Dear Editor,
I was happy to see in a letter in the Stabroek News, March 25 issue, entitled ‘Amerindians were not the first people on the continent’, that this discussion is finally gaining currency. However, my interest is not only that the case authenticating the presence of Africans here before Amerindians, should be made. I’m not interested in playing take-down, one-up games.
For me, it’s all about the illumination of the true facts of my history (utilizing all documented evidence available), proving I’m not just the descendant of enslaved Africans brought here by force; my DNA is that of a questing, adventuresome people who arrived on these shores before Amerindians, Columbus, or the slave trade.
It’s a matter of self-esteem and pride that these buried facts of my/our Guyanese history should be resurrected and specifically pursued with determination and passion – especially in this United Nations designated ‘Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2025’.
Yours faithfully,
Joan Cambridge