Our nation, the Guyanese civilization, this society, exists in language.
We chose to define ourselves, a nation forged under fiery forced labour in the British Empire, through words, names, language. We shook off the shackles of forced labour through our command of language.
Forbes Burnham mastered his legal craft in Britain, and Dr Cheddi Jagan became a prolific writer and thinker studying in the US. Using such competence in language, these leaders led us to shake off the shackles of colonialism, which had imprisoned us when we were unschooled and illiterate, unable to read and write, as slaves and labourers from Africa, Asia and Europe.
Just like Burnham and Jagan freed us as a people through their mastery of language, where they