‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ is an autobiography by the late Maya Angelou describing her early life. In it she divulges experiences that include sexual abuse, racial prejudice and abandonment. It is a story of transformation; growing and breaking the walls of those social and psychological prisons.
We have fought for freedom throughout history and in this age, we enjoy liberation. In most societies, women are no longer repressed. Ropes and chains are not visible around the necks, hands and legs of most. There is religious tolerance. People are free to express themselves, irrespective of gender or sexuality.
But though these are 21st century realities, violations of freedom still cause confinement. Women are still objectified. Some are forced to marry men they do not desire, and many are still maimed and killed by the hands of those they love. We remember the Guyanese women who have died as a result of gender-based violence.
Women and children are sex trafficked worldwide. It is like a silent shame and cry here. But those who work to save our women and children must be commended.
Modern day slave markets were reported in 2017, when Africans were sold in Libya. They were migrants with a dream to reach Europe and were held by smugglers and forced to work for little or no pay. Some employers here pay their employees less than minimum wage and treat them with contempt.
Religious intolerance still exists. It was in March of this year when Guyanese of African descent were condemned and vilified for their spiritual practices at the Seven Ponds in the Botanical Gardens. The Eurocentric Judeo-Christian seeds that were planted in our minds by the colonizers have sprouted and bloomed and many are quick to demonize religious practices they do not understand or care to investigate.
Many people still face stigma, discrimination and even death because of their gender or sexuality.
Still, we are free. But have we ever really been fully emancipated? Or is it that we can venture outside our cages for a while, but the bars and locks are always visible. We live by the laws created and enforced by the rulers of the day. Freedom of movement is not a privilege granted to all. Every person who is denied a visa can attest to this. Earth’s citizens who cannot freely cross borders know this. This is not the age when we can sail across the ocean and land wherever we please. Rights to be imperialists were never granted to all of us.
Hanging now in the air is a virus that has further confined us. Sickness and death equalize us. This virus has induced fear. There is no fee enough to pay for peace of mind. We can ignore the warnings and rules to ensure few are infected or run and roam free but risk death. Most of us have accepted that one day we will die, but some still wish to live forever. Many are grieving the passing of yesterday: Yesterday when the air was not uncontaminated—for it is long we have been basking in the pollution—and yesterday when we were free to socialize without fear and there were no restrictions to our movements within our country. We were not required to hide our noses and mouths to save ourselves.
We are now caged in the confines of our homes and minds. Some are anxious like animals on their way to the slaughter. Those who have lost their income or have had their income lessen during this period are being tried and tested by the demands of our modern world. The doors of most businesses are closed. Mortgage payments and loans are being deferred. Landlords wait to replace tenants disregarding their circumstances. The uniformed children no longer colour the streets. Instead, many parents are at their wits end. There are less people walking. The eyes of many reveal that they are troubled. Silent are the nights for many are not breaking the curfew to face the humiliation of standing in the sun for an hour. Unfortunately, the psychological effects might last for a lifetime.
We are now the caged birds, desiring to fly free again, but our wings are clipped. Birds are not dropping dead from the skies. The ones in the cages of men might look at their masters, sense that all is not well and sing to ease their anxieties. The animals are roaming free on the streets, in the pastures and on the farms. They do not have to stand six feet apart. They do not require masks to protect them. The ones caged, waiting to be slaughtered, might sense the gloom around them. Maybe they hope that they hear prayers of gratitude for their bodies intended to feed the nation.
COVID-19 reminds us that we are not invincible. We can build these cages around ourselves while the non-humans on the planet watch us collapse behind the bars.
COVID-19 has granted us the opportunity to ponder why the caged birds sing. We can assume that they sing to save themselves from dropping dead when they accept that they will never fly again.
We must sing. Sing because we are still here and there is hope to better ourselves and our societies. When the pandemic ends, we must sing because we are alive. Songs of gratitude. Songs of love, peace and unity. Songs for equality. Songs for justice. Songs for healthcare and not death preparedness. Songs in remembrance of those who would have lost their fight during this pandemic. Songs for a better world and the destruction of the cages that have confined us though we are said to be free.
We must develop a greater appreciation for the non-human life forms on this planet. They must not sing because they are trying to survive the way we have mistreated them. They must sing because we are in harmony and because the world is being healed.
