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An insult to both ourselves and our ancestors

Aug 10, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
Each year the people of Guyana celebrate the emancipation of our African ancestors. The Government of Guyana, representative of all Guyanese, issues a grant to emancipation committees countrywide as their contribution to Emancipation Celebrations. The grant is probably reflective of the Government’s commitment to national unity and their recognition of the part enslaved Africans and their descendants played in the development of Guyana. To the uninformed, the plantations consisting of cultivated areas bordered by a system of canals and drains were all established by the blood, sweat and tears of enslaved Africans. Our coastal defences were first built and maintained by the free labour of enslaved Africans.
Our ancestors, after emancipation, bought several former plantations and converted them into functional communities with all amenities then prerequisite for their effective functioning.  Several of the plantations developed on the blood, sweat and tears of enslaved African are now State lands, owned and managed totally by the Government. We have seen the conversion of several of these former plantations, now owned by the State, into affluent housing schemes. The sole upgrade in some of these former plantations has been the construction of enhanced access. One house built on a former plantation by a Government functionary has been sold for as much as one hundred and twenty million dollars and the average value of homes in one affluent scheme exceeds fifty million dollars. State lands, protected by coastal defences initially constructed by enslaved Africans, have been given out to Government functionaries at prices as low as five million dollars per acre.
The cheque for the sum of twenty five thousand dollars provided to the Hogstye-Lancaster Ibo group does not begin to recognize the part played by our African ancestors in the development of Guyana.
The eminently Moscow trained economist, upon whom the Honorary Doctorate was conferred, may be able to indicate what is the value of present day twenty five thousand dollars in terms of 1838 cents! That would give you a sense of how much our ancestors would have spent, in present day dollars, to purchase some of the former plantations. It should be established that Guyana would not be the society it now is without the contribution of our enslaved ancestors. It was because of Emancipation that indentured Indians, Chinese and Portuguese were brought to
Guyana. We consider the Government award of twenty five thousand dollars, provided to the Hogstye-Lancaster Ibo group, as grossly inadequate to recognize the sacrifice of lost lives, broken families and other human degradations suffered by our ancestors. Note we are not asking for compensation, we know the people of Guyana can do better to recognize the sacrifice of our ancestors. We consider it an insult and dishonour to both ourselves and our ancestors to accept what amounts to less than a pittance. Accordingly we are returning the enclosed cheque to you (see Editor’s Note). We would like to think that are ancestors are looking at us with some measure of pride as we take this minor step to allow them to regain their humanity and dignity.
Hogstye-Lancaster Ibo Group

Editor’s note: This is a verbatim copy of the letter sent to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport by the Hogstye-Lancaster Ibo Group and sent to Kaieteur News by Mr. Charles Ceres

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