Britain’s Prince Henry arrived yesterday for a three-day visit that began with a hectic schedule of events, which included laying a wreath at the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in Kingston to pay homage to those who died in World Wars I and II.
Better known as Prince Harry, the fifth in line to the British throne is wrapping up a two-week tour of the Caribbean as the representative of Queen Elizabeth II. His visit to Guyana will in part commemorate the country’s 50th anniversary of independence from Britain.
The Prince touched down at around 12.58 pm at the Eugene F Correia International Airport at Ogle aboard a Trans Guyana aircraft.
He was met by Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge and British High Commissioner to Guyana Gregory Quinn. He then took the salute from a Guard of Honour of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
Unlike his father Prince Charles’s visit 16 years ago, or those of royals in the past, there were no crowds lining the streets to wave or get a glimpse of him though at the Brickdam Independence Arch workers from nearby offices came out upon seeing the media gathered there.
He went through a series of formal events. He met with President David Granger at the Ministry of the Presidency and laid wreaths at the Guyana Independence Arch and the Commonwealth War Graves.
A former Captain in the British Armed Forces, Prince Harry also met with cadets, serving officers and veterans at the GDF’s Camp Ayanganna, where he was given a tour of the base.
He did not speak to journalists and only four persons from the local media corps were allowed in proximity to him at all of the events, which were very brief, with some lasting mere seconds.
There was a small protest at the Commonwealth War Graves site, calling on him to apologise for Britain’s enforcement of slavery on the country during the colonial period. “We came out here today because we would have noticed a certain trend in the other islands Harry would have visited. There has been a certain silence on the colonial legacy that he is attached with and what he represents,” writer Akola Thompson said, as she held up a placard in protest.
‘You cannot come into our country and not address your family’s role in its economic and social stagnation,’ ‘[The] British empire was built on the backs of our ancestors,’ ‘Britain is still profiting from slavery/indentureship, Guyana is still suffering effects of slavery/indentureship’ and ‘Britain encouraged racial division in Guyana,’ were among some slogans written on the placards by the four protestors. All included the hashtag ‘#notmyprince.’
“We came out here today to not only try to comment on the history of colonisation in Guyana [but] how people (who) would have benefited from the system are here and are being celebrated. We don’t have an axe to grind per se with Harry but what we have an issue with is what he represents,” Thompson asserted.
“What he represents is colonisation and it completely ruined our country financially and mentally and we still have not recovered from that as yet. The Queen or no one has actually apologised for the slavery in Guyana or any other Caribbean country. They have argued that it was not illegal then but that is not the point, not because something was not illegal means it should be justified. I think he is a representative of the Queen, so, yes, he should apologise,” she added.
For Steffon Barron, the nation does not know enough of its history and he wanted to use the protest to bring attention to it. “We want to bring attention to this and people seem to have the belief that there was no danger in colonisation so we are really here today to bring it to the fore and let everyone know that colonisation still is very strong and that he is not our prince. He is not our prince,” he said.
Today, the Prince will visit the hinterland, where he will stop at the Amerindian settlement of Surama in Region Nine, the Iwokrama nature reserve and visit the Kaieteur Falls.
“Prince Harry will receive an official welcome from the Surama villagers, around the gathering point of the village’s Totem Pole. His Royal Highness will hear more about traditional village life, and take a short trip to the village’s Eco Lodge to see how the community is embracing eco-tourism,” according to a statement from Kensington Palace.
“His Royal Highness will fly to the Iwokrama International Centre, which has a close link to Prince Harry; his father, The Prince of Wales who has been the organisation’s Patron since 2000. Prince Harry will meet with rangers to learn about the forest, and the steps being taken to protect this important reserve, and the broader conservation efforts of the Amazon. Before arriving at the reserve, Prince Harry will briefly call into Fairview Village and pay his respects to the village elders, as well as visiting the local school. The final stop of the day will be Kaieteur Falls… To reach this staggering natural wonder, Prince Harry will take one more flight, and then a short trek through the jungle with local guides, who will explain the local flora and fauna of the area, before he reaches the falls,” the statement added.
Tomorrow, Prince Harry is scheduled to spend time with children at the Joshua House Orphanage in Georgetown before heading back to the United Kingdom.
Prior to his arrival here, he visited Barbados as part of observances for that island’s celebration of its 50th anniversary of independence. He also visited Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
