Dear Editor,
August 1st marks the anniversary of the date that the African slaves by order of the British Parliament were legally freed in 1834. However, thanks to the greed and machinations of the plantocracy, slaves were required to serve four years of apprenticeship. So freedom can be identified from August 1, 1838.
Slavery as a system over several generations left serious scars upon the Descendants of Manumitted Africans. The challenge today, as we observe another year of that freedom is to ensure that that freedom is alive and well.
In the circumstances of Guyana, it must be the duty of those descendants irrespective of political, religious and other attachments to ensure that the suffering and sacrifices of the African Ancestors is used not to hate but to love. We need to ensure that that suffering is turned into a sacred doctrine for the intellectual stimulation and comfort of every Guyanese.
There are some who seek to trivialize the suffering and sacrifice of slaves. The slaves who with crude implements dug canals and drains to civilize our entire coastal belt and opened the interior as porknockers to harvest gold and diamonds. Unless each group recognizes and acknowledges the role they played to make Guyana good and great, we are unlikely to be a country of harmony and progress.
The Africans, the Amerindians, the Chinese, the East Indians, the Europeans and Portuguese all made and must continue to make a stellar contribution to the wholesomeness of Guyana.
After we gained Independence, the contentious issue in Guyana was ideological. Today, the issue is no longer capitalism versus communism, even though there is the insinuation of neocolonialism and an imperialist philosophy. It is about the fair distribution of wealth.
The leaders who celebrate Emancipation 2023 must direct their efforts towards making this a reality. Leaders everywhere must ensure that we fulfill the dreams and aspirations of past and present generations and that we on this day and tomorrow pledge to release the creative energies of a great people.
We remember and live the words contained in the second stanza of the Song of the Republic written by Cleveland Hamilton and set to music by Frank Daniels.-
“ We’ll forge a nation’s mighty soul
Construct a nation’s frame;
“Freedom our everlasting goal,
“Courage and truth our aim
Unyielding in our quest for peace
Like ancient heroes brave,
To strive and strive and never cease
With strength beyond the Slave.”
A thoughtful and Sober Emancipation kDay!
Hamilton Green
Elder
