From President Bharrat Jagdeo

Aug 01, 2008 News

One hundred and seventy-four years ago, on August 1, 1834, the most hideous and barbaric system of human exploitation was abolished, and full and final freedom announced for all enslaved Africans throughout the British Caribbean.

The end of plantation slavery came nearly four hundred years after the first transatlantic shipment of Africans.

This trade in human beings depleted Africa of several millions of its most productive souls, of whom more than a million would have perished during the horrific journey.

The historical account of slavery is burdened by unspeakable atrocities and adversity. It is a history of genocide.

It is a history of the African Holocaust when every conceivable device was employed to reduce a proud and powerful people to commodities.

Full and final freedom, as some would have us believe, came only from the public campaigns of the anti-slavery movement; when in fact it was the prolonged militancy of the enslaved African population that secured their full and final freedom against the combined economic power and influence of the Caribbean plantocracy and British imperialism.

The experience of slavery is a lesson of achievement. It is an account of the manner in which the African people consistently refused to be broken and resolutely resisted attempts to be reduced to less than human.

We stand today as a Guyanese nation proud of our African ancestors who transformed adversity into creativity; who by 1838, after only four years under the system of amelioration were ready to become a productive landed group.

Today, we also recognize the considerable achievements of African descendants in every sphere of nation building and take this opportunity to thank the Guyanese African community for the depth of their contribution to national development and to the nation’s cultural richness and diversity.

It is, indeed, the time and occasion for us to express our gratitude for their struggle, resistance, and continuing contributions to our nation. On this day, August 1, therefore, there is much to celebrate.

Last year, I said that the nation must commit itself to addressing the sensitive issues of the trade, captivity, and human abuse which characterized the system of plantation slavery by ensuring that the reprehensible experience is never forgotten, not just by the descendants of slaves, but by all Guyanese.
I committed my Government to support the case for reparations.

And as the developed world has determined it practical to proffer fulsome apologies for the atrocities committed during slavery, our Government must ensure that they respect their obligation, promise, and commitment.

On this occasion of Emancipation Day that brought freedom to our African ancestors, the Government of Guyana joins with all Guyanese to pay tribute to their heroism and resoluteness in the face of adversity.

Today, it is most appropriate that we as Guyanese should think of the suffering and the sacrifice of our African ancestors.

Let us today on Emancipation Day steadfastly determine to uphold a mutual respect, appreciation, and understanding of each other.

Guyana is especially proud of its illustrious mosaic of nationhood, a cultural mosaic that will endure infinitely in this beautiful land that is our home.
Happy Emancipation Day!

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