Dear Editor,
As an Indian Guyanese I have nothing against Black Nationalism as long as Black Nationalism sticks to promoting African Awareness.
However, Black Nationalism in Guyana is not doing that and as such fails African Guyanese. What Black Nationalism is doing is to claim that Indian Guyanese are the ones that “marginalised” African Guyanese. And as such Black Nationalism is defining itself as “anything that is not Indian”.
In the end, Black Nationalism is going to fold in on itself as “marginalization”; having not been proven conclusively, this is just a feeling. So when this feeling is proved to be incorrect there is no real definition of Black Nationalism.You want to define Black Nationalism as African Communities? Go ahead. But in the end, the definition of Black Nationalism would be the culture of African Americans. All the good things like standing up for the rights of African Americans. And, all the bad things like the youth gun culture.
This gun culture has already hit the high streets in Guyana. In the last 40 years more money has been spent in African Guyanese communities than in Indian Guyanese and Amerindian communities.
Black Nationalism, after folding in on itself, would end up targeting the other races in Guyana even those that supported it because there is no real definition/guide as to what it is.
Yours faithfully,
Sean Brignandan
