“Guyana is not a real place” is a now cliché term that remains popular, especially on social media. It is usually used in response to outrageous occurrences or idiotic actions. The formulation is also popular in Caribbean territories (“……… is not a real place”) and is said to have originated in Jamaica.
If one were to imagine our reality to be actually illusory, it may be comforting to pass the time, to bandage the gaping wounds that continue to bleed into our depravity and unwillingness to learn from our past.
The high tides of recent made me wonder about what this space would look like if one day we were obliterated. If this space were to return to its original state before the Indigenous; before slavery and indentureship; before colonialism; before our efforts to build a strong nation after Independence with some progress, but much failure because we are our worst enemies. Would the new inhabitants truly recognise and own the greatness of this land?
No doubt our journey has been long and arduous. But nature has provided us with the resources for every Guyanese to truly enjoy the good life. Still, to imagine that the literature after these generations would have expired may present us as a fragmented people—progressive, but also unchanging; a people who tried to fully recover from the effects of colonialism but failed over and over again—it saddens me. I am exhausted by the conditions that continue to condemn many to remain in a state of ignorance and mental bondage.
Transformation is happening. The faces of those who currently occupy this space are becoming more diverse. More than ever, unity is crucial.
“One people, one nation, one destiny” slips off our tongue with such ease but often it is not followed by action because a large section of us are prisoners of prejudice, politics and inertia.
Foreigners have assessed the great wealth we possess. Many have already come and taken their share. They are coming in droves to be a part of the evolution. Yet, there seems to be little revolution for us to truly unite and secure ourselves; to ensure that we will be the greatest beneficiaries of this country’s wealth.
What is social cohesion here? We have a ministry dedicated to it, but where are the ongoing efforts to unite us? Is it just a few annual events here and there? Oration that never quite becomes action? We love to talk, and we have long recognised and continue to admit that racial conflicts are the greatest hindrances to our progress and have the potential to destroy us. If change is happening, it is slow. And every so often we become enraged by isolated incidents while failing to address the issues holistically.
There was social media outrage this week when a University of Guyana student of East Indian descent made derogatory remarks about those of African descent. As usual, many were enraged, and exchanges of insults occurred; there is talk about what needs to be done before we move on to the next ‘Guyana is not a real place’ occurrence.
Do we believe that efforts that have been made have made great impact on uniting us?
It is unfortunate that the poison of divisiveness continues to affect us and mould some children into being the next generation of the prejudiced. I thought about the boy, just seven, who said to my daughter earlier this year, “Brown people are ugly.” It was more of an experience of colourism but the fact that the child was of another ethnicity – brown himself but lighter – saddened me because it is learned behaviour. The hatred amongst our people is not inherent. No child enters the world despising another human being because of their ethnicity. It is vile for parents to teach our children to hate.
In the midst of the outrage over the UG student, I was talking with a sister also of African descent who suddenly had something derogatory to say about those of East Indian heritage. The first time I pretended not to have heard, but I wondered, where her hatred and anger originated?
My silence from the embarrassment I regret. I should have tried to investigate her contempt for a group of Guyanese. Shared that change must occur from within. But in the moment, the shock paralysed me. I feared that the people of East Indian descent within earshot heard what she said. I feared that I would be labelled also as prejudiced or racist, because we were having a conversation. I was uncomfortable in the moment. I was uncomfortable about the underlying issues that continue to harm our society while we mask it with ‘conversations’ about racial unity. What are we actually doing in the privacy of our homes? In chats with our relatives and friends? At bottom house meetings and on social media? Are we going to wait on the Ethnic Relations Commission to fix all our racial problems? Can we honestly say we have seen major change considering the constant nasty exchanges, especially between supporters of the two major political parties?
We have to be honest about the history that has led us here and we must hold our brothers and sisters accountable when they demonstrate their hate and ignorance. Like the taxi driver who also who also made hateful remarks about those of East Indian descent just by observing the actions of a couple of pedestrians. Locking eyes with me through the rearview mirror as if expecting me to laugh and agree with him. I did not have to say anything. My expression communicated that I did not agree and that I thought he was a fool. He was quiet until he got me to my location. But many boldly assume all us skin folk, ethnicity folk, historically common pain and suffering folk, of the same ancestors’ folk, who should all have the same prejudiced and hateful mindset. But what about Guyanese folk? Many who get along fine, especially when politics is not a factor.
More than anything now, we need to unite. For too long we have been talking and writing with little other actions.
Guyana is a real place that needs to commit to addressing its issues with race honestly and for reconciliation. Guyana is a place that needs to empower its citizens. Guyana is a place where new thinkers, innovators and revolutionaries need to emerge. Guyana is not a place that needs a new political party every month to the point where many consider it a joke. The politicians are a large part of the problem because we have empowered them to imprison us. If we were to truly unite and demand accountability and for the nation to be truly put first, we would change the status quo.
The caretakers of this nation, past and present, what are they doing to truly inform and unite us rather than fighting to see who will be in charge of the oil? Some might just be waiting to enrich themselves. We all are supposed to be equal but in reality, many are stupefied and impoverished because they have relinquished their power. Guyana is a place that hangs on to hope. We must for the sake of our sanity.