Dear Editor,
The designation of 2011 as the Year of People of African Descent is a significant reminder of both the tremendous contributions of Africans to world civilization and the challenges African communities across the world continue to face in the socio-economic political and cultural spheres. While these challenges are consequences of four centuries of formal and informal oppression, some of their geneses are grounded in recent developments in the contemporary world.
In the case of Guyana, the African condition since emancipation has been largely affected by colonialism and the negative competition with Indian Guyanese for control of the Guyanese space. In short, emancipation has not led to true independence for African Guyanese. The quest for that independence, therefore, should be the central issue in this year of the African. African Guyanese should use this year to begin the process of regaining lost ground, but more importantly to re-assert their co-ownership of Guyana.
First and foremost, the attempt by the Government of Guyana to hijack the programme for the year must be exposed, resisted and blocked at all costs. It is an insult to African Guyanese that their representatives have not been included in the initial deliberations regarding the formulation of the official programme. This action by the government is consistent with its political objective of subtle and not so subtle marginalization and domination of African Guyanese. While the recognition of Africans must be the concern of all Guyanese, it is first and foremost Black People’s business. We cannot, should not and must not have it otherwise. Our strength as a multi-ethnic society is enhanced when our various ethnic groups are afforded the human right of self-definition and self-expression. As the elected government, the PPP administration has a right to facilitate, but it has absolutely no right to use its authority to engage in ethnic politicking.
Second, the year of the Africans must address the major challenges of the African Guyanese community – economic disempowerment, political disenfranchisement and cultural dislocation. It is abundantly clear that while poverty and want affect all ethnic groups, their prevalence in the African Guyanese community threaten the very survival of the group as a co-equal in the reproduction of the national political economy. This development, which is historically grounded, has consequences for the accumulation of individual and collective wealth and the stability of socio-cultural institutions in the African Guyanese community. Economic power is seen as beyond the reach and capacity of African Guyanese.
Similarly, in the realm of politics African Guyanese have no say in the administration of Guyana. That has had a debilitating effect on the African Guyanese collective psyche. More and more the African Guyanese construction of political power, especially for the youth, is done in non-African terms. This has led to an increasing willingness to collaborate with and accommodate with the ethnic status quo from a position of ethnic inferiority.
The political and economic conditions therefore have had dire consequences for Africans. The sense of ethnic inferiority and self-hate is on the rise. African pride and dignity are fast becoming extinct.
The communities are no longer a source of education, cultural uplift and resistance. Some have become playgrounds for the worst kind of political manoeuvres and bullying.
In the light of the above I wish to make the following recommendations:
That the African Guyanese organizations conduct a fact-finding mission in the African Guyanese communities to determine the extent of the alienation, marginalization and suffering.
That this mission be followed by a national conference to determine the appropriate responses.
That African Guyanese economists and entrepreneurs pool their talents and resources to begin the process of economic revitalization. Towards this end, priority must be given to an immediate initiative to spur the growth of small business enterprises.
That the African Guyanese communities become a school without walls. Towards this end a massive national literacy campaign should be launched in the African Guyanese communities, which mobilizes all the community’s educators and targets especially the youth for both remedial and advanced educational uplift
.
That there be a New Black Cultural Revolution aimed at reconnecting African Guyanese to their African roots and raising the level of self-pride, dignity and self love.
That every registered African Guyanese elector be mobilized to cast their vote at the upcoming election.
That the African Guyanese community be mobilized to agitate for political power-sharing regardless of the outcome of the election.
That African Guyanese villages and communities be restored as spaces of culture, enterprise, pride, learning, love, ethnic tolerance and respect between the sexes.
Yours faithfully,
David Hinds
