Emancipation lessons still relevant today

Aug 01, 2010 APNU Column, Features / Columnists

Today, August 1, 2010, as we celebrate the 172nd anniversary of emancipation from slavery, the lessons of that struggle still remain relevant today as we confront the continuous effort of the present dictatorship to re-impose modern slave conditions upon Guyanese.
It is, therefore, essential that we use this anniversary to reflect, not only on the abominable system of slavery and the horrors of the slave trade, but, the remarkable and successful liberation struggle and the lessons to be learnt therefrom.
The slave masters were only concerned with the creation of wealth, “by any means necessary” at the expense of the slaves who were considered by them as mere instruments for its creation. Nothing else mattered.
The use of superior weaponry and the imposition of the most brutal and inhumane systems of punishment were only two of the methods employed to keep their “chattels” under subjection.
The more effective methods were the development of lackeys and House slaves whose mission was to report to the slave masters every action of the enslaved population and, more particularly, to maintain division within their ranks to ensure that disunity undermine the emancipation struggle. In this context, the failure of the 1763 Revolution, led by Cuffy, needs to be fully understood by all Guyanese.
After successful physical battles against the Dutch Soldiers, they managed to flee the plantations and were poised to establish their own administration at Magdalenengburgh. Yet, even at that time, when they should have been building their own institutions and preparing to defend their hard earned freedom, further dissent in their ranks, particularly among their newly emerged leaders, led to a malaise which resulted in the Dutch being able to replenish their ranks and re-conquer those who had waged a valiant struggle for freedom.
The aftermath was disastrous, as the leaders were hung, dismembered and broken at the wheel as a warning to those who may have been bold enough to repeat the adventure.
Significantly, the mistakes could not be easily corrected and, as history has shown, those mistakes resulted in another seventy-five years of bondage before they were finally able to leave the plantations in 1838.
Had the then slaves been exposed to the Biblical lessons of Egyptian slavery and the journey of Moses, they may have understood why the Children of Israel had to spend an additional forty years in the desert before they eventually crossed the Jordan. Yet there is still much to reflect upon.
The sophisticated weaponry of the slave masters were no deterrent. Unity, effective organisation and determination made the difference. The ability and foresight of the previously enslaved Africans to pool their resources immediately after emancipation to purchase villages as a foundation for their ultimate self determination and economic liberation are also significant.
The many villages such as Victoria, Buxton and Bagotville in Demerara, Queenstown and Dartmouth in Essequibo, and, Kildonan and Courtland/Gibralter in Berbice still remain as constant reminders of our ancestors’ legacy.
Today, as Guyana experiences the worst forms of discrimination, exploitation and poor governance, those factors are still relevant if Guyana is to be restored to its rightful place among the democratic nations of the world. The task must of necessity be carried out by Guyanese.
It is to be hoped that all Guyanese will use the period of the 172nd Emancipation celebrations to learn these lessons of history and support all initiatives to ensure our liberation from the modern slave masters and their imposed system of modern slavery. It is, therefore, appropriate that we conclude this column by restating the PNCR’s Emancipation Message.

PNCR MESSAGE ON 172ND ANNIVERSARY OF EMANCIPATION
The 172nd anniversary of the Emancipation of slaves, in the English-speaking Caribbean and Guyana, finds this country in the throes of its worst post Independence governance crisis.
The present rulers, quite reminiscent of the slave owners of that distant era, have resorted to the tactic of divide and rule and bribery to gain political advantage, in the run up to National and Regional Elections which are due in 2011.
One Government Minister would be glad if a health crisis should break out in Georgetown, our capital City, so as to achieve the political objective of his party, which is to oust the present Mayor and Council of the City of Georgetown. Meanwhile, the City Council is being starved of revenue, to which it is legally entitled, from the Central Government and, at the same time, being refused permission to undertake legitimate revenue raising measures.
At the National level, there is widespread racial and political discrimination; human rights violations; a pervading sense of insecurity and helplessness, due to unemployment and the high cost of living; the burgeoning drug culture; and the descent into lawlessness and immorality.
It is, therefore, fitting that, as we commemorate this 172nd Anniversary of Emancipation from slavery, the descendants of African slaves should be joined by the thrust of Guyana in the noble task of rescuing this dear land from further descent into the status of a “failed state.”
Looking back in history, we note that the descendants of the enslaved Africans forged a social order and a community structure which demonstrated the resilience of the human spirit and their aspirations to live as a free and dignified people.
Perhaps the greatest manifestation of that resilience was the village movement which emerged after emancipation, as the freed African people combined themselves into cooperatives to purchase the estates of their former masters and laid the foundations for rural and agricultural development in Guyana.
This spirit of overcoming adverse circumstances and disadvantageous conditions, is embedded in the spirit and consciousness of all Guyanese, of all ethnic origins, and remains a defining characteristic of our people.
The descendants of slaves were pioneers in many aspects of life in Guyana: in the rise and expansion of basic education; in the rise of a Creole peasantry; in the growth and expansion of Trade Unionism; in the establishment and growth of social and cultural norms.
In particular, the PNCR wishes to stress the importance that the African ancestors accorded to education and the powerful force that this discipline has exerted, not only for the development of the country but also for building national cohesion and racial amity.
It is fitting, therefore, that, at this time, the descendants of the African Slaves should be join by the rest of Guyana, as we commemorate the occasion and that we, as Guyanese people, recount the many contributions of the African people for Guyana’s political, economic and social development.
The celebration of the ancestral foods, music, art, clothing and folklore, which our African ancestors have pioneered, are also an important aspect of generating a society, confident in its diversity.
The PNCR, therefore, wishes every Guyanese, of all races or creeds, an enjoyable and Happy Emancipation Day. As we do so, we ask all Guyanese to remember that our history is a vital engine for development and, therefore, the exploits and achievements of our Amerindian ancestors, as well as our African, Indian, Portuguese and Chinese descendants, must be remembered if we are to go forward with a confident stride into the future.