Village movement rebirth can reposition status of African Guyanese – Vincent Alexander

Aug 11, 2015 News

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By Kiana Wilburg

The importance of the Village movement and how its rebirth can reposition the status of the African Guyanese was the focus of a presentation made by Special Advisor on Tertiary Education, Vincent Alexander, at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the Cuffy 250 Committee.
The theme of the event which was held at the Critchlow Labour College on Sunday was “Guyana’s Renaissance: The 50th Anniversary of our Independence and the Positioning of the African Guyanese”.
The well-attended forum usually brings together African Guyanese to talk about the conditions of the African Guyanese community and to discuss the way forward. It also aims to lay the groundwork for charting an African Guyanese Cultural and Socio-Economic agenda as part of the larger national thrust.
The occasion saw deliveries from President David Granger, prominent Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes and Dr. David Hinds among others.
Alexander’s contribution was in the realm of Local Governance or Community Governance.  He said that this area resonated with the theme of the conference, since the origin of good and acceptable governance in Guyana is rooted in the village movement and its offspring, the local government system.
Alexander explained to his audience that governance may be seen as the process by which those who are wielding power, exercise that power in relation to the citizenry and the sub-groups of the citizenry. He noted that good governance on the other hand is associated with “democratically developmental regimes.”
He explained, “By developmental regimes, it refers to, at minimum, the UN’s Human Development Indices namely: life expectancy, expected years of schooling, mean years of schooling, and gross national income.”
Alexander stressed that the pillars of good governance are transparency, openness, inclusivity, equity, high ethical standards, and accountability, with the establishment of a democratically-elected government as a prerequisite. He then explained that this scheme is relevant to the renaissance and positioning of the African Guyanese.
The aficionado of history said, “With the coming of the Europeans to Guyana, as it is known today, none of the aforementioned characterized their governance (rulership). It is the Village Movement with the collective acquisition of lands, the introduction of the villages’ Committees of Management and the overall collective approach to decision-making and execution that ushered in this embryonic regime of good governance. This regime has since been as tidal as the waves of the Atlantic Ocean and as undulating as our mountainous hinterland.”
He continued, “Movements like the introduction of adult suffrage in 1953, the ushering-in of Independence in 1966, and the attainment of Republican status in 1970, inter alia, have created expectations with regards to the achievement of Good Governance, but alas, we have faltered on each occasion.”
The special advisor on tertiary education said that 2015, and the promise of a good life for all, has once again ushered-in such a moment, which is further accentuated by the advent of the 50th anniversary of Guyana’s Independence.
He said that it is this moment which the nation should now seize in pursuit of what was once evident on the political landscape, but has become an elusive dream for Guyana, and the African Guyanese, in particular.
Alexander said that that moment and its sustainability many well represent the renaissance of African Guyanese. He said that there is no better place for that to be done than through the Village Movement.
The former Registrar of the University of Guyana explained that the villages still represent exclusive African Guyanese spaces to which they have legitimate rights by virtue of their inheritance from their foreparents, who purchased over 200-plus villages. He said that those villages also represent significant agricultural lands, hence the prospect for agricultural and agro-based industries.
He told his attentive audience that the constitutional provision, Article 72 (3) provides for the re-institutionalization of village councils, hence a governance framework for the villages and their village specific resources, mainly the land; and a mechanism for vertical integration into the neighbourhood, regional and national systems of governance and development, among others. He added that the co-operative units could also be used to harness resources, human and material, inter alia.
Alexander said that this approach may well be embraced by others, if they have not yet done so.
He said, however, that there is more to the movement than space, governance and economic activities.
“In fact, in addition to shared space, the movement is founded on shared history, history in terms of place and civilization of origin, history in terms of pre-emancipation experiences and post-emancipation experiences all the way through to current common experiences,” he expressed.
He said, too, “It is also founded on spiritual commonalities, such as values, beliefs, aspirations and shared religiosity. They are also shared cultural elements, such as attire, art forms, foods and many others. Not to mention, the creole language which emerged from and exemplifies much of the commonality already mentioned.”
Alexander said that it is all of those factors that provide the bases for the Village Movement to embrace good governance.
He noted that the establishment of Management Committees and the convening of village meetings also speak to the principle of inclusivity. Alexander said that the convening of the meetings was for the purpose of accounting to the community. He stated that much of what is identified with good governance merely requires a renaissance rather than any importation of alien values or practices, and all together gives identity to African Guyanese.
“With the realization and recognition of identity, the African Guyanese would be imbued with the self-confidence to interact with other national stakeholders, thus, creating the atmosphere for mutual engagement and participation in the national conversation towards a national ethos which accommodates diversity while establishing the basis for consensus and cooperation in relation to the inter-communal and national relations.”
Alexander in conclusion expressed that critical to this realization is the creation of a conducive environment by those in central authority.
“The community must therefore ensure that the promises of 2015 are fulfilled and that the regime is disposed to the reception of the good historical beginnings and current good practices, mindful that some of the principles have already been enshrined in the national frame for Governance.”

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