As Guyana approaches the 185th anniversary of formal Emancipation, former President David Granger reminded that the liberation of over 85, 000 enslaved Africans on 1st August 1838 should not be seen as a ‘fait accompli’. He pointed out that the continuous, two-hundred-year war of resistance, rebellion, revolt, running away and marronage were insufficient to guarantee the good life envisaged by those who fought and died for freedom.
Granger, speaking on his weekly programme – The Public Interest – explained that the rejection of enslavement by Africans themselves was the most important factor that propelled the Emancipation Movement. The Berbice Revolt in 1763; Demerara Maroon War in 1795; Demerara Revolt in 1823 and Essequibo Revolt in 1834 and several others which were suppressed did contribute measurably to the destruction the slave system. Eradicating slavery, however necessary, was not sufficient to ensure economic freedom in a world dominated by the economies of maritime empires.
The former President emphasised that the economies of the advanced industrialized European Empires veered towards the adoption of laissez-faire economic policies based, broadly, on variants of capitalism and mercantilism that were reliant on manufacturing and commerce. They were energised by the industrial revolution and the exploration and exploitation of territories in East Asia and the East Indies which possessed larger markets for manufactured goods and more abundant lands for cultivation. Imperial economies sought free labour which did not require military force to suppress the revolts which typified enslaved labour on the tiny, troublesome territories of the West Indies.
Granger expressed the opinion that some of the most salient effects of Emancipation are evident in changes in the demography, economy, geography and society even of present-day Guyana. Demographic transition was the result of the immigration of indentured labour which started in 1835. Over 340,000 Madeiran Portuguese, West Africans, West Indians, East Indians and Chinese were transported in succeeding decades, weaving the ethnic tapestry of Guyanese society.
Economic diversification necessitated the introduction of coinage in large amounts to pay wages and facilitate sales. Banks were opened to garner savings and the cultivation of new crops provided opportunities for trade. The elementary education system, governmental administration and the police and prison services were established. Geographic transformation of the coastal landscape reflected the movement of free families who had hoarded their meagre savings and founded free villages on the coastland and in the Islands in the ‘Great Village Movement. Socio-political interaction and differentiation of free people – based on their ethnic origins, political beliefs, social class – developed, though not always cordially.
The former President emphasised that, despite the passage of time, the achievement of Emancipation remains the most outstanding event in our nation’s history. He warned that, although Emancipation ended two centuries of enslavement, its fulfilment is still a ‘work in progress’. The descendants of the victims of enslavement still need to safeguard their freedom in order to mould a nation in which everyone could enjoy a good life.
