Much of what Prof. Nkofi wrote could provide a programme for this Year of Development

Mar 05, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
Over the years I have been reading letters to the editor and statements about Blacks and Indians, the last one being by Mr. Ramracha captioned, “Will another Black cultural revolution solve the problem?” (GC 11/02). All these letters and statements are by intellectuals and degreed people and those grinding the Black axe being identical to those grinding the Indian axe.
These intellectuals have created their own intellectual dream world where they could enjoy sparring around. But their world is one of misty nothingness or at best one of anachronisms. A good example of such unreality was when an Africanist leader was calling a band of ordinary criminals, who had murdered a number of Indian people on the East Coast Demerara and at Bartica, ‘the Armed African Resistance’. Such outlandish silliness was unknown to the Guyanese population and would have brought laughter, were it not so serious in its consequence.
The only realistic offering I have seen on these issues over the last few years is Prof. Accabre Nkofi’s booklet (or manifesto), “The Rebirth of the Blackman”. Prof. Nkofi eschews the pomposities and meanderings of the academics and constructively gets directly to the point. Indeed, every sentence of Prof. Nkofi’s offering is pregnant with meaning and could have been expanded into pages if he had chosen to play academic games.
One perception of Prof. Nkofi I would like to mention which, if taken up, would bring realism to the racial and sometimes racist debates in the media which the academics enjoy. That perception is the following:-
(i) All the races of Guyana, and in particular the Black and Indian, are intertwined in their interests, and if any one section of the population suffers or is disadvantaged, it will inevitably negatively affect the others. So those academics, who are sneeringly enjoying and promoting the racial and racist debates are shooting themselves and their respective groups in the foot.
(ii) If all races and groups prosper and are creative, then all will gain and Guyana would obviously be a better place for all. Thus when any individual or group indulges in “beggar your neighbour”, they themselves will ultimately suffer. I could give no end of examples of this.
(iii) It is indisputable that all the races and groups in Guyana are their brothers’ keepers. A good way of putting this accepted principle into practice is in this “UN Year of Development of People of African Origin”. Whatever programmes there are, and the more such programmes the better, all must support them and participate in them. Africanist leaders and groups must take advantage of whatever the State offers and try to get the State more constructively involved.
Africanist leaders and groups must also let it be known that all groups, all Guyanese, are welcome to participate and support this Year of African Development, and the Indian group, in particular, must support this Year. The Africanist leaders must let it be known that Indian support is sincerely welcome. Fears that the State or any group will take over the Development Year for political reasons are foolish fears, since the event is so big and all-encompassing that there is creative space for all.
Let us strive to have more and more creative programes and all races and groups will have to play their part. Let us make this Year of African Development a proud success, and let us all, including the better-off Africans, help to raise the African disadvantaged.
If (i), (ii) and (iii) are put into operation, African Development Year would be a great creative success to the benefit and pride of all Guyanese, of whatever racial background.
Prof. Nkofi stated this idea in one short sentence in his manifesto, and there are numerous other helpful and creative prescriptions in the booklet if we are willing to grasp them. Indeed, much of what he offered could provide a programme for this Year of Development.
P. Ramlall

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