The Hogstye-Lancaster Ibo group outdid itself last week with a series of activities it put on to commemorate emancipation, which culminated on Saturday.
For the first time, the group used the Liverpool Community centre to hold its Emancipation Day Celebration which was well attended.
Delivering the feature address, Dr Grantley Walrond, who lives in Georgetown but was born and raised in Liverpool, reminded the audience that the said community centre was built mainly by self-help with minimal help from the government in the early 1950s.
Addressing emancipation, he said that the rebellions in 1763, 1795, and 1823 meant something to the slaves then and that in 2009 “we should ask ourselves what emancipation means to us.” There were struggles then and there will be struggles now, he said, “but struggles need the right environment to help them”. He stressed that if we Guyanese do not value the efforts of our fore parents, then all the freedom that they have worked for will go in vain, “and that will be a shame”.
He said that being free means that we must respect ourselves, especially our women and
children. There is too much domestic violence in our community, he said, and if we are free “we will not behave as if we own our womenfolk and our children. There should not be ownership of wives by husband. There should be respect in the family. Seek recourse in the law. …respect our elders and speak nice to them.”
Walrond told the large audience that the last time he had seen such a large gathering in the Liverpool centre was in 1957 when Ghana got its independence and members of the community came out to celebrate it. He said he was touched by the large turnout and pledged his support in helping the library at the centre acquire computers and more books.
He also spoke to the young people, saying that they need to “understand whose agenda” they
are “acting out when you are asked to do certain things”. Emancipation is supposed to allow us the freedom to assemble, he said, “but when we assemble we must do so for good and productive purposes.”
He said that he was ashamed of the Liverpool backlands because prior to 1838 the Africans did not own any land. “Our ancestors bought these lands with hard sweat and labour” and if these lands are left unplanted then “it is a shame on their efforts”. He urged people to take up their lands and benefit from them.
Along with Walrond’s address, the celebration also saw dancing by the Ibo group, the presentation of awards, singing, African drumming, reciting of poems and the presentation of awards.
The Hogstye-Lancaster Ibo Group aims to revive African culture within the community and help to stamp out illiteracy, truancy, drug abuse and other social ills with the community.
Among the activities the group organized to observe emancipation were road and cycle races, painting of pedestrian crossings, distribution of hampers to the elderly, and an essay writing competition, in which the winners received computers, trophies, books and cash prizes. The culmination of the week of activities was on Saturday, which started with a church service at the Liverpool Congregational Church followed by breakfast. The Ibo group and a large number of residents of the area then marched from Adventure to Liverpool, with African music being played along the way, where the celebration was held.
A number of villagers lauded the efforts of the group and some promised to tell their relatives overseas about it so that they can also be here in Guyana for the next celebration in 2010.