths, enslavement and decimation of tribes. Those who came through the indentured system- Africans, East Indians, Chinese and Portuguese-arrival to Guyana at the time was thought to be an escape from poverty in their countries based on promises of better opportunities in another land.
For the European masters arrival to Guyana was opportunities for enrichment on the labour of others, and a sense that they could get away with treating other ethnic groups lesser than. Arrival to Guyana, even for the original inhabitants, is one of mixed emotions. For as some seek to celebrate, for others there is lamentation.
And where the co-mingling of all groups have happened as a result of the various arrivals our collective lived experiences have not been without challenges and exploitation of differences/diversity. This was used to create social and political structures of divide and rule in order to conquer and subjugate to the benefit of the ruling class or elites. This inevitably was not without racial distinction and stratification.
Arrival and residency of groups based on backgrounds and orientation have not been without challenges to peacefully co-exit and thrive, including how each group sees their own situation and wants to articulate same. Even after centuries after our first arrival, challenges and problems associated from past experiences prevail, and in some instances are entrenched and replicated by other groups that fancy themselves as the superior other.
For the pragmatic and optimistic Guyana’s challenges create opportunities to respectfully learn from each other. Regardless of ancestral backgrounds, if Guyanese could only acknowledge that regardless of how we came or from whence we came, we are all in the same boat now (Guyana) and must learn to peacefully coexist. This remains Guyana’s-a land of six peoples-greatest challenge. It is a challenge not insurmountable because where there is a will they will always be a way. This will and way must be found as a matter of necessity to ensure national stability which could only be fostered in an environment where peace, harmony and prosperity is affordable to all.
On May 5, 1838 the first ships, the Whitby and Hesperus, landed in Guyana with 396 East Indians, 22 of which are women. This would see another source of labour, through a system of indentureship- which was distinct and apart from chattel slavery in all forms- that was brought to the sugar plantations on paid contract for service. That system lasted until 1917 when it was abolished.
East Indians and Africans are Guyanese two largest groups who arrived here, with acknowledgement that the Indigenous Peoples came before and settled here of their own volition. But together all six peoples must recognise that our collective arrival presents opportunities to work together for the good of self, ethnic group and Guyana.
