Dear Editor,
On August 1, 1834 slavery was abolished; by 1838 all African slaves brought to British Colonies in the Caribbean were free! Slavery still remains the most inhumane, brutal and cruel act to have ever taken place on earth.
In Guyana, after slavery, the indentureship period that followed, brought with it many forms of injustices against the free slaves and the indentured labourers who were imported to supplement the manpower needed on plantations, as former slaves branched into other areas of entrepreneurship.
Freed African slaves in Guyana bought vast amounts of land; they bought villages and led a very industrious business life in the communities they formed. Even though no effort was spared by the white colonial planter class to force freed slaves to remain forever attached to the plantations, the slaves did their best to move on and got into other areas of business and agriculture; forging ahead determined to make the best of their freedom.
Freed African slaves did own businesses! Colonialism maintained the status quo of crown and loyal subjects/former slaves. Trade unionism rose to fight for the rights of workers because they were still grossly mistreated and underpaid by their colonial masters. A leading African descendant Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow will be forever credited for that. Afro Guyanese worked with their other neighbours who were brought as indentured labourers to fight colonialism and gain independence.
Today, 170 years since the abolition of slavery, Afro Guyanese need to take stock of where they are today and ask themselves some harsh questions. Are we really free? What defines freedom? The colonial masters of old have long been replaced by people we recognize and view as our own; locals. But have we really developed? Have we grown significantly as a people? Have we really moved away from the plantation mentality? As we read the stories of slavery we must ask ourselves: Do we still see Afro Guyanese among us fighting for their rights?
Are we still seeing the house slave mentality being practiced? To date the Bauxite workers have been left on their own to face the injustices of their employer while the administration (the ruling class) stands back with arms folded watching a section of its workforce suffer. As we celebrate emancipation 2010, I urge all Afro Guyanese to stand resolute and spare no effort in showing solidarity and support for their brothers struggling in the bauxite industry. If you listen to their cry for help, you will hear them asking the same question that was on the anti slavery medallion: “Am I not a man and a Brother?”
Yours faithfully,
Richard Francois