Once more on October 12th ACDA journeys to the Atlantic Ocean to pay tribute to our Ancestors who endured horrific acts and untold sufferings during the brutal transatlantic slave trade. These evil and dreadful atrocities were so abhorrent that the United Nations declared, “We acknowledge that slavery and the slave trade, including the transatlantic slave trade, were appalling tragedies in the history of humanity not only because of their abhorrent barbarism but also in terms of their magnitude, organized nature and especially their negation of the essence of the victims, and further acknowledge that slavery and the slave trade are a crime against humanity and should always have been so, especially the transatlantic slave trade and are among the major sources and manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance……..’’
Despite those dreadful occurrences our African Ancestors toiled and laid the foundation for our beautiful Guyana. Land which was once swamp, parasite infested, disease ridden and treacherous terrain was transformed into a garden oasis through the brutal forced labor of our Ancestors
Today in oil rich Guyana most of the descendants of these great Ancestors live in poverty; shut out from meaningful access and participation in the economy; receiving little or no sizeable awards of Government and oil contracts: extrajudicial killings: lack of a livable wage for our elderly: homes and livestock wantonly destroyed and families left homeless: having to fight against the usurping of the very lands that our Ancestors worked and saved their monies to purchase; : regulated to the margins of the society and in watchful murmurs while observing others being given opportunities, development in their communities, monies, and large contracts from the state.
ACDA had hoped that the dark chapters of the African sojourn in Guyana would have ended by now, instead we find that our leaders are locked out of all the major decision making and not given an opportunity to express our expectations and our angst with our present situation. We know that this is due to the pernicious use of the winner-take-all system of governance in Guyana which fosters racism and inequality in the society. ACDA therefore expresses deep concern regarding the recent statements emanating from prominent PPP Government leaders in which they rejected the idea of power sharing to address Guyana’s long standing issues of racial and political competition.
Regrettably, though perhaps not entirely unexpected, this latest refusal coincides with Guyana’s emergence as an oil-producing nation, bringing substantial wealth into the country. The government representative’s stance on the matter, as articulated in the post-oil context, initially emphasized the importance of fostering trust; however, it has now shifted towards an outright rejection.
ACDA remains steadfast in its commitment to pursuing a national resolution aimed at ending the prevailing governance system in Guyana. This issue transcends mere party politics; it is a fundamental African human rights concern, rooted in centuries of enslavement and the historical denial of generational wealth. Africans, who were instrumental in transforming Guyana from a harsh environment into a thriving space, received not a single cent for their labor.
ACDA makes a clarion call to all the Political Parties to work towards building a more inclusionary society through Executive Power sharing and demands that the African Political Leadership declare its commitment and resources to end winner-take -all politics.
Guyana owes a debt of gratitude to Africans, and executive power sharing represents the initial step in rectifying historical injustices. It is the gateway to achieving economic liberation and establishing parity, finally opening the door to the economic prosperity that has long been overdue.
ACDA stands unshakeable in our determination to attain a fair and enduring resolution to bridge the divide between our diverse communities. It is imperative that the newfound oil wealth serves as a unifying force rather than exacerbating the delicate relations within our country.
We reiterate and renew our call for reparations from the State of Guyana as well as from those nations and persons that benefited from their trade in Africans.
We invite you to join us on Thursday October 12th at 2pm to pay homage to our Ancestors that died, suffered and survived the horrendous conditions of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade let us gain strength from that African spirit of resistance that lives on to fight against racism, marginalization and subjugation. We reaffirm like our Jewish brethren by saying,“ NEVER AGAIN!”
Floral Tributes welcome
