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HORACE CAMPBELL’S CATHARTIC FICTION

May 10, 2013 Letters

Dear Editor,
A remarkable thing happened along the journey of the likely Oliver Tambo award to the late Forbes Burnham. Notwithstanding its merits, a menagerie of hate and extremism seem to instruct those who advocate that such an award is not worthy of Forbes Burnham, because, he is alleged to have had a central role in the death of the brilliant historian Dr. Walter Rodney.
In doing so, Professor Horace Campbell and his band of co-conspirators have arrogated to themselves, the right to prosecute (or is it persecute?) the identified offender some thirty years later, for this dastardly act. However, at an elementary level, one would think that at least such a process requires the precepts of foundational fairness for all involved.
It is important that the widow and children of the late Dr. Rodney secure justice, and, at the same time, attain some closure in what had to have been a painful and tragic episode in their lives. Yet, one must ponder, how and why the current exercise to deny Forbes Burnham a well deserved award, will achieve that outcome?
It must be noted that no amount of awards to Forbes Burnham can diminish the work and admiration for the late Dr. Walter Rodney in and out of Guyana. His status is secured by every objective standard and application. Therefore, upon reflection, it is critical that we examine the fuel that gave rise to the flames of hate emanating from Campbell and his gang,
Is this about fidelity to Dr. Rodney and his life’s work? Or, are there forces exogenous to Rodney’s death, and located in the extreme form of hate and intolerance that continue to retard national cohesion and progress?
Apart from attributing Rodney’s death to the late Forbes Burnham, we are witnessing the manufacturing of new myths and folly around Burnham’s support for African liberation during his tenure. As if to suggest that the mere claim that Burnham was responsible for the death cannot achieve their desired outcome, there is this deliberate attempt to distort and frame a new narrative about Burnham’s contribution to the liberation of African liberation.
The good Professor begins by suggesting that Forbes Burnham played little or no role in the cause of African Liberation. Seeking to buttress this tenuous argument, he further added that Burnham was a pliant tool of Western and imperialist forces. Unfortunately for Horace Campbell, irrefutable facts and supporting evidence defeat what one can only describe as his clever work of fiction.
Exercises in fiction in itself are harmless, and on their own, should be encouraged.  Campbell himself may seek to be recognized for this fictional excursion. However, when that fiction seeks to undermine or distort, it must be refuted.
As if these excursions where not enough to achieve the devious deed, there comes the band of co-conspirators armed with attendant hate and extremist framings. Forbes Burnham is the embodiment of all evil then and now in Guyana. Moving from the central theme attributing responsibility for the death of Dr. Rodney to the former leader, the evolving framing seeks to construct an edifice founded on some contorted logic that Burnham’s support for the liberation struggle was limited to mere rhetoric and lip service. Maybe the refueling of Cuban fighter jets at Guyana’s airport was a work of fiction.
These well crafted efforts in pursuit of denying Forbes Burnham the Oliver Tambo award only serve a singular purpose. This is not about the merits of Forbes Burnham and Guyana’s contribution to the cause of African liberation.  This is a skillful yet pathetic effort seeking the prosecution of Forbes Burnham for the death of Dr. Rodney by proxy. Maybe this episode offers each of us the opportunity to reflect on how we genuinely find solution to our problems. Interestingly, the very South Africa offers us a template on how it is possible to move forward in our national discourse.
Maybe, as we cloak ourselves in Pan African ideal and precepts, their efforts at Truth and Reconciliation will inform us. Hopefully, the time is not too late.
LeRoy Nelson

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