Black Lives Matter murals were painted this week on streets in Berbice, Bartica and Georgetown. The site in Georgetown is the Square of the Revolution. While it has been celebrated by many, a minority has chosen to criticise and question the relevance. There is a belief that it is ill-timed because of our political crisis and that painting such murals can trigger a race war in Guyana. But aren’t we already in a race war? No, we are not in the streets fighting and hopefully with the guidance of the divine good sense will prevail and that will never happen. But there is a war fueled by the poisons that were fed to us by the colonialists; a war fueled by our political culture; a war that seeks to dehumanise and bastardise entire groups of people; a war that has contributed to the retrogression of ‘one people, one nation and one destiny.’
Celebrating Emancipation, the Black Lives Matter murals are appropriate in remembering the struggles of our African freedom fighters. I am quite sure freedom fighters like Cuffy, Damon and Quamina would be proud that the resistance to oppression continues. They may, however, also be disappointed that hundreds of years after their deaths, there is continued unwarranted demonisation and systematic oppression and murder of their descendants by other groups. It is a sad reflection about that state of the world that a movement like Black Lives Matter must exist globally.
The All Lives Matter brigade in Guyana have continued to demonstrate resistance. They will continue to stand in the streets and look at the burning house while screaming all houses matter instead of trying to save the one. They will continue to watch the drowning swimmer and shout that all swimmers matter instead of making efforts to save drowning the swimmer. They will continue to scream All Lives Matter while not realising that the phrase was coined by some of the racists who uphold the systems that oppress even them because outside of Guyana most of us will be viewed as second class citizens of the world and will be classified as Black, whether our ancestors came here from Asia or Africa.
Perhaps they misinterpret the movement, but in this age of information, it is not difficult to investigate and gain an understanding of the purpose of the Black Lives Matter movement; therefore, there is no excuse. If a fight for equality, justice and reparations upsets you, you must investigate your insecurities and hate and seek help.
I appreciate any movement towards the empowerment of people. I celebrate diversity. I chose not to participate in the belittlement of others based on racial identity. I will use my intellect to counter the ignorance of those who seek to debase me. I will not knowingly support those who support the systematic oppression of any people. I will never view myself as inferior to any human being on this planet.
Many are quick to criticise Black people for the problems that exist within their communities, but any attempts at unity are also met with criticism. Why fear the unification of Black people across the globe? Why say that we hate ourselves but still seek to belittle our movements which speaks to our pride? Why say that we are the worst people on the planet while sitting on the blood and sweat of our ancestors who built many of the institutions you now benefit from? Why are you so concerned when we demonstrate that we respect ourselves, know who we are, and are proud of history and culture?
The Black Lives Matter movement is not a movement which seeks to establish Black supremacy. The notion of any group of people being superior to another is flawed and the root of many of the world’s injustices, wars and oppression. The Black Lives Matter movement is not a struggle that negates the struggles of other peoples. The essence of the movement is that it recognises that without struggle change will never occur in this world. It is not in any way seeking to suggest or establish that Black lives are the only lives that matter, but that Black lives for hundreds of years have been systematically oppressed mainly by a system of White supremacy, especially in the United States of America. But it is not only in America that we see have witnessed injustices. In different parts of the world, the struggle varies. Systematic racism and oppression are ever present in almost every continent on this planet. And here in Guyana we have not escaped. Many sat, coordinated and watched the killings, the victimisation, torture, deliberate underdevelopment of communities and discrimination of Guyanese of African descent. Those facts alone have made the Black Lives Matter movement relevant here.
In a world where equality truly means that all men are recognised as equal, there would be no need for Black Lives Matter. In a world where truth, justice and righteousness are the basis by which all human beings operate, there would be no need for Black Lives Matter. In that world, history would tell a different story.
No group of people on this planet are without their flaws. All have offended throughout history. Whether it was tribal wars or religious wars that split villages; whether it was village against village or country against country, globally man has hurt each other in unforgivable ways. There are those ancestors of the children of the Black Lives Matter who are also not blameless. Some were culpable in hurting their own people or joining with their oppressors.
Therefore, Black Lives Matter is not only about marching and painting murals but compels the community to heal from within. There must be focus on strengthening the family. Parents must invest in their children. The value of education must be emphasised, and it must be pursued. The idea of creating and building generational wealth must not just be a theory, but we must be actively involved in setting the foundations to ensure this. Organisations must be active in holding institutions that have participated in oppressing Guyanese of African descent accountable. Instead of constantly talking about all those who were murdered by a regime in Guyana by ways such as extrajudicial killings, actively pursue justice for those lives.
All Lives Matter will not be a reflection of the truth once groups of people continue to be oppressed. Around the globe many of the descendants of the colonialists are standing in solidarity with the Black Lives Movement. I find it sad and a reflection of the deep-seated issues that exist here that other brown peoples are some of the greatest opposers to this movement and seem to be losing sleep over it.
May the ancestors be with all us. May the divine inspire us to be better human beings. May we heal and unite to save ourselves.
