Dear Editor,
I am genuinely trying to understand the logical and historical reasoning behind the decision to host Guyana’s Diamond Jubilee Independence flag-raising ceremony on Fort Island.
This is not a question asked out of disrespect for Fort Island or the Essequibo. Essequibo matters. Sovereignty matters. “Not a blade of grass” matters. Fort Island has historical value, and no serious Guyanese should dismiss the importance of any part of our national territory. However, Guyana’s Independence was from Britain, not Venezuela. It was also from Britain, not the Dutch. So if we are commemorating sixty years of Independence, what exactly is the reason for making a Dutch colonial site in the Essequibo River the symbolic center of that ceremony?
The first Independence flag-raising took place in Georgetown at the Queen Elizabeth National Park, now the National Park, where ordinary Guyanese gathered and witnessed the birth of the nation as British Guiana became Guyana. That moment belonged to the people. It was not just a ceremony. It was a public national emotional experience. The Golden Arrowhead rising in Georgetown represented the end of British colonial rule and the beginning of a new national journey.
That is why this decision requires clearer explanation.
If the purpose of choosing Fort Island is to make a statement about Essequibo and territorial sovereignty, then that should be said plainly. But we should also be honest enough to admit that the Venezuela controversy and Guyana’s Independence from Britain are not the same historical event. Both matter, but they are not interchangeable. If the Diamond Jubilee ceremony becomes more about the border controversy than the actual Independence story, then we risk blending two different national issues and calling it symbolism.
There is also the question of public access. How many ordinary Guyanese can realistically attend a midnight flag-raising ceremony on Fort Island in the Essequibo River? Transport, geography, cost, and limited access already exclude many citizens. When a cruise is then marketed as a way to “witness history” at a cost of $120,000, the ceremony begins to feel less like a people’s Independence celebration and more like a premium patriotic experience.
Independence should not feel like something ordinary citizens have to buy their way into.
If this is truly a Diamond Jubilee celebration, the central flag-raising ceremony should be somewhere the majority of Guyanese can reasonably access. Many citizens will likely have to watch from a screen while a select few attend in person. That does not feel people-centered. It feels distant. It feels curated. It feels out of touch with the ordinary people whose ancestors, families, communities, and sacrifices form the heart of the Independence story.
I am not questioning Fort Island’s historical importance. I am questioning whether it is the most appropriate and accessible place for the main national Independence flag-raising ceremony. Are we teaching history clearly, or are we using history as scenery? Are we commemorating Independence from Britain, or using the Diamond Jubilee to stage a different national message? And most importantly, are ordinary Guyanese being centered in this celebration, or merely expected to watch from outside?
The flag belongs to the people. A Diamond Jubilee should feel like a national moment shared by the people, not an exclusive experience limited by access, cost, and geography.
Yours truly,
Martian Nella
Writer & Cultural Commentator
