I concur with Freddie Kissoon on Burnham’s choice of date for establishing Republic

Feb 25, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,

Mr. Freddie Kissoon, in discussing Mr. Burnham’s ‘Visionary, narcissistic and dangerously flawed attributes, wrote: “He settled for February 23 for Mashramani because the date was three days after his birthday. He justified the date by citing that day as the start of the 1763 slave rebellion. He settled for May 26 for Independence for personal reasons relating to the 1763 rebellion. Everything was personal for Burnham”.
Below, I concur with Mr. Kissoon but explain more on the adoption of the dates. I quote from my 2009 book: Under Attack! The Caribbean Indian – Rebutting & Educating UWI’s Dr. Kean Gibson for Vilifying Hindus about both the February 23 (Republic Day) and the May 26 (Independence) dates. First, I need to point out the date of February 23 as the start of the 1763 Slave Rebellion is not settled. Guyana.org states: “around the 23 February 1763, a more organised revolt took place. This uprising became known as the Berbice Slave Rebellion. Note the word: “around”. http://www.guyana.org/features/guyanastory/chapter30.html
Next, Marjoleine Kars, Associate Professor at UMBC who says in her bio that her new book is “about a massive and nearly successful slave rebellion in a Dutch colony (now the Republic of Guyana)…” wrote in the article, “Dodging Rebellion: Politics and Gender in the Berbice Slave Uprising of 1763” as follows: “ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1763, SLAVES IN the Dutch colony of Berbice on the Caribbean coast of South America launched a massive rebellion”. Note the ‘February 27’ date.
The following is what I wrote in my 2009 book. I notice that the portal mentioned is now up for sale. I also notice that the origin of the word Mashramani is not settled. Nevertheless, here is the excerpt as at 2009.
The Caribbean Education Online: The Education Portal of the Caribbean, teaches about the Guyanese national festival, Mashramani, which was inaugurated by Burnham as follows:
“Mashramani, sometimes referred to as ‘Mash’, is usually observed on the 23rd day of February – Guyana’s Republic Day – to commemorate the ‘Birth of the Republic’. It is probably the most colourful of all the festivals. There are spectacular costume competitions, float parades, masquerade bands, and dancing in the streets to the accompaniment of steel band music and calypsos. Masqueraders frequent the streets performing acrobatic dance routines, a vivid reminder of Guyana’s African heritage. Calypso competitions with their witty social commentaries are another integral part of ‘Mash’, and this culminates in the coronation of a King or Queen for the particular year.”
While Mashramani is an Amerindian word, the description provided speaks only of “Guyana’s African Heritage”. Some commentators have labelled the festivities as a predominantly African festival which is consistent with the above description and which ignores any reference to other races/ethnicities.
Then again, the overwhelming opinion would hold that, in his notoriously predictable imperious and egotistic manner, Forbes Burnham, who wrangled from Britain the ignominious Rape-of-Wismar date, May 26, for Guyana’s independence, instituted Guyana’s Republic Day unabashedly to coincide with his birthday. He was born on February 20, 1923. So, he would have combined the “February” month and, with just the Burnham-modest modicum of subtlety, the year “23”, in 1923, to establish Guyana’s Republic Day as February 23, as well as, the date of the national festival, Mashramani, to commemorate the said “Birth of the Republic” and, simultaneously, the said Burnham’s birthday, as a psychological emblem to the then populace and to posterity of his assumed primogenitor status to the Republic of Guyana.”
Yours truly,
Veda Nath Mohabir

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