Dear Editor,
Women are being murdered in Guyana and it is nothing new. The society seems, to some extent, accepting of it as an occurrence that has become normalised. It no longer shocks the nation. The news of these murders arouse our curiosity and five minutes later we get on with our lives. The cycle seems increasingly endless and we have become so numb and accepting of the brutal killings of women in our society that most times our concern is to ensure that it is not a relative or close friend. Otherwise it is just another statistic, forgotten as a result of the plethora of interesting nonsense that captures our attention on social media and in the dalliances of life.
I will not bring politics into this because it is a waste of time even chronicling the current regime’s disinterest in this regard. I would rather speak to my Afro, Indo and Amerindian brothers in Guyana. The culture of the ownership of women must cease! The culture of machismo must be removed from our psyche and in our relationship with women. We must begin to share that relationship with women recognising that they are first and foremost, individuals that must have that inalienable right to leave for any reason that suits them. They are not our property. I know it is easier said than done. I know what our conditioning is in this regard. I understand the humiliation we feel; that sense of emptiness that overcome us. We are concerned with how society sees us, the quiet whispers of our friends and colleagues when she leaves to be with another man or woman.
I am not ignoring the pain you feel because of your sacrifices, your expectations and desires and the anguish you feel when it ends because of no fault of yours. No matter how slighted you feel, your only option should be to cut your losses and start over.
So the culture of ownership of women is our greatest problem. Until we understand that a woman is free to walk out of the wedding halls and leave you the next day and that she should be permitted to go, we will continue to senselessly murder and brutalise them. When a woman leaves, I roll with the pain and punches, play my love songs and go looking for another with the knowledge she too can leave at any time. She is free to leave. I beg us in Guyana to change our mentality when dealing with relationships.
A woman, no matter what you do for her, is not your slave or property. And you are no less a man when she walks away. If there are children involved, look after them and move on.
Sincerely,
Norman Browne
Social and Political Activist
