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Arrival Month is for everyone

May 18, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
May is recognised as Arrival Month in Guyana, that is, the arrival of the Portuguese, Indians and the Chinese following the abolition of slavery. But why is it that the Indians are the only ones who are openly acknowledging this part of history in our country?
Over the past few years I have noticed a concerted attempt to place emphasis on all of the ethnic groups that arrived here under the indentureship system. But more light still needs to be shed on this phenomenon, from the abolition of the slavery of blacks to the eventual abolition of indentureship.
A cursory question to the normal Guyanese man, woman or child about what this month signifies and one is met with a blank stare or the only response from the slightly more informed is that of when Indians arrived to Guyana as indentured servants.
The Portuguese arrived in 1835, the Indians in 1838, the Chinese in 1853 and freed Africans in 1841 and many Guyanese seem to have forgotten this, or just blithely ignore it. However, one still needs to keep uppermost in their mind that the abolition of slavery and the resistance put up by the newly freed slaves to continue to work on the plantations was what sparked the indentureship system. I believe we as Guyanese in the month of May should also place emphasis on the abolition of slavery and the fortitude and strength displayed by the freed Africans not to remain under the thumb of the white planters and to raise their people up and carve out their niche in society and be recognised as people that have a worthwhile contribution to make. This I believe is a very profound piece of history that ought not to be lost to the younger generation.
Dr. Walter Rodney examines the dynamic of this in a number of his publications, more intricately in his book “A History of the Guyanese Working People 1881-1905”. However one other aspect he focused on was the ethnic solidarity that was evident in that period, but which has been lost to some degree in today’s society. Rodney attributed the common and perpetual pattern of African and Indian victimization as the catalyst inducing a genuine solidarity in that era.
Another fact that ought to be celebrated not only on the first of May, but throughout the month, is the struggle for workers’ rights by Trade Unionist, Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, who fought for the rights of all of Guyana’s working people in British Guiana.
We must remember too that all four groups of people who arrived here, be it as slaves or indentured labourers, all suffered unspeakable hardships and cruelty and later went on to make significant contributions to Guyana. This was only achieved by working together.
As Guyanese we need to see ourselves more as one people and not as one particular group of people, and make our best possible effort to engender the attributes of our foreparents in our society today.
We need to remember the struggle for freedom and equal rights and the ethnic solidarity that was the propeller for the freedom that we currently enjoy today.
Delana Isles

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