Dear Editor,
Recent events in the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, that have varied from traditional paths, require a much deeper and profound analysis if we are to understand the mindset of this and previous generations. Additionally, this understanding is a prerequisite for us to make a reality our national motto and every patriot will be part of the journey, to be One People, and One Nation, with One Destiny.
This motto assumes that for each of six races to be moulded into one, they must first and foremost know and interpret their own history. Unless each and everyone of us, be you Amerindian, African, East Indian, Chinese, Portuguese or European can be proud of who we are, and where we came from and the circumstances that placed us on this plot of earth, we know as Guyana, there is no way that our motto can be translated into actuality.
I begin my advocacy by reminding us of an uncomfortable statement, but the truth, made by no less a statesman, one of our leading personalities in the struggle for independence, Dr Cheddi Jagan who observed that Afro Guyanese were at the bottom of the ladder. Dr Jagan meant no harm, did not intend to insult, nor denigrate the Afro Guyanese, but he was speaking the truth a few decades ago. The condition of the average Agro Guyanese has not changed much since Dr Jagan’s observation.
I believe that one of the main contributory factors to this, is the experiences of the continent of Africa, and therefore the plight of African descendants in Guyana. They were tricked, beaten and dehumanised as no other group has been in recent history.
Without a deep understanding of that history, they will not possess the grit, the gravitas and groundings to move up the ladder, they will remain blissfully at the bottom, consumed by materialism and nothing else. Many of my generation must take responsibility for this sorry state of affairs, we must now not lament but set out in our villages, communities, our places of worship, and where ever two and three are gathered to openly discuss the way forward. This is a herculean task which must be undertaken.
I remember being told this Summer Legion; the old man was sitting on the bank of the river, a stranger came up and said to him; “my friend I’ve heard about the grandeur of the great Summer Empire, a great civilisation, my friend, what happened to them”, the old man pulled on his pipe, and stood up, and said to the stranger; “you’re right there was a great civilisation here, but they lost their history, and so they died.” Profound, powerful, and relevant today.
Chancellor Williams in his fascinating book; The Destruction of Black Civilisation, noted; that a great black civilization declined because of internal weaknesses and external factors like imperialism, not because it was inherently inferior. He posited that the loss of history, specifically the “stolen legacies” of African achievements, played a key role in the decline of Black civilisation. His work focused on shifting the study of African history away from European and Arab narratives to centre on the accomplishments and struggles of Africans themselves. Profound, powerful and relevant today.
Also noteworthy are remarks by professor Ali Mazrui in his lecture on the 150th Anniversary of Emancipation titled; “From the Mandingo to the Mandelas”, after dealing with martyrdom he observes as follows; “the Jews have managed to turn their suffering under the Nazis into a religious doctrine, as well as a political resource. But Blacks have neither sacralised their suffering into a sacred doctrine nor exploited it as a political fund.” Profound, powerful and relevant today. The question is: why?
By a strange twist, that disability is reflected among the millions of freed African slaves spread over the Americas, the Caribbean, and elsewhere, and this unhappy condition requires immediate attention and action if the descendants of manumitted Africans are not to experience a new form of enslavement, they say mental slavery is as bad as physical slavery. Those of us who were apart of the struggle for Independence in the post World War II era must recognise that this emancipation struggle will be an even greater challenge than the struggle for emancipation in 1838 and Independence in 1966.
In today’s Guyana our leaders who claim to speak for, and on behalf of, the descendants of freed African slaves must bear some responsibility for not sharing knowledge, and our history with this generation. What is now evident is we have a generation; the majority consumed with materialism. A people who cares little about the struggles, successes, and failure of their predecessors are the easy victims of the tactics and methods employed today, similar to those of the imperialists and colonial masters.
The task is monumental since we face the narrative, twisted teachings and writings of many centuries where blacks were persuaded that they must accept the status of inferiority. Aspects of the Holy Bible rewritten at the instance of King James, notes in the Old Testament, Songs of Solomon, where King Solomon is reported as saying in his address to the flock that; “I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem” note the words “black but comely” as against “black and comely”.
Dear Editor this is a serious matter and this letter can do no more than begin a conversation that can lead us to the utopia of becoming one people, part of a nation with one destiny.
Let the conversation begin.
Yours truly,
Hamilton Green
Elder
