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No more ‘Indo/Afro’ drivel!

Sep 20, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
It is never a wise thing to engage in any form of racism, racial marginalisation, racial degradation or ethnocentricity. While the recognition of racial differences and the differences among ethnicities is useful for the identification of the uniqueness of peoples, no single race should prevail over another, nor feel that they should. Racial individuality however must be recognised and celebrated, but not imposed.
Guyana has long been hailed as the land of six peoples. The rich history of Guyana provides empirical evidence about the why, what, when and how the inhabitants of this land were fused together to become one people, one nation, with one destiny.
As Guyanese lived and worked under their colonial masters, there seemed to be one common enemy: the man (or the white man). In the lead up to independence, one gets the feeling that there was a unified struggle to rid the land of the colonial ‘oppressors’. Actually the PPP way back in the early 1950s was formed initially with a stellar cast of young bright local minds determined to chart a new course for the country they inherited from their ancestors, after the dark ages of slavery and indentureship.
If there was any form of racial animosity existing among Guyanese, it must have either been much diluted or in its embryonic stages. Too many times elders from the past would revisit their youth and reminisce on how much unity there was in Guyana in those days before the 1950s came to an end.
So the question must be asked: What went wrong after the 1950s? Actually one might ask a more specific question: What caused the polarization of the two main races in this country: the East Indians descendants and the African descendants? Why is there thriving racial overtures existing among the other races?
What is driving the racial tension that exists between the two main races in Guyana?
People are surely not born racial! It takes a very well designed socialization system to plant the seeds of, and to nurture racism. In playschools all children play with each other. The innocence of children makes them unable to have any racial consciousness. A friend is a friend. He or she might look different. He might be darker, she might be lighter, but they all play and have fun. When and where does the clannishness of sticking to your own kind step in?
Does politics have anything to do with the flourishing of racism in the Guyanese society? Politics might be playing a part but is it playing a major part? I do not believe that there is much weight in the accusation that our politics have contributed tremendously to the racial divide that is so alive and well in Guyana in 2010.
While there are obvious manifestations of administrative ethnic cleansing in certain sections of our society, racism by and large is kept alive by the ordinary people of this country. Politicians are supposed to propagate whatever ideology they possess and believe. However, as a people we are also supposed to be wise and be able to discern the harmful policies from the progressive ones and act according to decency, integrity and respect for all around us.
If or when Guyanese decide to remove the blinding scales of racism and ethnic divisiveness from their eyes, only then would they recognise how inimical racism and racial politics have been to the development of Guyana. Guyanese need to recognise that racism only hurts the society and hinders development.
We as a people must recover from the toxicity of racism that has for too long been coursing through the veins of generations of Guyanese. We must refuse to be a hyphenated society. We are all Guyanese and shall be known as Guyanese. No more ‘Indo/Afro’ drivel!
Richard Francois

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