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FREEDOM MUST BE CHERISHED

Aug 02, 2015 Editorial

In Guyana and in other former British colonies, Emancipation Day is a national holiday which is widely celebrated on the first Monday in August. In Guyana the event is observed on August 1, the actual anniversary date.
Depending on who is counting, some say that it is now 181 years since Emancipation. The widely accepted count would make it 177 years, counting from the end of the period of apprenticeship.
Emancipation Day is indeed special to the persons of African descent. The celebration of Emancipation has always drawn mixed feelings in some quarters. This suggests that there is the need for all to identify with African history, which should not be hidden or ignored.
Hard as it is for some to accept, and strange as it may be to others, it is a day dedicated to celebrate the freedom of our African ancestors. Emancipation 2015 comes at a time when a change of government occurred in Guyana for the first time in twenty-three years. On the one hand, this has been hailed as a progressive move in the right direction because it will allow the people to live with confidence. On the other hand, it can be seen as a setback if the APNU+AFC Coalition Government does not embark on a robust socio-economic and human development programme to move the country forward.
Because of slavery, it must be noted that the world has been robbed of the value of the talents and gifts from Guyana and the Caribbean that could have been available. The peoples of Guyana and the Caribbean have proven to the world that their freedom has been a social, cultural and economic boost to national, regional and global development.
In the area of politics,the region has produced some globally recognized leaders, intellectuals, radicals, artistes and sports figures. Trinidad and Tobago’s first Prime Minister,Dr. Eric Williams was known for his intellect and was one of the 73 persons around the world to send a Goodwill message to the moon on NASA’s Apollo 11 lunar in 1969. Black Nationalist leader, Marcus Garvey of Jamaica spread his philosophy of Black Nationalism to the world to promote African enterprises and commerce. Dr. Walter Rodney of Guyana was internationally recognized for his non-traditional radical view of activists for the lower class.
The Caribbean gave birth to internationally acclaimed artistes Bob Marley and the Mighty Sparrow and in sports, Sir Garfield Sobers, Brian Lara and Usain Bolt, to name a few.
We may never know the full joy of Emancipation until we know how to value our freedom. It is very easy to assume that the things we take for granted today were always in existence. Too many of us believed that things were better under colonialism, but when shown the evidence that they were not, they would say that changes have always evolved with time anyway.
It is important that we take a good look at our ancestral past and decide what kind of future we want for our children. We must enlighten them to understand the full meaning of freedom as enunciated in the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833: “No one shall be held in slavery from the first day of August 1834….and all shall be free and discharged from all manner of slavery and shall, absolutely and forever be manumitted and the children to be born to any such persons, shall be set free from their birth.”
Our children must understand that the gift of freedom they enjoyed today and the protection it provides to them datesback all the way to 1834. So as we celebrated Emancipation Day yesterday. We must not take our freedom for granted but appreciate and cherish the fact that our fore parents fought and died for it in order to make us free.

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