Dear Editor,

It is with profound sadness that I read of the passing of Ivan Van Sertima.  He was a gifted scholar who wrote and delivered lectures on African Guyanese and Afrocentric issues. His arguments evoked a lot of controversy (and critiques) but were well received at lectures I attended. He was also not pleased with the governance of Guyana under Forbes Burnham and critical of the murder of Walter Rodney. In his death, Guyanese have lost a terrific scholar.

I first met Prof Van Sertima at City College at a lecture he delivered some time in the early 1980s. We had a few exchanges on Guyanese politics during his visits, as I had with several other scholars, including Profs Jan Carew and Fred Wills whenever they visited campus.

When I was an executive officer in student government at CCNY for several years, I supported  funding for Dr Van Sertima’s lectures for which he would receive a token fee.  He would come to CCNY every Spring during the African Renaissance week for a talk organized by the Black Studies Department, then headed by Prof Len Jeffries. Lectures by Wills and Carew would also draw large crowds; they were terrific speakers and respected in their fields.

Van Sertima was an erudite speaker and researcher. He spoke on varied subjects (history and literature included) but he was considered an expert on linguistics and anthropology, speaking on Black contributions and achievements in various fields.  He had a wide following, mostly among Blacks, on CCNY campus for his guest lectures.  And I also took a liking to him as a fellow Guyanese and cheered him on.

Van Sertima wrote several books and edited a journal on African Studies.  His books on Egypt, Pre-columbian civilization, and Black contributions to science evoked strong critiques and rebuttals. But I enjoyed his lectures and they were well received by the audience.

Van Sertima did not spend much time on Guyanese politics in his lectures but the topic would come up because of the oppression Guyanese were facing at home. In brief exchanges, Van Sertima, like Jan Carew and Fred Wills, were critical of the rule of Forbes Burnham. He, like the other scholars, expressed a lot of disappointment in the way Burnham governed, although Carew was a lot more critical of Burnhamism than the others. Van Sertima, like the others, was also saddened by the assassination of Walter Rodney, an act that would lead them to disassociate themselves from Burnham.

Van Sertima’s life and career hold many lessons for African people. The qualities that he brought to bear on the writing of Black history rank him among the best in the field. He was an outstanding intellectual who influenced thousands of young scholars but also made profound and original contributions to various disciplines.  He was sort of an institution among Black people and Afrocentric writers, and researchers scholars looked to him for guidance. He also helped to make Black people proud of their past and who they are as a people.  African studies, Black people, and Guyanese have lost a priceless scholar.

Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram