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by Anonymous contributor
As a historian, one cannot ignore the deeply entrenched patterns of racial manipulation and subjugation that have shaped postcolonial societies like Guyana. The invisible hand of history is ever-present in how power is wielded, how wealth is distributed, and how certain communities are kept marginalized. In Guyana, a country with a complex racial history, the visible Afro-Guyanese middle class has often taken a stance of silence and appeasement towards the People’s Progressive Party (PPP)—a government widely accused of perpetuating a system of racial discrimination. This stance, though frustrating to witness, is unsurprising when examined through the lens of history. The stakes for the Afro-Guyanese community have always been high, and the middle class, with its hard-won privileges, feels it has the most to lose if it dares to speak out.
Historically, the middle class has been the bedrock of intellectual resistance in societies worldwide, from the civil rights movement in the United States to anti-colonial struggles across Africa and the Caribbean. However, in Guyana, we see a concerning departure from this tradition. The Afro-Guyanese middle class, long distinguished for its intellectual achievements and cultural contributions, has largely chosen a path of quiet endurance in the face of the PPP’s racially divisive politics. This is not merely a passive choice, but a reaction born of fear—fear of losing economic security, status, and, perhaps most tragically, the hope that speaking out could lead to change.
Appeasement as Survival
History has shown that silence in the face of oppression is not unique to Guyana. In apartheid-era South Africa, many Black professionals, particularly those in business and government, navigated an unjust system by aligning themselves with the oppressive structures in order to survive. In Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe), African elites often participated in or endorsed colonial policies, believing that compliance was the only way to maintain their livelihoods. These individuals were not inherently cowardly; they were trapped in a system that made dissent too costly. The same phenomenon is at play in Guyana today.
The PPP government, insecure and desperate to maintain control, is driven by a fear of Afro-Guyanese intellectual superiority—real or perceived. This superiority is not a product of race but a reflection of historical circumstances. From the era of post-emancipation to the early days of independence, Afro-Guyanese communities have placed a high value on education. Schools and intellectual pursuits were among the few avenues available to them for social mobility, and they took full advantage of these opportunities. Today, Afro-Guyanese students continue to dominate in many educational arenas, excelling in secondary and tertiary institutions. This reality poses a threat to a PPP administration that relies on a deliberately undereducated, racially polarized support base to maintain political dominance.
Education as Empowerment, Afro-Guyanese Intellectual Tradition
In the early 20th century, prominent Black intellectuals like W.E.B. Du Bois advocated for the “Talented Tenth”—the idea that a small, educated elite within the African American community could lead the charge for racial equality and uplift the broader population. Similarly, in Guyana, the educated Afro-Guyanese class has historically been at the forefront of national development. Afro-Guyanese have long dominated the public service, academia, and the teaching profession, contributing disproportionately to the intellectual and social fabric of the nation.
However, the PPP’s policies, whether intentional or not, have increasingly eroded this tradition. The PPP has fostered an environment where intellectual achievement, especially within Afro-Guyanese communities, is devalued and dismissed. Despite the fact that Afro-Guyanese students continue to achieve high academic scores and consistently outperform in critical subjects, the government offers little incentive to retain this talent. This year alone, 3,500 students will graduate from the University of Guyana, and if the trends hold, more than two-thirds of them—over 2,400—will leave for greener pastures in the Caribbean, North America, and Europe.
A Continuing Brain Drain and the Consequences of Silence
This exodus of young, educated Afro-Guyanese represents a destructive brain drain that Guyana cannot afford. Historically, we have seen the devastating impact of such migrations in post-colonial Africa, where countries like Ghana and Nigeria have lost scores of educated professionals to the West. The same phenomenon is happening in Guyana, as the government fails to provide wages, benefits, and opportunities that would keep these graduates in the country to help foster national development.
Yet the silence of the middle class is deafening. They whisper in private but fail to speak publicly against PPP’s racial subversion until they, too, fall victim to it. By doing so, they leave no legacy of courage for the younger generation to emulate. Instead, they pass down a message of appeasement and subservience, leaving our youth unprotected and with few options but to endure the racial injustices they face or flee the country entirely.
The PPP’s strategy of maintaining power through racial division is reminiscent of colonial divide-and-rule tactics, a strategy that has been deployed time and time again in history to maintain control over marginalized populations. During the colonial period in British Guiana (now Guyana), the colonial powers pitted Africans against Indo-Guyanese through policies that favored one group over the other at different times. Today, the PPP continues to manipulate these historical divisions, securing the loyalty of its predominantly Indo-Guyanese base while sidelining Afro-Guyanese communities through political, economic, and social marginalization.
What is perhaps most insidious is the PPP’s use of Afro-Guyanese leaders in the police and military to enforce its policies of oppression. This mirrors the colonial strategy of using indigenous leaders as proxies to control their own people. In Kenya, during the Mau Mau uprising, the British government co-opted local chiefs to carry out brutal suppression against their fellow Africans. In Guyana today, Afro-Guyanese police officers and military personnel are being used to evict their own people from ancestral lands and to stifle dissent within their communities.
African history is filled with stories of resilience, of people rising up against systems of oppression. From the Haitian Revolution in 1791 to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, Black people have shown that unity, courage, and resistance can bring about meaningful change. The Afro-Guyanese middle class must take inspiration from these historical examples and stop choosing subservience as their default mode of existence. It is time to speak out, to resist, and to organize. Silence will not protect us; it will only embolden those who seek to marginalize us further.
The Afro-Guyanese community, especially its middle class, must rise to the challenge and assert its role in shaping a more just and equitable Guyana. The cost of inaction is simply too high. We must stop supporting members of the Black middle class who are complicit in our oppression, and instead, work together to build economic and political power. Just as our ancestors fought for their freedom and dignity, so too must we fight for our rightful place in the future of Guyana.
