Dear Editor,
On July 1, 2014 I wrote a letter to Mr Eric Phillips in which I made the following points:
1. That The Descendants of Enslaved and Manumitted Africans Reparation Trust formerly known as The Kingdom of Decendants of Africans, did send a letter to the British government in 1999 requesting £20 billion pounds as reparations for slavery in British Guiana, and had undertaken other related reparation work.
2. That because of such work the said organisation and myself are Champions of Reparation within the context of Caricom’s Draft Regional Strategic and Operational Plan, and should be recommended for appointment as such by the National Reparations Committee, and application is hereby made for such recommendation to be made.
3. That my organisation deems my appointment as a member of the National Reparations Committee by Caricom and the Government of Guyana to be an imposition on my organisation, which is null, void and of no legal effect. And that the National Reparations Committee should send a letter to my organisation requesting that we appoint a person to sit on the committee.
4. That the National Reparations Committee comply with the following sections of Caricom’s Draft Regional Strategic and Operational Plan for Caricom Commissions: Civil Society, Terms of Reference 1 (d) (e) (f) and (g), 2 and 3. And that the National Reparations Committee should raise with Caricom the possibility of African organisations, interested individuals and bodies being allowed to add to the Terms of Reference and the Ten Point Action Plan.
Editor, I am at a loss to understand how my letter could have been misinterpreted by Mr Phillips and the members of his National Reparations Committee to mean that I want to take the place of Rastafarians as Champion of Reparations; that I think I am the only person and organisation entitled to apply for reparations; that I want to be the Chairman of the National Reparations Committee; and that I was angry when I first saw Caricom’s Draft Regional Strategic and Operational Plan. Mr Phillips put the foregoing to the attendees of his meetings and the Rastafarians are feeling threatened by me. Mr Phillips is spreading discord among the African organisations and among his own committee members and should desist from doing so.
Caricom’s position is very clear: any person who has done work in the area of reparation can apply to the National Reparations Committee for a recommendation for appointment as a Champion of Reparation. Tom Dalgety, Deon Abrams, Jonathan Adams, Jean Violet Baptiste, Joycelyn Loncke, Hamilton Green, Lewellyn John and others are Champions of Reparation in their own right and can apply to the National Reparations Committee for recommendation to be so appointed. Caricom’s Draft Regional Strategic and Operational Plan is also good but needs the input of the African organisations, interested individuals and bodies. If this is followed by Mr Eric Phillips and his committee there will be tranquillity and maybe, success.
I think that there is some misconception anout my title as Ethnarch and King. I am Ethnarch and King of my members/followers, not the others. The proper name for our people is Descendants of Enslaved and Manumitted Africans. I have been using that name for approximately twenty years. I did not tell Mr Phillips and the others to choose the names they use. Now that they realise the importance of the name I have chosen they are dissatisfied and are blaming me. We are also members of tribes, I am the 4th highest ranking member of the Connelly tribe of Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Noah Yahshuarun
Ethnarch /King
