Detangling racism

Jul 21, 2015 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Every now and then you come across an article that citizens need not only to read but thoroughly ingest, and on completion, decide which way forward. One such is the recent article by Freddie Kissoon entitled, “I lived in the white man’s country. The non-white record is awful” which carefully articulates some facts and observations on what ails us as Black people and as a nation.
Plainly put, the facts and observations are not shocking to me. They are quite well known, but the manner in which the writer so eloquently presented them is quite commendable. Like Freddie I am also non-white, proudly claiming a Third World Country as my place of birth, and have resided for significant periods in three countries spanning two continents. However, the crux of the matter is not that we have to stop blaming the white man but instead respond to the yet–to-be answered question: When will we stop blaming the white man?
We are accountable for our own actions now. The colonial epoch is now behind us and Guyanese have had ample opportunities since the white man’s departure to rectify all the atrocities committed, and to build a nation in a manner of their liking.
Pray tell me what has been done thus far? Where is the evidence of not only progress but sustained progress? We have to stop blaming the white man for our problems, and stand up inside of ourselves and develop some intestinal fortitude (drive & will power) so that we can plow through the dust that hinders our vision.
I am fully cognizant of the fact that in writing this column, I run the inevitable risk of being accused of Uncle Tom-ing, or being Sold Out, a feeling that is remotely distant from the truth. There is a well-known adage: A house divided against itself cannot stand. We as a people are divided and caught up in a struggle: Women trying to be men, men trying to be women, children against parents, light-skinned individuals thinking that they are better than the dark-skinned ones.
Another striking example of failure for which the white man is in no way responsible is the railway which in most advanced countries, is symbolic of continued progress. In Guyana the railway not only helped in quick and easy movement of the travelling public, but it also transported large quantities of goods very efficiently.
Bulk sugar from the estates was moved with relative ease to Georgetown for export. Yet, the Demerara-Berbice Railway, the first railway system on the South American continent operated by the Demerara Railway Company, and later sold to the Colonial Transport Department of the Government, came to a precipitous end when oil became a cheap commodity.
The folly of such an action is still being felt to this day, and again the white man had no hand in the matter. So rather than blaming the white man, the black man should learn how to outfox the hunter. Was it the white man who taught us the crab mentality, meaning when one of us reaches the top someone will pull us down?
Records show us how poorly non-whites have done after the white man has left them to run things for themselves. It’s plain to see that we have only ourselves to blame. History tells the truth so we cannot be mute. So let us stop the blame and get in the game under a new name. It is imperative that we penetrate the exterior and examine the interior. Detangle the racism. An entire country awaits.
Yvonne Sam

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