Dear Editor,
May 26th marks the 55th Anniversary of Independence. The complete truth and reality of Guyana is that all our ancestors of different ethnic ancestries built Guyana, beginning in different historical periods. None of our ancestors were just “victims”. They were remarkable individuals who did extraordinary things. This means that the best ideas and abilities to govern and develop the Guyanese nation have never come exclusively from one ethnic community or from one economic class. Many Guyanese believe that ethnic rivalry, political instability, persistent poverty across and within all ethnic communities, and periods of political insanity are permanent features of our society. Is this why we are still unable to forge national unity with equal and fair economic opportunities across and within all ethnic communities? We should look at Singa-pore, Malaysia and Mauritius that have similar histories of colonialism, underdevelopment and inter-ethnic conflicts. They changed and achiev-ed high levels of national unity and significantly increased the incomes of their workers, farmers, lower middle class and the poor across all their ethnic communities. How did they do it? All the people and political leaders had to openly and honestly discuss their ethnic rivalries. They did so with sensitivity and respect for all ethnic communities because they wanted to avoid an arousal of long-lasting negative ethnic stereotypes that fostered feelings of mistrust, suspicion, anxiety, fear, resentment, insecurity, and aggressive behaviours.
Talking about ethnicity can be an uncomfortable and difficult thing to do. Firstly, we have to acknowledge that Guyana’s colonial history continues to influence all of us. Using an ideology of ethnic/racial stereotypes, the colonialists deliberately separated our ancestors into specific occupations, specific residential areas and specific cultural activities that encouraged economic, social, and political rivalry between ethnic communities. Today, nearly all of us have rejected the unscientific racist idea that people with white skins and European physical features are superior to people with non-European features and black, brown and darker skins. Nonetheless, every one of us have continued, unconsciously and unintentionally, to internalize in our hearts and minds most of the false ethnic stereotypes from colonial days. Consequently, at home and in the diaspora, a kind of separate co-existence continues. We socialize in all types of organizations and networks where the overwhelming majority of members are from the same ethnic community. This is not a bad thing provided it contributes to a positive ethnic identity, it improves the well-being of all classes in an ethnic community and, most importantly, it contributes to building strong national bonds among all Guyanese.
But, to actively build national unity, we will have to balance socialization within ethnic communities with socialization across ethnic communities. Fortunately, we have a good foundation to start with. Most Guyanese of all ethnic ancestries daily interact in minibuses, in some schools and at the university, in some workplaces, in some religious organizations, in food markets and supermarkets, in major restaurants and in legal and medical institutions. We also mingle together at events and celebrations like major cricket matches, Christmas, Republic Day, Mashramani, Independence, Labour Day, Diwali, Phagwa, Eid Mubarak at the end of Ramadan, Easter Monday, rodeos and regattas. At home and in the diaspora, we the people will have to be the change we want to see. The politicians will take their lead from us when we start with ‘groundings’ at the grassroots across all communities. There will be many approaches. We must welcome all of them, including President Irfaan Ali’s “One Guyana” national initiative. These should be non-political activities that bring ethnic communities together in friendly sports events, in cultural concerts, in food festivals, in exchange visits to schools and ethnic communities across urban, rural and hinterland areas, and in seminars, debates and joint training workshops for debunking ethnic stereotypes. Regardless of the type of activity, the focus has to be on embracing, cherishing, sharing and celebrating our diverse Guya-nese nation by continuously learning about the histories, habits, customs and religions of our seven (7), not six (6), strong and resilient ethnic communities – Indigenous (Amerindian), African, Indian, Mixed, Portuguese, Chinese and European.
As a result, we will improve ourselves [1] by respecting the decency and humanity in every Guyanese, regardless of ethnicity, class or ideology; [2] by appreciating each other as unique individuals who are members of strong ethnic communities; [3] by actively listening to and respecting each other’s point of view on the Guyanese reality; [4] by talking truthfully about ethnic insecurities; [5] by empathizing and “walking in each other’s shoes”; and [6] by debunking stereotypes, with sensitivity and respect, in our homes, workplaces, schools, community organizations, political parties, religious organizations and social media, especially in discussions, books, learning materials, documentaries, documents, speeches, TV shows and radio programs. Most importantly, we will continue to strengthen our Guyanese identity based on common values and interests such as national independence and sovereignty, democracy, equal rights for all Guyanese, and the inter-mixing of our foods, music, literature, dialects and languages. We will realize that we are more similar than we are different. Socialization across ethnic communities will also empower women, youth, seniors, workers, farmers, business people and the poor of all ethnicities to come together and undertake united actions for: gender equality; youth empowerment; ending the abuse of women and children; supporting victims of incest; preventing suicide; and removing the barriers to equal and fair competition. Achieving this is easier said than done. There are no quick solutions. Some initiatives may fail. In some cases, there will be opposition from families, friends and political associates who will correctly argue that, while respecting and celebrating all ethnicities is good, there has to be electoral and constitutional reforms to ensure a better distribution of economic, social and political power. But, before we can create a level playing field to end unequal and unfair ethnic and class competition and winner-takes-all governments, there has to be national unity which can only be built by all Guyanese socializing at the grassroots across ethnic communities.
Sincerely,
Geoffrey Da Silva
