Emancipation Day Message

Aug 01, 2021 News

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The People’s Progressive Party

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) wishes to extend greetings to our Afro-Guyanese brothers and sisters across the country and in those in the Diaspora on the occasion of Emancipation 2021, which marks the 187th anniversary of the formal abolition of slavery in British colonies.
This anniversary provides yet another opportune moment to reflect on the sacrifices made by our African ancestors who were brought to these shores in chains in order to provide free labour to the sugar planters. Stripped of their humanity and dignity and forced to toil long hours, to say that our African ancestors suffered at the hands of the sugar planters would be a gross understatement. During that genocidal process, many were tortured and brutally killed for standing up for their rights. In the long march to freedom, many battles were fought, including the Berbice Slave rebellion led by our National Hero, Cuffy. In the end, the resilient spirit of resistance prevailed and freedom was attained.
The fortitude and the resoluteness for success of our African ancestors and the foundations, which they laid for our society, must therefore serve to imbue us all with a profound sense of pride and purpose as we endeavour together to build our country for the betterment of all and to confront adversities. The values that they have instilled and the contributions they and their descendants had and continue to make in advancing our country will remain invaluable.
Traditionally, during this period, there would have been a plethora of activities across the country to mark this very significant national event, which attracted thousands of Guyanese. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unavoidable scaling down of public events again with direct impact on this year’s celebrations. Despite those challenges, the true spirit of what Emancipation symbolises will never be diminished.
Our Party once again extends Emancipation greetings to all Guyanese, in particular our Afro-Guyanese brothers and sisters.

People’s National Congress

Emancipation celebrates the greatest enterprise in our nation’s history – the abolition of human enslavement and the transformation of plantations into a nation. Emancipation marked the termination of two hundred years of the greatest crime against humanity – the Trans-Atlantic Trade in Captive Africans – and their enslavement in the Guiana colonies of Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice. Emancipation was driven by the human desire for freedom and economic independence.
Emancipation in the Guiana colonies initiated the greatest movement of freed peoples in the western hemisphere. The Village Movement began on 7th November 1839 when 83 free men and women from five plantations – Ann’s Grove, Dochfour, Enmore, Hope and Paradise – agreed to pay 30,000 guilders (f 30.000) for Plantation Northbrook, which they renamed Victoria Village.
Africans, once free, were able to buy 6,000 hectares (about 15,000 acres) of land in cash, attesting to their visionary thinking and thrift in the decade after Emancipation. Historians wrote: “This was an economic miracle… In the whole western hemisphere, there was no movement like the Village Movement of British Guiana at the time in which thousands of people were able to move off of the plantations.”
Emancipation, this year, reminds us of the resolutions of the General Assembly of the United Nations designating the decade – 1st January 2015 to 31st December 2024 – as the International Decade for the People of African Descent.
The ‘International Decade’ acknowledges that Africans were the victims of the greatest crime against humanity and continue to suffer from dispossession and discrimination. The Decade recognises that persons of African descent have not yet fully overcome the legacy of colonial under-development, which continues to contribute to their present condition.
Guyanese today are the beneficiaries of the economic enterprise and efforts of the pioneers of the Village Movement. Our foreparents bequeath the legacy of land to build a robust agrarian economy and an independent peasantry. Our generation must aim at establishing enduring economic emancipation on the solid foundation they laid.

Working People’s Alliance

The WPA salutes the African Guyanese community on yet another Emancipation anniversary. The contributions of the group to Guyana’s evolution as a nation-state cannot be denied. In fact, they are even more remarkable given the fact that African Guyanese endured more than two centuries of chattel slavery, which effectively reduced them to a state of inferior humanity. That they survived that gross inhumanity to become equal contributors to Guyana and the larger Caribbean Civilisation should never be forgotten.
This year’s anniversary comes at a critical time for African Guyanese as they continue to navigate the changed political environment triggered by the change of government a year ago. In our charged and divisive political environment, any change of government brings with it new anxieties and fears for the group represented by the losing political contestant. But the controversial nature of the last election has left in its trail an unprecedented ethnic fallout that has worsened ethnic relations between the two major ethnic groups. The situation has been exacerbated by the apparent ethnic insensitivity by the new government, which interprets its mandate in broader and more absolute terms than is usual.
It is against this background that the WPA warns the wider Guyanese community of the dangers being posed by the fast-deteriorating situation. In our multi-ethnic country, ethnic peace is pivotal to the maintenance of national stability. It is for that reason the WPA urges the government to use its institutional power to begin a process of ethnic and national reconciliation. There is no better moment to begin this process than on the anniversary of the formal end of the most evil socio-economic and political system known to mankind. We ask the government to take the lead because it holds institutional power in its hands.
Genuine national reconciliation can no longer be delayed. The solution to every other national problem relies on it. History will continue to be unkind to the PPP party and government for their scant respect for the right of half the population to participate in the governance of their country through inclusive representation in the councils of power. Towards this end, the WPA again calls for a renewed national commitment to tearing down the majoritarian winner-take-all system which has proven to be a facilitator of conflict rather than an instigator of reconciliation.
Second, WPA is concerned that African Guyanese are not equitably represented in the areas of the economy that facilitate wealth-generation. As the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer, the wealth-gap is reproduced at an alarming rate. This is an affliction that must be corrected if Guyana is to achieve its stated motto of a united nation. The two major political players must move beyond their narrow partisan visions and use the State to begin to correct this injustice. The oil economy will not bring the kind of national liberation from poverty that is envisaged if the ethnic inequities are not corrected. The wealth by itself would not solve the ethnic problems. But even as we make that observation, we have to stress that the oil wealth, however depleted, must be equitably distributed among all groups. For us in the WPA, this is non-negotiable, and we are prepared to fight tooth and nail for this outcome
Third, WPA urges African Guyanese to begin to fashion a new politics that reaches beyond the narrow confines of party politics. WPA does not discourage participation in party politics, but it cannot be the primary concern or the only arena of struggle. The politics of Black Empowerment, in particular economic empowerment, are often limited and compromised by party politics. That is the reason for the hyper-anxiety in the community whenever the party to which it pledges loyalty loses power. The new Black politics must emphasise a community and group bias that put the interests of the group above those of the parties. It must also give priority to the strengthening of the family as both a cultural and economic unit. The family and the community must be the bedrock of the Black economy. Towards this end, the resuscitation of the cooperatives, both as institution and spirit, must be put at the top of the agenda.
Fourth, WPA notes the sense of impatience among the African Guyanese masses at the real and perceived inaction of their elected leadership. We fully understand the state of affairs and urge a more open dialogue between leadership and followership on the responsibilities of elected representatives. The era of covering up the shortcomings of leaders must come to an end. We urge the community to demand servant-leaders and more importantly to avoid being imprisoned by one party or the other.
Finally, WPA is committed to fighting for all ethnic groups, especially the down pressed. That’s why we put on the national agenda, the Universal Cash Transfer as a policy that discriminates against no one ethnic group. On this Emancipation anniversary, we urge the African Guyanese community to endorse and advocate for this policy initiative as a democratic way to ensure that all Guyanese directly benefits from our oil wealth.

Ethnic Relations Commission

The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) extends Emancipation greetings to all Guyanese at home and within the Diaspora in observing another anniversary commemorating the end of slavery.
The ERC, with its task to promote national harmony, contemplates that in 2021, one hundred and eighty-three years after Emancipation, Guyanese of African descent can reflect on the sanctity and right to freedom; an entitlement of all humankind.
From the ships at sea transporting their chained human cargo to a life of privation and hardship on the plantations, the ancestral experience remained imbued with the courage to change and shape the future for a better existence. The rebellions and the consequences are graphic memorials of that yearning.
Stripped of their identities and cultural baggage, they endured the challenges to re-discover self and value as freed men. It is that perennial resolve and desire that must remain throughout from every commemoration to the next. The initial foundations of the colonial state were laid by the sacrifices of the bondsmen, not omitting contributions made later by other compatriots to the diverse society.
The ERC encourages all during this commemoration, and in the midst of the pandemic, to extend their hand of friendship and brotherhood to neighbours virtually, as a show of appreciation for that inevitable, memorable event – the abolition of slavery.
It paved the way for the future assembly of more peoples with a repository of unique cultures to share and thrive in one multi-ethnic Guyana.
Happy Emancipation Anniversary to all from the management and staff of the Ethnic Relations Commission!

Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union

The spirit of yearning for freedom – that liberty of mind, body, and soul from ownership by others never deserted the African slaves and the indentured contracted workers who followed them after full Emancipation in 1838. Numerous were the uprisings, rebellions, protests, riots and strikes. Emancipation never came willingly or cheaply from the colonialists.
Against those sentiments, the GAWU salutes the memory of those who struggled and sacrificed for freedom and the descendants of our African forefathers who today have hopefully inherited their spirit of justice and true freedom from those who dared to stand up against the brutal, enslaving colonial system.
As we look back across the centuries at the atrocities and wrenching pain, which slaves suffered, during what should be assessed as the darkest period in human history, it seems mandatory that we celebrate the measures of freedom that we now enjoy. Slavery was established for economic reasons, with accompanying assumptions about race, colour and perceived inferiority, which for centuries was rationalised from biology to theology, but such theories have long been proven unscientific and self-serving. Slavery was an organised, profitable enterprise. Former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Eric Williams, in his book,“Capitalism and Slavery” demonstrated that it was the profits from the slave trade and slavery, which consequently made England the great workshop of the world. The late Professor, Walter Rodney, also explained that Western Europe’s vital sectors in finance, shipping, mining, insurance, agriculture, manufacturing and technology were developed from these two enterprises, and in that process, millions were reduced to beasts of burden, and stripped of their overall identity.
Western Europe went to Africa with their superior ships and cannons. Slaves were traded and packaged in barracoons as cargo, then taken across the horrendous ordeal of the Middle Passage. Men, women, children were brutally abused on journeys that lasted between six weeks to three months, depending on the weather. Diseases were rampant, mental stress and suicides were high, with many slaves throwing themselves overboard.
In the new lands, millions of African slaves lived their entire life, working from dusk to dawn, in pain. Over succeeding generations, the minds of their children were scrubbed, being replaced with European narratives, which ensured, among other things, that they forget their past. Such unspeakable hurt, torment and cruelty cannot be equated to or compared with any other form of human interaction or relationship.
GAWU feels that this Emancipation 2021 period should reinforce in us all the lessons of the post-1838 history. In unity, strength is most sustained. The descendants of Emancipation must all share in equal opportunity as our natural and human resources become available to development for all. No group should be favoured or discriminated against because of political expediency. It is such approaches that will help preserve and give enduring meaning to achievements like emancipation and independence.
GAWU urges reflection at this time. Emancipation, Arrival and today’s challenges are issues that hold lessons for us and guide us in our pursuit and future endeavours. Let us heed them on Emancipation Day and onwards.
A pleasant Emancipation Observance 2021 from GAWU.

The Guyana Trades Union Congress

The Guyana Trades Union Congress extends Emancipation greetings to all Guyanese, particularly our African brothers and sisters whose ancestors were enslaved for centuries as property, cargo of another race (Europeans).
183 years ago, the valiant struggle by Africans for human dignity and respect was advanced a step further with the Emancipation Proclamation, which ended the most brutish system of man’s injustice towards another. Freedom from chattel slavery not only set in train a series of events proving to the world the indomitable spirit of the newly freed, and the capacity of human fellowship across racial diversity, but that of self-determination in charting a course for further upliftment and development.
The nation will recall the dogged pursuit for economic freedom, via the Village Movement, that saw the purchasing of plantations to establish communities, local government, build stability, familial and otherwise, and advance development. This sense of thrift not only proved beyond a shadow of doubt, a people’s capability, who though for hundreds of years toiled and lived under inhumane conditions, whips reigning down on their backs, families torn asunder, treated as property not human beings, in the four-year of Amelioration (1834-1838) were able to achieve what others thought impossible.
The achievements must not only be testimony of the ability to self-determine but also determination not to be enslaved or constrained by past unpleasantries. Heirs and beneficiaries of these struggles, sacrifices and gains must engage in redoubling of efforts, vigilance and insistence to be allowed to continue the forebears’ work. Zealously defending, protecting, strengthening and deepening what was bequeathed and leaving a firmer foundation for future generations must become the mantra and solemn pledge.
Freedom is not free; it requires eternal vigilance and continuous sacrifices. To the extent where Africans are deprived of equality in the social, cultural, political, civic and economic environment, all out efforts must be made to secure these. And let it be said, in the pursuit of said determination, it must matter not the identity or diversity of those who suppress or support the cause. The only thing that must matter is the cause, for it speaks to and solidifies the inalienable rights of all humankind. To ignore this would be unlike the ancestors who worked with others in furtherance of their interests and resisted any who participated in their enslavement and deprivations.
With determination and commitment, anything is possible, and descendants of the enslaved must continue the unfinished journey to freedom. Emancipation merely marks an attainment, significant though it is; it is not the final marker/finishing post for freedom.
The struggle must continue!

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