Emancipation supplement 7 31 2016

A GUYANA CHRONICLE SUPPLEMENT

Happy Emancipation Day

ANCESTORS’ NIGHT: Acknowledging the presence of the ancestors the African way last Wednesday night at the Square of the Revolution. Doing the honours is Bishop Andrew Irving of the House of Santeria (Photos by Samuel Maughn)

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EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

Breaking with tradition

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VERY year, for the past 22 years, the African Cultural & Development Association (ACDA) pretty much dictates the course Emancipation Day celebrations will take.

This year is no exception, save to say that they have decided to break with tradition and switch things up a bit.

As they’ve explained in a well put-together press statement: “Traditionally, ACDA honours an African country every Emancipation Festival by building an educational booth for that country. This year,

however, the focus will be put squarely on our very own GUYANA, in keeping with the Jubilee celebrations.

“A country with a very rich African influence, history and culture, GUYANA will be the centerpiece that ACDA will proudly showcase during the observance of this Emancipation, as we explore our glorious past.”

Taking our cue from this declaration, we at the Guyana Chronicle have decided that we, too, will break with tradition and do things a bit differently this year.

For starters, we’ve decided that

rather than do the regular foods and drinks and fashion and the like as has been our wont in the past, we’d go down memory lane a bit and look at how Emancipation was celebrated here in Guyana throughout the years, from the days when it was called ‘August Monday’ or ‘Freedom Day’ to ‘Folk Festival’, to Emancipation Day as it is now known officially.

For that, we’ve had to do a lot of digging, but it was well worth the effort, as we’ve managed to come up with some gems. Hope you think so too! Happy Emancipation!

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EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

A new dawn – A new day

By Neil Primus “FREEDOM! Freedom! We is free now!”

I came awake to this loud call. It was the ‘spit-press’ at work; word was spreading fast and far. No more slavery! All Africans were free!

There was joy, disbelief, and gratitude.

There were those who seemed lost in this new and unfamiliar world, like a boat without a captain.

The drums and conch shells called back-and-forth, and people began to come together for a celebration. Men, women and children were gathering to share this new gift. We were no longer anybody’s property.

Music and dancing was everywhere; the joy was almost palpable. Tears, laughter and lamentations for those who had died for this cause, made the mood very fluid, but the crowning feeling was triumph. We had won!

By the next day, word got around that 83 freed slaves had purchased Plantation Northbrook for $10,000. Excitement and new hope filled everyone. The elders sat together and talked. Word was sent to the Plantation owner that more slaves wanted to buy land.

PAID IN COINS The only trouble was: The prices had to be paid in coins, because this was how we were able to save our earnings. Due to the weight and difficulty in transporting the money, they decided to use wheelbarrows. Soon, Enmore, Paradise, Hope and Grove were bought. There seemed to be an urgency to get away from the plantation.

As more slaves joined together to buy more land, the owners quickly seized the opportunity to radically raise the price. The cost went from $10,000 for Northbrook in 1839 through an upward spiral, so that the purchase of Friendship in 1841 cost a whopping $80,000! But this did not daunt the spirit of the free people. They continued buying, and accumulated some 40 villages.

Homes were built, and farming started.

Soon, under wise village governance, the new communities began to thrive.

The impact of some slaves abandoning the estates caused havoc on the profits of the owners.

SEEDS OF DESTRUCTION They soon went about systematically destroying the livelihoods of the people, in order to force them back to the sugar plantation.

They stopped them from fishing in the canals; their pigs were killed; and their

fruit trees and kitchen gardens destroyed by water. Entire villages were flooded out. All this was done in order to force the ex-slaves back to the estate.

The Africans had literally built the sugar plantation. They planted, did the drainage and irrigation, harvested the crops, and maintained the estates. Yet, their efforts to build their own villages and farms were being sabotaged.

Due to the financial burden of buying land with their savings, these setbacks creat-

In reflecting on the experiences of the Afro-Guyanese and our journey from Africa, reputedly the cradle of civilisation, to the New World, these words come to mind: SLAVERY Mutely, as I sat one day, Up in a tree well hidden away.

I saw my parents snatched from me, Into the ‘hell’ of slavery.

Oh, how heartbreaking was mum’s cry, To free my mum, my dad did try.

But all in vain his efforts proved, As he was held, chained and shoved.

In shock, I watched my parents leave, And deep within my heart did grieve.

For two whose thoughts were centered on The safety of their only son.

Neither of them dared look above, So rich, so generous was their love.

They saved their son from slavery, Embracing it to make me free.

ed by the plantation owners caused the newly freed slaves great hardships. There was little or no money to maintain infrastructure, or repair the damages.

Some continued to work on the estates while still trying to establish their economic freedom. After suffering the hopelessness and powerlessness of slavery as the property of slave master, the Africans showed integrity, resilience and courage in struggling to survive the onslaught of the owners.

A WAY OUT Many saw education as a way of breaking this shackle. Christianity was another support system for them. Soon, many began to excel in the field of sports, education, trade unionism, medicine, politics and entertainment.

It was the Africans who made careers out of the emerging Civil Service in the then British Guiana. And even though people of African descent, to this day, continue to face the challenges of social exclusion, economic stagnation, discrimination and injustice, many have cleared these hurdles, and been able to fulfill their true potential.

These people remain heroes and icons to the generations that followed. Names like Cuffy, Kwamina, Critchlow, Burnham, Chase, Rodney, Hoyte, Field-Ridley, Blackmoore, Forde, Lloyd, Fredericks, Croft, Saul, Luncheon, Thomas, Denbow and others reflect a proud and determined people capable of surmounting any obstacle.

Whenever these thoughts come to mind, A quiet place I try to find.

What better place is there for me, Than sitting high up in a tree?

As a tribute to our ancestors, and as an awakening of consciousness for us all, here are the names of a few of the villages bought by the Free People of our beloved Guyana: Victoria, Golden Grove (ECD), Golden Grove (EBD), Bagotsville, Plaisance, Belladrum, Litchfield, Nabacalis, Den Amstel, Agricola, Hopetown, Friendship, Sandvoort, Gibraltar/Fryish Courtland, Beterverwagting, Baracara, No. 53 Union, Kildonan, Liverpool, Sisters, Ithaca, Prospect, Dingwall (No. 40 Village), Joppa (No. 43 Village), Phillipi (Corentyne Coast), Seafield (No. 42 Village), Kingelly (WCB), Lovely Lass (WCB), No. 41 Village, Woodlands & Friends Retreat (No. 10 Village), Dartmouth Village, Eversham Village, Airy Hall Village, Calcutta Village, Recess Village, Weldaad Village, Ann’s Grove Village, Bachelor’s Adventure, Good Intent & Perseverance.

These monumental achievements are a cause for pride and gratitude. Their legacy is a powerful one, which speaks of courage, sacrifice and perseverance in the face of adversity.

We should never take for granted the rights and privileges we now enjoy; we owe it all to those who struggled, suffered and died to carve out a nation where all are equal.

HAIL TO OUR ANCESTORS!

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EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

Africa Before Chattel Slavery (Excerpted from the book by Eric Phillips and Johnathan Adams) TODAY, Africa has over 1,000 recognised spoken languages, and over 2,000 distinct ethnic groups.

Nigeria alone has more than 370 recognised tribes within its population.

The history of Africa is a story of great achievement. Much, however, has not been written about Africa’s legacy to the World.

Guyanese, George G.M. James gave a glimpse of Africa’s contributions in his book, “Stolen Legacy”. This excerpt provides just a few examples of Africa before chattel slavery. Much of it is untold; much of it is hidden from our children’s eyes and ears.

THE BEGINNING OF MATHEMATICS Thirty-seven-thousand years ago, Africans were the first to introduce mathematics. The Lebombo and Ishango Bones are proof that Africa is the birthplace of mathematics. Our African ancestors carved 29 distinct notches on the fibula bone of a baboon to enable them to count. The Lebombo Bone is just 7.7 cm long; it resembles calendar sticks still used today by the Bushmen clans in Namibia.

The Ishango Bone, found on the borders of Uganda and Zaire on the shores of Lake Edward, a source of the Nile, is the second oldest mathematical object in the World. Many say the Ishango Bone is the oldest table of prime numbers. Marshack, a researcher, concluded, on the basis of his microscope, that the Ishango Bone represented a sixmonth lunar calendar, prime numbers, and a menstrual calendar. Many Europeans continue to give the impression that Africa’s history is not important.

They have argued that Africans were, and are, inferior to Europeans. They have used this argument to help justify slavery.

However, the reality is very different. A study of African history shows that Africa was superior to Europe before the European invasion of Africa.

As you can see from the few examples discussed below, Africans were civilised, organised and technologically

advanced peoples before the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Indeed, Europeans have spent much time claiming many of the achievements of Africans for themselves.

For example, the Father of Medicine is Imhotep; but Europeans claim it is Hippocrates.

MINING OF MINERALS The oldest known mine on record is the “Lion Cave” in Swaziland, which carbon

Many ancient societies in Africa built different types of boats, from small vessels to large ships that could carry up to 80 tons.

LAW AND RELIGION History will show that the ancient Ethiopians were the first to honour their Gods, offer sacrifices, and organise religious customs for people to honour the Divine. Ethiopia was also the first country to have established laws.

ASTRONOMY Several African countries birthed discoveries in astronomy. Many of these are foundations on which they still rely; some were so advanced that their mode of discovery still cannot be understood. The Dogon people of Mali amassed a wealth of detailed astronomical knowledge; they knew of Saturn’s rings, Jupiter’s moons, the spiral structure of the Milky Way, and the orbit of the star, Sirius.

Lebombo and Ishango bones used in mathematics dating shows to be about 43,000 years old.

The ancient Egyptians mined a mineral called ‘malachite’. The gold mines of Nubia were among the largest and most extensive in the world. In the field of metallurgy, many advances in tool-making were made across the entirety of ancient Africa. These include steam engines, metal chisels and saws, copper and iron tools, weapons, nails, glue, carbon steel and bronze weapons. In places like Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda, the advances in metallurgy and tool-making surpassed those in Europe.

TRANSOCEANIC TRAVEL AND NAVIGATION Evidence suggests that ancient Africans sailed to South America and Asia hundreds of years before the Europeans, debunking the propaganda that Europeans were the first to travel to the Americas.

PHILOSOPHY Philosophy, in Africa, has a long history, dating back to pre-dynastic Egypt, and continuing through the birth of Christianity and Islam. One of the earliest works of political philosophy was the Maxims of Ptah-Hotep, which were taught to Egyptian schoolboys for centuries.

Ancient Egyptian philosophers made extremely important contributions to Hellenistic philosophy, Christian philosophy and Islamic philosophy.

SUMMARY Africa’s great civilisations have disappeared from history, because of the continuous quest to mask the truth of Africa as a major contributor to world civilisation.

Regardless, physical evidence abounds across Africa, Europe, Asia and South America of the greatness of the African genius.

Slavery destroyed African history, African culture, African cities, African economics, African science, African knowledge systems, and the magnificent role Africa, “The Cradle of Civilisation”, has played in the development of human civilisation.

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EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

Emancipation Day – Then and now

By Neil Primus IT’S seven in the morning and the sun is already up. A flurry of activity is taking place in the big tenement yard. The alluring aroma of freshly cooked food floats thickly on the cool air. This rich smell invades all the small apartments, even those where no bubbling pots sit on eager fires.

As the children come awake, an unusual spectacle catches their eyes. All the adults are dressed up in African clothing, headwrap and all.

Neighbours greet each other boisterously, saying, “Happy Emancipation to one and all!”

It’s ‘August Monday’ or ‘Freedom Day’, better known these days as ‘Emancipation Day’, in 1950s Georgetown.

“Lall! Mrs Ram! Send down dem children!”

Doors pop open, and eager little ones emerge. They are all herded into one of the apartments where a scrumptious African breakfast awaits.

As they fill their little bellies, laughter and chatter ring out. The mood is festive, because the children all know that a much bigger meal is in the offing come noon.

There is one remarkable feature about this group: The kids are from both African and East Indian families. There is joy and excitement everywhere. Everyone is experiencing a strong sense of freedom: Freedom from oppression; Freedom from stress; and Freedom from racial tension. It’s the ideal start to a very special day; the day that African descendants the world over celebrate the proclamation on August 1, 1894 that slavery was no more.

Today, some 182 years on, Guyana is still in celebration mode, as, like many other Ca-

An 1833 illustration of former slaves in Barbados celebrating the passing of the Emancipation Law (Photo courtesy Getty Images)

ribbean states, it marks this special occasion in many different ways.

THE OLDEN DAYS In the countryside back in the olden days, the celebration was preceded the night before with a Flambeau-cum-Candlelight Parade.

Very often, this ended with a campfire, where there was singing, dancing, drumming, storytelling and drinking.

This activity sets the right tone for the following day’s proceedings. “Emancipation is a time of jollification, remembrance and sadness,” one old-timer said.

According to the septuagenarian, Emancipation Day in the days of yore was unforgettable. “In my small days, there were all kinds of excursions: Boat, train and bus.

“People just made merry. One popular activity for boys was waiting until the train or bus was about to depart, and requesting some goody from the noisy huskers.

“If you were lucky, the train or bus would pull out, leaving the bewildered husker short of cash, and you with yuh See page VI

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Emancipation Day: Then ...

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belly full.

“My best memory of Emancipation is definitely jollification; I just got drunk.”

As he went on to explain, there was always a strong sense of sadness, as people reflected on the brutality and inhuman features of slavery.

He remembers one thing clearly: “There was a powerful feeling of togetherness; everyone took part, regardless of race or religion.”

ACTIVITIES GALORE “On Freedom Day, there was always a variety of activities. Masquerade bands roamed the streets freely, filling everyone with nostalgia and pride,” he said.

Steel bands and roving musicians added their bit to this potpourri of culture. In some villages, there would be a Village Parade; everyone would be bedecked in African attire, and march to loud drumming.

The parade would start from the deep end of the village. Some of the participants would be dressed as African Queens and Kings, and others as Brides and Grooms.

After the parade, there would be a cultural presentation. Cumfa music and folksongs were performed to entertain the gathering. Musical

groups like ‘Little Jones’, ‘Rudy and the Roosters’ and ‘The Cornette Combo’ were always in great demand.

and drink on these occasions.

There were also some very solemn occasions.

The elders would lead a procession to the village koker, singing, dancing and drumming on the way there. On arrival at the koker, they would perform certain rituals which allowed them to speak to the ancestors.

In some communities, celebrations would go on for the entire month of August.

THE TRAVAILS Many of our forefathers and mothers suffered and died so that we can enjoy the freedom we now take for granted. They endured brutality, and still managed to survive. Although they toiled under inhuman conditions, yet they succeeded in buying their own land. Famous purchases of entire villages were recorded when the enterprising slaves pooled

LOTS OF GOODIES And just like the season of Christmas, African goodies would be taken to friends and loved ones. Cook-up Rice, Met-em-Gee, Conkie, Pone, Coo-Coo and Steamed Fish, and Sugar Cake were some of the delicacies on hand.

Another popular practice was the holding of soirées; the entire village would attend. The music, singing and chanting and dancing were energetic; the wining intoxicating. There would be plenty to eat

their savings and made these historic purchases.

All Guyanese can be proud that the Union Jack has been replaced with the Golden Arrowhead. Our National Anthem, Pledge and Patriotic Songs tell of a proud, resilient people still rediscovering the true value of Freedom.

In many Caribbean territories, these celebrations are marked by festivities such as Carnivals. For some, the activities are carried out during a ‘season’ that runs for an entire month. It all ends with a big celebration and wreath laying to remember and honour our ancestors. We share regional pride with Trinidad and Tobago for being the first country in the world to declare the abolition of slavery as a national holiday.

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Interesting quotes

EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

“UNTIL justice is blind to color, until education is unaware of race, until opportunity is unconcerned with the color of men’s skins, emancipation will be a proclamation, but not a fact.”

LYNDON B. JOHNSON, 36th President of the United States

––on the subject of Emancipation “PREGRESSIVE art can assist people to learn not only about the objective forces at work in the society in which they live, but also about the intensity social character of their interior lives. Ultimately, it can propel people toward social emancipation.”

ANGELA Y. DAVIS, Civil Rights activist and scholar

“THE Negro will only be truly free when he reaches down to the inner depths of his own being, and signs with the pen and ink of assertive selfhood his own emancipation proclamation.”

DR MARTIN LUTHER KING, Jr., clergyman, Civil Rights activist, and Nobel Laureate “WE are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, for though others may free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind. Mind is our only ruler; sovereign.”

MARCUS GARVEY, Pan-Africanist and Jamaica’s National Hero

“FREEDOM without the means to be self-supporting is a onearmed triumph.”

MICHELLE CLIFF, Jamaican-American author

“BRING the mind into sharp focus and make it alert so that it can immediately intuit truth, which is everywhere. The mind must be emancipated from old habits, prejudices, restrictive thought processes and even ordinary thought itself.”

BRUCE LEE, martial artist and philosopher “RIGHT now I’m thinking a good deal about Emancipation. One of our sins was slavery; another was Emancipation. It’s a paradox. In theory, Emancipation was one of the glories of our democracy; and it was. But the way it was done led to tragedy, turning four million people loose with no jobs or trades or learning. And then, in 1877, for a few electoral votes, just abandoning them entirely. A huge amount of pain and trouble resulted; everybody in America is still paying for it.”

SHELBY FOOTE, American novelist and historian

“EVERY emancipation is a restoration of the human world, and of human relationships to a man himself.”

KARL MARX, philosopher and sociologist

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Victoria: Cradle of the Village Movement

RENOWNED as the first village in Guyana to have been bought by the combined resources of Africans who had recently won their freedom from slavery, Victoria Village can be found some 18 miles outside of Georgetown on the lower East Coast. Its closest neighbours are Cove & John to the west, and Belfield to the east.

History has it that immediately after Emancipation, the European planters and the government of the day took a decision not to sell land to the freed Africans, as the general idea was to ensure that they continued being a source of labour on the plantations.

Despite this resolution, however, economic circumstances forced the planters, shortly after, to change their position.

This was because many cotton plantations in particu-

lar had become unprofitable by 1838, because Britain had begun to purchase cheaper cotton from the United States. As a result, smaller cotton plantations here could not survive in such a situation, and some of them were abandoned.

The community was initially established as a plantation called Northbrook, a cotton plantation on the East Coast Demerara, which the owner decided to sell.

In November 1839, 83 ex-slaves from five nearby estates (Douchfour, Ann’s Grove, Hope, Paradise, and Enmore) pooled their resources and bought 500 acres of land on Plantation Northbrook, from the executors of the late Hugli Rogers, Esq. for 30,000 guilders or $10,283.63.

These Africans, like many others, had saved money that they had earned from overtime work over the

The original hut where the former slaves collected their wages years, and were mainly headmen and mechanics from their respective villages.

Much of their savings was in the form of coins, so they transported the payment in wheelbarrows to the owner of the plantation!

After its purchase, Northbrook was renamed Victoria, presumably in honour of England’s Queen Victoria, although some suggest it may have been named as such in honour of the free slaves’ victory.

By 1839, Africans had purchased plantations of Litchfield, Golden Grove, St. John, and Providence in West Berbice. Litchfield was bought by one See page IX

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Victoria: Cradle of the Village ...

From page VIII

person, Cudjoe McPherson for $3000, and he later divided the plantation into 12 sections, which he sold to other Africans for a profit.

Victoria Village is also known for having one of the first codes of local government in Guyana, established in 1845, and grew up to become one of the leading exporters of products made from coconuts and cassava.

In addition to this, the first church built there, a Congregationalist church, named after Wilberforce, the abolitionist, was erected in 1845, and still stands today.

A memorial tablet was placed in that church honouring William Africa Baptiste, known as ‘Boss Africa’, who became accepted as the Father of the village, and who was the first village schoolmaster.

This community, which resonates with rich historical significance, will this year celebrate 179 years since its formation, and has produced great men and women who have left an indelible mark in our nation’s history.

These individuals have become leading educators, doctors, lawyers, engineers, playwrights, electrical and civil engineers, accountants, management consultants, land surveyors, nurses, and public servants and have risen to the top of their chosen fields and professions.

Some outstanding Victorians include Educator and Attorney, Professor Harold Lutchman, who, through his maternal grandmother has deep roots among the original purchasers and founders of Victoria; Doreen Butcher, an Educator and Community Activist; Agriculturist, L.R.D. Ainsworth, an Educator and Village Chairman; Stanley Roberts, Village Chairman and Mentor who worked as a manager at Plantation Enmore Sugar Estate for several years until he retired; and International Artist, Master Sculptor, Ivor Ian Thom, who was born in Victoria.

Youngsters enjoying a game of cricket on one of the side streets of Victoria

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EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

Baracara: A village still steeped in tradition

WHILE many of the villages honoured by ACDA during the celebration of Emancipation have a common history of being purchased by freed slaves, the community in the spotlight this year has a deeper, more mysterious origin. Find out what it is, as THE GUYANA CHRONICLE’S JEUNE BAILEY VANKERIC did when she braced some of the residents on one of their regular jaunts to New Amsterdam.

NESTLED along the banks of the Canje River, in the Ancient County of Berbice, is Baracara, a seemingly forgotten little village. To access it, one can only do so by speedboat, ‘creall’, or canoe.

The journey along the treacle-coloured waterway can take ‘forever’; about eight to nine hours from the township of New Amsterdam, the County’s seat of administration, to which people from the village would come periodically to purchase fuel, foodstuff, and clothing

and such-like.

With a population of just under 300 persons, the village’s residents are all descendants of ‘runaway’ slaves, who, to this day, largely live as their ancestors did aeons ago, and still rely on tribal medicine, although there’s access to medical care, inclusive of immunization and other services available at all health centres on the coastland.

The inhabitants have a strong tradition of using medicinal plants and barks from their

community; and even those who have moved to urban environments will often combine traditional plant remedies with modern medicines purchased in stores or pharmacies to treat various ailments.

WAY OF LIFE Baracarians, or ‘Creekians’, as they are sometimes referred to, have no roads in their community; the river’s the only road they know.

Everyone gets around by canoe, or small mo-

A Bara Cara resident moors his motor boat along the New Amsterdam Market Wharf. torised vessel; even the very young know how to handle a paddle.

School-age children, however, are taken by boat to the village’s only school, where educators teach multiple grades.

The Canje River is their life, and is used for washing, bathing and cooking. Farming is their major focus, but logging and bartered labour are also integral economic pursuits of the Canje River people.

Their primary dietary staples are ground provision, bananas, and plantains, with other plants including lemons, limes, and other fruits and vegetables.

Fishing along the river, and hunting in the forested areas, are also an integral part of their livelihood, as a portion of their income is also derived from these two activities.

Large animals like the tapir and deer are sometimes caught for meat, but of late, they seem to be short in supply, due to over-hunting in the past, resulting in the inhabitants having to seek more reliable sources of food from farming and fishing.

And, when not at the farmlands, or fishing or bartering with the captain of the ‘cabbage boat’, who would purchase parts of the Ité palm, particularly the heart, in exchange for groceries, the inhabitants would while away the time either playing a lively game of cricket in Baracara Seventh Day Adventist church yard, or mounting the stairs of the village’s Community Centre to watch television on the flat-screen TV there.

OF INTEREST

Interestingly enough, however, although they live in a country known far and wide as the Land of Six Peoples, the people of Baracara have somehow managed to maintain their ethnicity; apparently, inter-marriage is unheard of. So, too, it seems, are modern methods of managing resources, as nothing much appears to have changed over the years in the way they do things in that regard.

Nevertheless, ‘Creekians’ are a deeply religious people, the majority of whom have embraced the doctrine of the Seventh Day Adventist. Others seem to have taken a liking to the Pentecostal way of worship. But, whatever their religious preferences, a visit to their respective See page XIII

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Emancipating the spirits

By Neil Primus KWESI, also known as ‘K’, was eagerly awaiting the big celebrations on Emancipation Day. As a matter of fact, he had started rehearsing a week in advance, in order to be fully prepared for the event.

He drank, stank and made himself a real nuisance, much to the annoyance of the community of Liberty.

On a few previous occasions, ‘K’ had succeeded in headlining the activities. He either fell into the ‘sideline trench’ during the Village Parade, or attempted to jump over a campfire, right in the middle of a cultural item. Both incidents saw the frustrated villagers rescuing him from serious injury or death.

He made up his mind that this year would be different; he intended to avoid the crowd on the usual parade.

He would do his own parade two nights before Emancipation. In that way, nobody would be able to push him overboard.

THE YEAR BEFORE His misery last year began when he barged into the parade. Everyone was there, including his wife and son.

Curiously, his family seemed always to be lost in the crowd.

But that didn’t bother him; he had all the company he needed: A half-bottle of El-Dorado rum. He sipped this as his body lurched forward. ‘K’ was finding being steady a real challenge. He’d started drinking hours earlier, and by now he was well and truly smashed.

Through his boozed vision, he saw this majestic African parade moving towards the village square. He pushed, jostled and cussed, trying to get closer to the King and Queen of the parade.

In his effort to do so, he managed to crush, bruise and mangle scores of toes, shins, shoes and slippers. When they could take it no longer, someone shoved him into the drink.

NIGHT OF RECKONING The night of reckoning had arrived.

After a lengthy drinking session, ‘K’ embarked upon his lone parade. He had for company the usual half-bottle of liquor. With this safely tucked into his pocket, he headed unsteadily for the deepest point in the old village: The cemetery.

This was where all the parades traditionally commenced. He was not intimidated by the idea of venturing into the darkest recesses of Liberty. Many an unnerving tale had been spun around clashes with the unknown. ‘K’ was undeterred.

From childhood, his mother had taught him the various ways of dealing with spirits. At age 13, he was sent to an old aunt who lived quite a distance away.

His mother armed him with a stout piece

Another night, he had to venture through a very dark area known to be haunted. In order to avoid confrontation with the dead, he took off his clothes, turned them inside-out, and put them on again.

This was supposed to totally confuse any curious spirit. One other recommended antidote could be used at such crucial times. It entailed taking off all his clothes in order to pass. This he ignored. It would be exceedingly

of stick, and sent him on his way.

That late-night journey had zero chances of human encounter, and overwhelming odds of meeting a ‘jumbie’.

The boy hurried through the dark night, heading straight for the old house where his aunt resided. When he arrived there, he did as his mother directed. He took off his shoes and placed them outside the door. He then placed the stick in one of the shoes, and leaned it up against the door. Turning around, he entered the home by his back. He was confident that any spirit following him would be compelled to stand guard all night at the shoe-and-stick contraption outside.

difficult for him to explain why he had to take refuge on a roof, naked and petrified. He was convinced that no ‘jumbie’ would be fooled by that.

LOOKING THE PART ‘K’ not only wanted to do the walk; he also wanted to look the part. The only trouble with this was that he had no African wear. Most of his cash was spent on liquor, so he could not afford any such extravagance.

He decided to improvise. When he arrived at the cemetery, he took off his See page XXVI

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Emancipation...

THE STRIFE, AND THE RAGE

By Barrington Braithwaite THE 1834 proclamation that announced the emancipation from chattel slavery for the ancestors of many Guyanese came to the enslaved African descendant as a spiritual relief; the unshackling of a physical and mental yoke.

They connected this to the biblical narrative of the exodus that their deacons and congregational reverends had no doubt preached about.

But the wise among them knew that their struggle had only just begun.

The first imposition was that they had to serve a four-year period of apprenticeship, working in the same mode on the plantations until 1838, when a final but not the last bit of compensation to the plantocracy, through the blood and sweat of the enslaved, was awarded.

With final emancipation, the freed Africans were inevitably employed on the plantations as paid labour by planters who resented this new status.

The demand for adequate wages by these workers initiated a severe conflict. It must be understood that the planters, up to the 1890s, had the full military and official administration, inclusive of governors, under their control.

They saw the former enslaved population as having the functional understanding and techniques of animal husbandry, farming and land administration that they first learnt in Africa, a country that was geographically similar to Guyana.

Then, whatever adjustments were tried and proven to be better by subsequent generations of enslaved souls on the Guyana plantations, they too, in 1838, had mastered.

CONTROL AT ALL COSTS The objective was, as with all colonisers, to control the livelihoods of the colonised, regardless of the methods employed. What followed was a vicious conflict to keep the Afro-creole in their place. But sugar was not always king, and periods of depression would follow.

Most of the land purchases occurred in the first decade after emancipation.

Due to the economic depression, many planters became bankrupt. Joint purchases by the Afro-Creoles led to the birth of the first independent villages of Guyana.

This was alarming for the plantocracy, who saw this movement of land See page XIII

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Baracara ...

From page X

places of worship is a must! Each and every week!

The residents, many of whom are related, are close-knit, and a wedding or a death of a relative on the coastland will result in scores of them leaving the riverine community to make the eight or nine-hour journey to either make merry or sympathise with the clan.

READY FOR CHANGE But, tradition aside,

‘ C re e k i a n s a re n o w ready to embrace new initiatives; new technologies where they can use their cell-phones which can access signals instead of just having to rely on the village’s lone stationary landline phone.

There is also a dire need to look to agro-processing, as ground provision is plentiful in supply.

A police outpost is also necessary, to help keep at bay the undesirables, who, like the ‘runaway’ slaves

before them, continue to seek refuge in the forested community along the Canje River.

And although the grass may seem greener on the other side to those who have opted to leave, they nevertheless return home regularly, as the Amsterdam family will today for their annual reunion on Emancipation Day. As, no matter where they roam, Baracarians will not trade their home village for anywhere else in the world!

THE STRIFE...

From page XII

acquisition as bold efforts towards full economic emancipation.

As stated by Brian Moore in ‘Themes of Afro-Guyanese History’: “Successive Governors made no bones of their intentions to restrict Creole settlement to the coastal plantation belt, in order to limit their economic activities and to maintain political control over them.

“But even within that belt, Creole efforts to acquire private lands were frustrated by legislation designed to prevent group purchases.

“In 1852, joint purchases, one of the prime methods by which the ex-slaves had acquired land, were restricted to twenty persons; and that figure was reduced to ten persons in 1856.

“Thus, as in Belize, low population density [Green] had very little to do with the availability of land for the ex-slave after 1850. It was the control of land by the planters and the government, largely through their control of the political power structure, [Bolland] which was the principle determining factor.”

[This clarifies why, up to the 1960s, populations in Georgetown were hemmed into ‘Nigger yards’, until the housing- scheme, self-help projects of the post-independence period.]

BREAK THE SPIRIT The persistence of the administrative schemes of the plantocracy was to use laws to break the spirit of the Afro-Creole to balance their own economic prominence.

When they attempted to cut the going wages for plantation work, the Afro-Creole withdrew his labour. This saw the beginning of of indentured labour as an experiment; a rise in taxes would follow simultaneously, for many Afro-Creoles

were now hucksters in Georgetown, and small-shop owners.

One of the nation’s first strikes occurred in 1842 on the plantations; the Afro-Creoles were then supported by the indentured labour from Sierra Leone, but the tensions deepened, for changes towards free market in England insisted on the lifting of preferential prices for sugar from the colonies with the passing of the 1846 Sugar Duties Act. Taxes paid by the villages, and by the Afro-Creole population as a whole, were diverted from the intended purpose and shifted to pay for indentured labour, which did not go all that well.

On the plantations, the Portuguese from Madeira, who arrived in 1835, perished, causing then governor, Henry Light, to remark, “They died so fast, that common humanity could not let us do it.”

Their importation was discontinued for a while. The attacks of Yellow Fever, Small Pox and Cholera outbreaks between 1851-57 also decimated the indentured populations of Chinese, East Indians and Africans, and had terrible effects on the young local Creole population.

TENSION SOARS When, in 1848, tensions on the plantations soared, this time around the Afro-Creoles did not get the support of the indentured Portuguese, nor that of the East Indians, whose presence were subject to the contention of taxes between the Afro-Creole and the Colonial administration.

“Even so, the 1847-48 withdrawal of labour stemmed from an even greater sense of outrage and injustice. The labourers could not escape the knowledge that immigration was financed by the taxes they were forced to pay,” wrote James Rose in his ‘Themes of Afro-Guyanese

Baracara river boats moored alongside the New Amsterdam Market wharf History’.

That the Afro-Creole populations had quickly adjusted to exclusive tastes in dress and sophistication was also a burning factor among many of the cruder of the planters. Heavy taxes were seen as two-fold: To keep the Afro-Creole in his place, and to benefit the financial status of the plantocracy.

The Afro-Creole retaliated; there were disturbances at Leguan. Arson was used against plantation property, which, with their large stock of fuel for manufacturing the product of estates, were entirely consumed.

It was not difficult for Governor Light to confirm charges that the temper of labourers was soured. He even admitted that it was “not at all uncommon for remarks not of the civilest kind being made by groups of Creoles on meeting carriages and horses of officials, to the effect that they the people were taxed to pay [for] such luxuries.”

ERA OF CONFLICT Emancipation had opened an era of

conflict, with the planter-class determined to keep once human property outside of the equation of Emancipation, with self sufficiency and as proprietors, the colonial banking system was a symbol of foreboding to the Afro-Creole.

After the villages were flooded, due to the much-needed drainage his taxes were to facilitate, in the 1850s, the village economy had begun its collapse, and could not support a market economy.

To many, ‘the colonial job’ became the only option; it seemed that the plantocracy had won. But then, impressive gold was found by some French Afro-Creoles, when others had failed.

This inspired a wave of small prospectors; a new frontier had opened to the labour of the village. The dreams of emancipation were staggered, but by the 1880s, a polished light gleamed ahead. On the frontiers of the ‘goldbush’, the villages would benefit, and a price in sacrifice would be paid, to sustain the ‘Life’ of Emancipation.

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‘Making something out of nothing’ –– All they came with were their drums, ‘Magic’ says

By Neil Primus

“WHEN Africans came to Guyana, they had nothing except their drums to communicate. From that drum, they made something out of nothing.”

This was the observation of a humble but passionate Afro-Guyanese: Hugh Brian October, also known as Hewley ‘Magic’ Prince.

‘Magic’ grew up on Regent Street in the capital city. His

father came from Victoria on the East Coast of Demerara, and his mother from Sisters Village, in Berbice.

“I had a bit of country life, and a bit of town life while growing up,” ‘Magic’ said. “I was able to visit Victoria regularly, and witness many fascinating African rituals and practices. This gave me my love and respect for African spirituality and culture.”

Asked what life in the city was like back then , Magic said: “Years ago, there were many African businesses in Re-

Hewley ‘Magic’ Prince gent, Robb and Charlotte Streets, and Bourda and Brickdam.

Today there are hardly any. The Prince family is the longest surviving African business on Regent Street.

“In 62 years, it has never changed hands, despite many lucrative offers to buy us out. Hopefully, youths can be inspired from the experience of our family.

“Today, everybody wants to sell; no-one is thinking about going back to the land; farming. There is plenty of land in the villages, but the youths are not going back there. Everybody wants to be a Rasta, but nobody wants to plant,” he lamented.

‘Magic’ feels that the African organiations in Guyana are too divided. He opined that they should come together, and speak as one voice.

He is very thankful to the folks of the 1823 Movement.

He has been very active in the African Holocaust celebrations and commends people like Mr. Randolph Beresford and Mrs. Pinder for their sterling contribution and hard work in furthering the African culture in Guyana.

Said he: “African Guyanese need to get back to their culture! We were brainwashed into believing that our spirituality is ‘obeah’. Not so! We are becoming too modernised, and are neglecting or ignoring our culture.

“For example, we now want only coconut milk in tins; we don’t even want to grate the coconut.

“The average African child can tell you when it’s Diwali or Phagwa; they even participate in these festivals more readily than they do any African celebration.

“At the African Holocaust every year, the average turnout of youths is between fifteen to twenty. Our youths have lost their sense of direction.”

Magic made an impassioned appeal to President Granger.

“Mr. President, if you want to advance the cause of Emancipation, you should re-introduce National Service.

“This will help many youths to receive valuable training, discipline, and a love for the land and farming and our beautiful country.”

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The all-important Gele

EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

–getting the hang of it

By Gift Philip Obele AS an African and an African descendant, we grow up knowing that we are born into a race with diverse culture, tradition and lifestyle.

Although we are from different tribes, with different ways of life, the similarities we share bring us together.

Basically, we are a simple people with complex hereditary derivatives.

One of the most unique things that differentiates us from any other race is the way we dress.

The African lady in the printed dress is wearing what is known as an Ankara; the head wrap she’s wearing is known in West Africa as a Gele.

These outfits are worn in different styles and colours to occasions and function, such as naming ceremonies, church, weddings and dances.

They’re mostly worn for traditional weddings. Whereby the bride will be wearing a dress with beautiful unique prints and patterns, the bridal train (what you here in Guyana call the bridesmaids) will be in uniform prints.

Every woman invited to the traditional wedding must wear a Gele, as it is the one feature that beautifies the

ceremony.

The young lady in the other photo is wearing another ceremonial outfit. This

dress style is worn by ladies from a royal family (princesses) during traditional marriages. The ladies are adorned with colourful wrappers, gold jewellery and beads made entirely of corals.

I will be using this medium to share with you how to tie Gele.

Below is the step-by-step tutorial on how to tie the Gele perfectly.

1. Begin by folding one edge of the Gele.

2. Wrap it around your head from the back to the front.

3. Then take the left end, and wrap it towards your right.

4. Take the right, wrap it towards the left side and tie it at the back.

5. At the side and front of the Gele, arrange the Gele around the head with your fingers.

Begin to straighten the end at the top to form a fan, and tuck in the loosed parts and that’s it.

Understanding and practising our culture is a beautiful thing. Our attire reflects our culture; lets nurture and showcase our creativity. Each of us is a representative of our roots.

Spicing up Main Street

XVI

By Shauna Jemmott IN an effort to bring life to the Main Street trail, the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) hosted a pre-Emancipation fashion and cultural fest, showcasing local talent in the Capital City last week.

A dozen fashion and craft tents, plant stands and one food bar offering home-made Guyanese delicacies of African origin, lined the lane in the green environment just outside the Department of Culture and Courts Guyana when the Guyana Chronicle visited Tuesday. “Spicing up Main Street� is what ACDA member, Sister Clementine Marshall said the organisation was doing.

She said the local clothing, fabric and craft See page XVII

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Spicing up Main ...

From page XVI

designers displayed and marketed their fashions as the ACDA national Emancipation festival drew closer, so that shoppers can have an easier opportunity to pick up a

beautiful outfit.

The ‘bazaar’ also offered a glimpse of what will happen in the National Park today.

“Every Emancipation, ACDA promotes a ‘Spicing up of Main Street’, bringing out the local designers in African wear especially, to

let people know and see that African wear is beautiful.

“And so we’ve decided that we’re gonna come out.

We call it a bazaar more or less, for want of a better word.”

The week-long exhi-

what will happen in the National Park.”

On Wednesday, ‘head wrap’ demonstrations were done, and fashion conversations held under every tent, even as dots of sunshine reflecting through the

bition featured the art of African drumming, African head-wrapping, street theatre, fashion, craft, food and music.

“We decided that we’re gonna come out and let our local craftsmen and craftswomen, cooks in creole food all come out here to give just a little snippet of

leaves of overhanging trees created a beautiful carpet on the trimmed grass and asphalt.

Sister Marshall talked with the Guyana Chronicle about breaking the silence on the serene city corridor with the sounds of the Congo drums on Thursday.

Drummers were expected

to turn out in their numbers celebrating the unique sound, the backbone of African and Caribbean music.

Performing Arts in the form of dub poetry, street theatre and spoken word were also presented in the

mini-culture fest in Guyana’s year of jubilee.

“Emancipation time is always an exciting time for us in ACDA, and I take pride in celebrating Emancipation. This is 178 years, and ACDA has been doing

Emancipation in the National Park for 22 years now,” Sister Marshall said.

“I know persons will come to the National Park and have a wonderful time this year, rain or shine,” she added.

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Reading: The first step in t

By Margaret Burke READING is the first subject that a child should learn, and therefore it stands to reason that how well and how quickly the child learns to read would, to a large extent, determine how successful that child would be with other

The late Bob Marley

subjects.

It is for this reason that the child must be helped, from an early age, to read; and to read well, too. And in this case, the parent should be the child’s first teacher; exposing the child, first of all, to sounds (of words), be it in the form of conversation or reading (to the child), as well as pictures, signs and symbols.

As our late great Caribbean brother, Bob Marley so aptly advocated: “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, None but ourselves can free our minds...” For that matter, everyone, especially our children, needs to be ‘emancipated from mental slavery’ at this time in our history, as only a glance around our present-day society on this Emancipation Day will attest.

Parent and child having a go at it ANY PARENT CAN DO IT Reading to, or for, the child does not have to be complex: May-

be very simple stories; sometimes just describing a picture, a sign or a symbol. This is why reading can be done by

Reading is fun, and these children are making good use of it

any parent, even if that parent thinks that he or she is not ‘bright’ enough to do it.

Children love to listen; they love to listen to what may sound like gentle, sweet sounds that are not too loud, aggressive and barking down their young ears. Once the parent can speak; can say ‘good’ things; can smile and show signs; can even look at the child with loving eyes, then that parent is communicating.

It must be said, however, that young children can ‘sense’ either positive or negative signals: From the way you look at them, your smile, your actions, and even the things your say. They feel fear; they also feel security.

There’s this saying that the message is as good as the messenger. Therefore, how well you communicate with your child may have more to do with how the child perceives you: As very caring, understanding and accommodating; not necessar-

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the quest for Emancipation ily because you are well qualified academically; or because you are ‘bright’.

Research has shown that the child can learn from within the womb; that much communicating takes place from within the womb as the mother, in particular, speaks gentle words to the baby, while possibly stroking her tummy. Maybe it is for this reason that the father may also be effective in speaking quitely to the belly of the mother, and gaining the attention of his child. These are what some findings call, ‘familiar sounds’, which the unborn can get accustomed to.

What is being said so far is that every parent who desires the best for his or her child can make the effort; practise reading to the child from a very early age; being an encourager who later sees

the child developing a love and an understanding for that first subject: Reading.

Later on, the child may even outshine the parent in the subject of reading and comprehension. But this is fine; this is what most parents desire: To have children who outperform them, reaching to heights they could have only hoped for in life.

Among some of the ways the child may benefit from reading is growing and expanding in knowledge; developing the ability to hear and listen well; having an expanded vocabulary, which helps in the whole process of learning other subjects as well, while showing that there is clear and precise communication going on; showing extraordinary comprehension skills; developing an ability to

This little Miss is obviously getting joy out of her piece speak, read and write at a faster pace, and with more correctness.

SCHOOLING The fact is that if you want your child to be smart; to show off

Youngsters sharing the bliss of reading

knowledge; to excel in school and to take home ‘excellent’ school reports, then you have to be able to inspire your child to read; to acquire that love for reading, and the ability to com-

prehend the text.

To put it simply, reading will tell your child about the ‘other subjects’; about other people, as well as other things; about the living and the dead. Reading will tell them about the environment in which they live, and about the world. Reading is the gateway through which they must pass, to get to that point of learning about the other subjects.

Early exposure to reading helps the child to be able to communicate well. Hence, the advantage for the child is early academic success; shining, as it were, in every subject; displaying greater general knowledge, expanded vocabulary, and becoming more fluent readers.

Reading helps the child to have an improved attention span, and better concentration; and makes them able to recognise a larger number of words by sight, which enables them to be exceptional academic performers.

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Hebrew concert lends ‘touch of class’ EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

–– to start of Emancipation celebrations here

By Shirley Thomas GUYANESE on Wednesday evening were treated to a ‘touch of class’ in music and song at the National Cultural Centre, where more than 100 members of the Hebrew Cultural Centres from around the world joined their sisters and brothers

of the Hebrew family of Guyana for a spirited concert titled, ‘New Day’, to usher in the spirit of Emancipation locally.

It was an evening of music and dance par excellence. The ‘Fame Live Band Mix’ energetically delivered a wide range of spicy, upbeat music, be-

fore radically changing the tempo to make for the delivery of jazzy selections.

‘Fame Live Band Mix’ combines African musicians with the Hebrew Band of the United States.

The show opened up with spirited dance sequences by youths of the local Hebrew Cultural Centre, later giving way

to local artistes such as Eze Rockliffe, of the legendary Yoruba Singers’, who belted out familiar pieces such as Bob Marley’s ‘Redemption Song’; How Many Roads; Miriam Makeba’s ‘I Shall Sing’, ‘Danger Water’, and not least, the jazzy ‘Ding Dong Cre-ke-teh’.

There were also classy

renditions from Bonny Alves and his wife, Charmaine Blackman, who enlivened songs of yesteryear, moving the audience to repeatedly call for encores.

A centerpiece of the performances were the drums, critical to African culture through the years, and bearing

Drummers of the visiting Hebrew Family entertaining the audience at the NCC last Wednesday night

much relevance to the celebrations. The drummers were from the visiting Hebrew families, who enthralled the audience as they delivered a rhythmic Afro-Congo Cuban song.

AN EDUCATION As part of the education process, the chairperson shared with the gathering the significance and importance of drums to the African culture. Drumming was an important part of many African musical and religious traditions.

Moreover, it was a significant form of communication, employed by the slaves to transmit messages among themselves on the estates.

Throughout slavery, she recalled, the drums have always signified a piece of the African culture that remained with the people, despite the many tribulations they were forced to endure.

“As you can recall,” she said, “throughout slavery, the drums were restricted, because the slave masters feared that we would use the drums to communicate with other slaves, and probably start rebelling against them.”

She recalled that the drums were once feared, “even by us as a people,” here in Guyana, as the theory was pedaled that if the drums were played, those in its presence would catch ‘Anta Banta’ (possession by spirits).

“But today, as a people; as a conscious people; an awakened people,” she declared, “we are no longer fearful of the drums.

We embrace the drums, and know that they connect us of African origin with that African continent.”

Ironically, on this occasion throughout the rhythmic drumming, not one soul, young nor old, was adversely affected by the drumming; rather, they all rose to See page XXI

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Hebrew concert lends...

From page XX

the occasion and gave tumultuous applause for the performances.

And taking centrestage was the featured artiste for the night, international reggae artiste Elijah Ralph of the United States, visiting Guyana for the first time. The versatile performer, who has toured Europe and the United States, served up a number of electrifying pieces.

A member of the US Hebrew Family delivers an inspiring poem about raising consciousness and being proud of one’s identity (Photos by Samuel Maughn)

NEW DAWN T h e g ro u p ’s v i s i t to Guyana is to create the opportunity for the international Hebrew families to join the government and people of Guyana in celebrating the Golden Jubilee as an independent nation, and the “Dawn of a New

Patrons at the Hebrew concert last Wednesday night

Day”.

According to the cultural practice of the ancient Hebrew foreparents, Ha Yovel (Jubilee) was a time of forgiveness, releasing of debts, reconciliation and renewed brotherhood. Accordingly, it is imperative at this time that the Afro-Guyanese community embarks on a mission of unity, harmony and a renewed spirit of love in order to serve humanity,” the Hebrew Family said in a press statement.

As they further observed, “This is a very troubling time in our world, as we are overwhelmed with news of violence, bloodshed and injustices.

“Like a ship lost at sea and desperately seeking to be found, the nations of the world are looking for a true example of universal brotherhood.”

There were sever-

Charmaine Blackman-Alves in full flow al other entertaining segments, and they included messages of love and unity, inspirational and choral speaking, messages in

song and the awakening of consciousness of “Who we Are”, exhorting people to be proud of their heritage and identity.

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Mango ripe, mango sweet

By Shirley Thomas SO sweet! So succulent! So satisfying!

Colourful when ripe, and appealing to the senses, the mango is known to be one of the most appreciated and irresistible fruits, and continues to be enjoyed throughout the ages.

But, coveted as it is, and having proved a ready source of sustenance for mainland Africans as well as slaves in Brazil and the Caribbean in the pre-Emancipation days, the mango can be considered as having a ‘bitter-sweet’ history.

And even though associated with such a history, unlike the mauby beverage,

the mango doesn’t have a ‘bitter-sweet’ flavour. It retains its dominant nectar-like flavour, combined at the core with a slight acidity, the ready evidence of its richness in Vitamin C. In fact, in some quarters, the mango has come to be called ‘The King of Fruits’, making its consumers literally slaves to it. And whereas, in the pre-Emancipation era, it was literally devoured by the invariably hungry slaves, who thought it equivalent to their status, today the once humble mango has forged **assumed kinship with myriad classes of people consuming it in diverse preparations.

GENESIS The mango (Mangifria indica) is the national fruit of India, and was first brought to the Caribbean and Brazil in the late 16th Century in the heyday of the African Slave Trade.

History has it that the arrival of the mango in Africa, and afterwards in Brazil,

was part of a global trade in exotic fruits that included the pineapple, the banana, the guava, and the “nectarine and curious peach”, to name a few fruits.

What would make the memory of the mango in the 16th Century somewhat

painful, are the sordid images and accounts, such as presented by Research Assistant, James Green of the Department of Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas.

In his thesis, ‘The Path they Trod: An See page XXIII

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Mango ripe, mango ...

Avenue of Mango Trees on the Loango Coast’, James tells us: “Mango trees are a potent symbol of the slave trade, for the trees were first transported to West Africa in the cargo of Portuguese vessels of the 15th and 16th Centuries from their original centres of domestication in India and Southeast Asia.”

LOANGO BAY Loango Bay, in the Republic of Congo, was a major trading port and point of access for foreign traders of the 17th Century. At Loango Bay, the transatlantic slave trade has been memorialised through the planting of an avenue of mango trees; the route the slaves had to travel in order to get to the slave ships.

James reflects that the graveyard of the Loango Catholic mission station, to this day, borders this avenue of mango trees planted closely together (some now towering 100ft tall), forming an impressive wall of dark green foliage.

While history has it that some 12 to 13 million slaves would have been shipped from Africa between 1501 and 1866, for-

ty-five per cent are thought to have come from West Central Africa. Between one and two million more probably died crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Hundreds of thousands of men and women are estimated to have passed through Loango Bay. The slaves shipped to British Guiana are said to have been from Sub-Saharan Africa. But little did those slaves who survived the horrors of the journey through the Middle Passage know that the same trees; the same mango trees that paved the route to the trans-shipment point would have been the fruit that played such a life-saving role in years to come.

But through the years, having reached the Caribbean and the Americas, the mango tree became more popular and widely cultivated. The slave owners saw the benefits, and proceeded to use the fruit to their advantage, since they were a relatively cheap source of food, compared to others items sold in shops.

TRICKED! So, in an attempt to get the slaves

to cut down on their consumption of milk, they concocted a theory which said: “If you eat milk with mango, it will kill you.” Fearful for their lives, and not suspecting that it was a myth, the slaves opted to utilise the mangoes instead of milk.

When in season, mangoes were widely used by the slaves while working on the plantations; and in the home by those family members who remained there while the strong and able-bodied worked to provide See page XXIV

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Mango ripe, mango ...

From page XXIII

sustenance for the family.

It also provided a convenient, nocook, ready-to-eat package for mothers and girls, and every member of the household.

And for lactating mothers who very often were too undernourished to provide breast milk for their babies, ripe mangoes were softened and pricked at the lower

end and fed to young children.

To this day, as one traverses certain routes along the sugar cane cultivating areas of costal Guyana, huge mango trees could be seen along the roadways to areas such as Mocha, Buxton, Annandale and the West Bank Demerara, a living testament to the niche filled by the cultivation of mangoes.

And as time went by, our very own

liberated Guyanese, out of a love and taste for the amazing mango, have opted to grow them wherever adequate space is available.

And increasingly today, people are coming to understand and appreciate the benefits of mangoes, as they have amazing health benefits which include: * The prevention of cancer. Research has shown antioxidant compounds in mango fruit have been found to protect against colon, breast, leukemia and pros-

tate cancers. * Lowers Cholesterol • Clears the Skin • Improves Eye Health • Alkalizes the Whole Body • Promotes Healthy Sex • Improves Digestion • Helps Fight Heat Stroke Nutritional components include: calories, protein, carbohydrates, sugar, fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin K, potassium and folate.

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A greater appreciation for African Culture

By Jasmaine Payne THE world over, there has been a clear shift in the appreciation of the African heritage: From the growth of the natural hair movement, to the increase in the popularity of the Ankara (African prints) in everyday fashion, to even the celebration of darker pigmentation through the promotion of darker skinned dolls and other Afro-themed elements.

The adage “black is beautiful” has seemingly begun to be an idea that is not only believed, but is celebrated by persons of African heritage. And though racism remains a significant social ill globally, one which continues to divide the masses and incite violence even in this modern world, the African community seems to be significantly strengthened with regard to standing up against discrimination as recognition of their worth.

Executive Member of the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA), Eric Phillips, calls this development the “International Decade of People of African Descent”, where, worldwide, it seems as though Afro-descended people are making moves to recognise their value and patrimony.

He says the embracing of the African heritage can be seen in different ways in different parts of the world. In the United States, for instance, it can be seen in the sterling support from huge celebrities who have spoken out on behalf of the Black Lives Matter movement and other causes.

In Africa, moves by the African Union (AU) to introduce a collective passport that will permit any AU passport holder to enter any of the bloc’s 54 member states in the continent without a visa is another positive sign of unity and togetherness.

“You see that people are more conscious of their heritage, and so, governments now have that obligation to end discrimination and put mechanisms in place to make things equal,” Phillips said, adding: “And with the Reparation Movement gaining strength, you further see the strength of the knowledge of all things African.”

Other benchmarks, he said, can be seen in the proliferation of reggae music, the wearing of dreadlocks and

ancestry,” he said.

Executive Member of ACDA, Eric Phillips ‘faux’ locks even by persons who are not Rastafarian, and other social practices. “It is a clear appreciation for the fact that black is indeed beautiful, so when look at things like that, you get a greater sense of people being aware of

REFLECTION With this in mind, however, Phillips noted that in Guyana, as Emancipation once again is observed, it is still important that persons reflect on the achievements that have thus far been garnered so as to keep the momentum of awareness and appreciation of the African Heritage. As such, this year’s celebrations are being held under the theme “Celebrating African Guyanese achievements in the year of our Jubilee”, with the sub-theme focusing on “Building Strong Families through Entrepreneurship”.

Phillips stated that there needs to be a rebalancing of State resources, since in the past, a lot of those resources have been taken away from the Afro-Guyanese. “Just like in South Africa, which had Apartheid and there was a total prevention of Africans from owning any part of the South African economy, the country made steps to balance that. So [in Guyana] we need inclusive governance; we need an inclusive economy especially since oil is coming.

A lot of the country has been given away and transferred, so the issue is if we want to be truly free we should See page XXVII

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Emancipating the ...

From page XI

clothes, and put on his colourful striped but old pajamas.

He used an old, dingy bath towel to wrap his head, and got ready to make the historic parade.

He set off for the village square sipping, singing, and weaving all the way. He was high and happy; just the mood to be in on Emancipation Day. ‘K’ moved unsteadily forward, touching each corner of the narrow dirt road at regular

intervals. He sang a slurry, nasal version of popular folk songs.

Every now and again, he took a swig.

A short distance down the road, a man emerged from the bushes. The lone figure in white crossed the road ahead, and continued on in the same direction. ‘K’ watched and smiled to himself, glad that he was not the only one moving around that night.

But as he thought about the strange man, something occurred to him: The fellow had crossed the road, and kept going! What soon dawned on him was that the man had crossed a trench!

SEEING THINGS ‘K’ stopped at the exact spot where the man had crossed. All he saw was water; there was no bridge. This puzzled the drunken man. He stood looking around him, as if he expected to see a bridge tucked away somewhere out of sight.

‘K’ was sure that he was hallucinating. Whenever he drank, he experienced all sorts of visions. Maybe this was one. Shrugging off his doubts, he continued steadfastly on his way. A few hundred yards down the road, the same figure appeared once more. The man paused, looked at ‘K’, then proceeded to cross the road, and the trench. He was now walking on water. Halfway across, he stopped, looked again at ‘K’ and smiled. All he got for his troubles was a drunken glare.

The figure suddenly vanished from sight.

Around the next corner, bigger problems awaited ‘K’.

Stretched across the road was a casket; it blocked the narrow passage, and caused the drunken

man to stop abruptly. As he stared stupidly at the sight, the casket was pushed slowly open and someone in white emerged.

Guess who it was???

‘K’ was now convinced that he was in big trouble. This was no ordinary person. He took a few hurried sips of rum and shook his head in a vain effort to clear away the mirage. Nothing changed.

It was time for urgent action.

Now, he had two practical directions to choose from: Back to the cemetery or forward to

the casket. To the left and right were trenches, which would surely spell tragedy for him.

Kwesi searched for some kind of inspiration to get him through this ordeal. He had no intention of returning to the burial ground; that would be idiotic; even for a drunk. The only other option was through or over the ‘jumbie’. That was the choice he made.

Remembering the highest flagpole in Guyana was the one at D’Urban Park, he pictured himself vaulting over it and

making a dash for it.

He took off, surging forward and making the jump. He missed the mark by most. His sluggish body barely made it over the casket, looking like a lame blip. The astonished spirit ducked in self defence. As ‘K’ lumbered over, he dropped the bottle of rum, hit the ground hard, and ran for dear life. As he ran, a spooky voice in his left ear made him aware that he was not yet rid of the problem.

“Thanks fuh freeing up de spirits.”

At that, Kwesi increased propulsion. He felt a firm, cold tap on his right shoulder.

“Got a cigarette?”

THE LAST STRAW That was the last straw for the ‘Lone Parader’! He decided there and then to forget modesty and pride, and employ the third tactic guaranteed to avoid spirits, or in his case, get rid of a pesky one.

His colourful ‘PJ’ fell in a tangled bundle. The towel flew any which way, along with his sneakers.

‘K’ then flew down the village road, naked as he born, hollering for blue murder.

Shocked and amused, villagers came out to see the new chapter in Kwesi’s antics.

But he paid them no mind.

He was far too busy emancipating his legs, as they beat a rhythmic clatter down the old village road, and, thankfully, out of sight.

XXVII

EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

A greater appreciation . . TRADITIONAL AFRICAN FOODS

By Belemo Afenfia

From page XXV ensure that there is a rebalancing,” he said.

SOUND FAMILIES Nevertheless, Phillips stated that this year’s Emancipation reflections must also focus on building sound families through entrepreneurship, as is highlighted in the event’s sub-theme. “We have to look at what happened through the village movement and learn from the core principles: Community, unity, church, education and agriculture. And we have to seek ways on how to achieve these goals,” he said.

Moreover, he stated that there must be a continued effort to build cohesion among the African community. “We can do that by looking at the positives; we have survived Slavery, and that in itself is a victory. And all the hardships we have endured from 1838-1966, where being black was the worst thing you could be,” Phillips said, adding that the current government seems to be willing to focus on social cohesion as a whole, which is a step in the right direction.

“Now, we have to advocate for equal rights, access and preferential access, because we have been denied lots of things,” he said.

While these improvements are being sought after, Phillips stated that Afro-Guyanese themselves must continue to plan positively and work among themselves to stay unified. “We have to go back to the land and we have to educate our children and to get them prepared for an oil economy, because unless we are educated we won’t be able to participate in the benefits that will come from it,” he said.

So while improvements can be seen in the appreciation for African culture both globally and nationally, there is much more work to be done. Phillips said that while the core focus of Emancipation is a reflection of the past; of all the achievements and the hurdles that have been overcome since slavery, work must be placed on the families and the communities so as to strengthen African Heritage.

ALL over the world, people love good food; Africans are no exception. In times past, it was assumed that persons with good body size were the most well fed, but now it is no longer so.

We have different kinds of food across Africa, but the one

common denominator is the Fufu (also pronounced fou-fou). Fufu is made from the cassava, and can be used to eat any kind of soup.

It’s best enjoyed when eaten with the fingers, rather than with cutleries. It’s not easy to prepare, so most families buy the ready-made ones from the market.

In West Africa, especially Nigeria and Ghana, there is

a special delicacy called jollof rice. Jollof rice is an important dish that is served at weddings, birthday parties etc. No party is complete without jollof rice.

We also don’t make joke with the peppersoup, assorted soups eaten with fufu or wheat flour, stews and so on. Feel free to come join us eat anytime you visit an African home.

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Traditional Afro-Guyanese foods CONKIE 1 cup fresh maize ¼ cup flour 200 g pumpkin 100 g sweet potato 1 cup grated coconut 100 g margarine 50 g lard or Ghee 200 g brown sugar ½ cup milk ½ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp Almond essence ½ tsp salt

½ cup dried fruit Method Grate pumpkin, sweet potato and coconut Clean fruit and melt fats Mix all ingredients together and stir well Cut steamed plantain leaves in squares Place half cup of mixture on each square and fold Steam conkies on a rack over boiling water in a large pot or in a steamer until they are firm SWEET POTATO PONE 4 cups grated Sweet Potato 1 tsp ground ginger

EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

1 grated coconut 4 tbsp sugar 100g margarine 1egg 50 g flour 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 Tsp clove 50g peel (dried orange rhind) 1 cup milk 1 tsp salt Method Preheat oven Mix all ingredients together Pour into a greased baking pan and bake in a moderate oven until a knife comes out clean CASSAVA PONE 1 cups grated cassava 1 ½ cup grated coconut 50 g margarine 50 g lard 1 tsp salt 1 ½ and a half cup sugar 1 ½ half cups milk ½ cup raisins 1 tsp vanilla essence ½ tsp cinnamon Method Put grated cassava in a bowl Add melted fat, milk and other ingredients Put into a greased baking pan Bake in a moderate oven You +1’d this publicly.

BAKE- AND-SALTFISH 1 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp salt 2 tsp sugar 2 tbsp lard 1/3 cup water ½ lb salted shark or deboned trout ½ tsp vinegar or a few drops of lime juice Blackpepper 1 large onion 2 large wiri wiri pepper 3 1 small carrot See page XXIX Oil for frying

EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

Traditional Afro-Guyanese ...

From page XXVIII Method Wash the salted fish thoroughly to remove excess salt, applying vinegar or a few drops of lime to the last wrinse.

Cut into small pieces, then chop carrots, onions and red pepper. Add to fish and fry in a small amount of oil. Cover an leave to stand.

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder Rub in f at and add sugar Mix to a soft dough with water Knead slightly. Cut into small pieces Roll into balls and flatten to 8mm thick Fry in hot oil until brown Note: Alternatively, bakes can be cooked on a hot baking pan.

Bakes may be served along with fried salted fish, or the fish may be added as a filling into the dough before frying.

DUFF OR DUMPLINGS 1 cup flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/8 salt 3 tsp margarine 2 tbsp sugar 3-4 tbsp water or half a pint of coconut milk Method Sift flour, add baking powder and salt. Rub in margarine.

Add sugar and mix to a stiff dough with water.

Form into balls. Place in coconut milk and steam in tightly covered pot for about ten minutes. Duff may be prepared independently and served with stew or used as an ingredient in metagee.

Metemgee Ingredients 1 dry coconut ¾ lb mixed meat 1 lb (approx.) fried fish or salt fish lb sweet cassava 1 lb plantain (your choice of ripeness) 1 lb eddoes, yam or dasheen 1 large onion -- cut in rings ½ lb ochroes (okra) Dumplings nor duff (optional) Preparation * Cover the mixed meat with water and boil for ½ hour.

Put salt-fish to soak in water; if using fresh fish this may be

fried or placed on top of vegetables about 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. * Grate or blend the coconut, pour one pint of water over, squeeze well and strain to extract the coconut milk. Pour over the meat. * Peel the vegetables, then put the meat and vegetables to cook in the coconut milk. Cook until almost tender. * Put the salt fish with the skin and bones removed, or fresh fish or fried fish on top of vegetables. Add the onion and ochroes. * Cook until the coconut milk is almost absorbed.

If duff or dumplings are used they should be added about 8 minutes before the vegetables are ready.

MAUBY

XXIX 1 two-oz. packets of mauby bark 2 lbs sugar 8 pts purified water Vanilla essence Spice and cloves Dried orange peel Method Wash the mauby bark then soak in about two pints of water for about half an hour before use. Boil the bark along with spice and clove and orange peel for about five minutes, then remove from stove and leave to stand, preferrably for one day.

When ready to mix the brew, add the boiled bark and its water to an open mouth container containing 8 pts of water. Add sugar and pour the brew in the bucket – dipping and pouting continuously for about ten minutes or until the brew begins to froth.

Pour into containers of choice and leave in the sun to aid the ripening process.

When ripe or ready for use, the mauby will no longer have a dark colour, but will have a light swank-looking appearance.

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EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

‘Folk Festival’: A much-loved event

By Telesha Ramnarine

IT was a much-loved event that brought together Guyanese from all parts of the country to showcase their talent and culture in one place: The National Park. And on a single day: ‘August Monday’!

Guyanese from as far as the interior, and even some Surinamese, made many sacrifices to make their way to Georgetown, where the Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) would arrange their stay.

The event, which brought together many thousands of people, is none other than the Guyana Folk Festival, which began in 1982 and lasted for some 13

gether all of the ethnic groups in Guyana, as opposed to just catering for the Africans.

Veteran media personality, Basil Bradshaw, one of the persons who helped plan the August 1 festival, recalled that Cambridge was always a man filled with ideas.

“He came up one day with the folk festival, and it was to feature all of the ethnic groups in Guyana; it really wasn’t just for one.

“But people thought it was an African thing, because of the time it was staged. But he utilised the opportunity to bring all ethnic groups together to showcase their culture, their talent and so forth,” Bradshaw recalled.

‘Eagle to Carrion Crow, come in’ years before it was quashed to make way for ACDA’s Emancipation celebrations.

Initially, when then GBC’s Programme Director, Vibert Cambridge thought of the idea of a folk festival, what he had in mind was bringing to-

INSTANT HIT When Cambridge Vibert Cambridge, with whom the sold the idea to some Folk Festival idea originated of his colleagues at GBC, they immedi- than waiting on one particular occasion ately bought into it, when there’s a holiday, this festival and thus formed a brought together every single person; and that’s why a lot of people bought team to begin work on it.

Bradshaw, who made up the team, into it. Immediately it was a hit!”

And organisers are convinced recalled: “This festival was an immethat the event, which was held at the diate hit, because there were so many people out there who were willing to See page XXXI showcase their talent and culture. Rather

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EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

‘Folk Festival’...

From page XXX National Park, except the times it had to be at the Square of the Revolution, could have lasted forever, as it was so well attended and well-loved and looked forward to.

People came from the interior, Ithaca, the eastern side of Berbice, West Coast Demerara, Essequibo, just to name a few places. “People just wanted to be a part of it,” Bradshaw said. “They recognised that it gave them an opportunity to do things they would only get to do once and far.”

Every one of the organisers worked hard to make the day a success. There

A packed programme body looked forward to that ‘Freedom Day’ activity.

“And then, to come with something so huge before ACDA, I’m sure they probably would have thought that we were trying to undermine them. This is just my thought; I could be wrong.”

Bradshaw also pointed out that around this time, there was massive migration of the persons who really knew how to organise the folk festival. By the mid-1990s, most of the original organisers had migrated. In fact, Cambridge, whose idea it was, left in 1986 for graduate school at Ohio University.

Games that many took for granted were so many activities and games all packed into that one day, that began around 06:00hrs am and concluded about 22:00hrs.

START OF PLAY The events began with a bird race, followed by a road race, after which everyone reassembled at the National Park to start all the little folk games.

Games that many took for granted; that were even played in school, were included; games such as hop-scotch, gam, the wheelbarrow race, football, softball cricket, and circle tennis.

Many also got a kick out of the guys who would climb the trees and tell ‘jumbie stories’ to children sitting below.

Furthermore, all of the foods belonging to the different ethnic groups were available, and persons making purchases were granted concessions. “The occasion could not be beaten!” Bradshaw said.

After 13 years of ‘Folk’, though, ACDA persuaded GBC to give it up so they could focus on African Emancipation celebrations.

As veteran radio personality, Margaret Lawrence, who also directly helped in the planning of the festival, explained: “August 1 is African Emancipation Day,

so it wasn’t really that ACDA took folk festival. They just wanted to use the day for the Emancipation Festival. It was up to GBC, or whoever, to continue ‘Folk Festival’. “It could have been done on any other day that was more national.”

Bradshaw rejoined, saying that though he suspected the same great response would have been achieved, had they switched the Folk Festival to another day, good sense prevailed when ACDA took over. “It was going to take away a little, because every-

THE FIRST FOLK FESTIVAL Cambridge, in an invited comment via email, told this publication that the Guyana Folk Festival, launched by GBC, brought together GBC’s tradition of community engagement, and the Guyana National Service (GNS)’s focus on the study and celebration of Guyana’s folk heritage.

His stint in the GNS taught him the power of Guyanese folk heritage, especially folk stories, folk music, folk dance, and folk games as resources for exploring See page XXXII

All of the ethnic groups contributed to the success of Folk Festival

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‘Folk Festival’...

From page XXXI

commonalities, and building solidarity.

Prior to joining GBC, Cambridge was responsible for launching “Towards the Dawn”, a sustained latenight radio programme which was sponsored by the Joint Services Secretariat. It was because of this background that he was recruited by GBC’s General Manager, Terry Holder, to serve as Programme Director, Culture.

The first Folk Festival was based on a proposal that Cambridge submitted to the Holder. “It was enthusiastically supported by the General Manger and staff of GBC. Ave Brewster, Abu Bakr, Maggie Lawrence, Ulric Hetsberger, Basil Bradshaw, and Johnny Barrow were active, as we sought to preserve the heritage,” Cambridge recalled.

In addition, he said there was support from other State agencies and the general public. “We received substantial support from a community of young creatives in conceptualising and

EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

1984, it was an important element in the nation’s celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery in the Anglophone Caribbean.

The festival continued as a GBC-sponsored event until around the change of government in 1992.

a team that was at the old Guyana Broadcasting Service (GBS) building on Hadfield Street, Lodge where programme recordings were done. They wanted to come up with ideas for advertisements for the Folk Festival.

“We were there the entire evening with no ideas. At 3am, we still did not complete the full complement of ‘ads’ that we wanted, so we sat down thinking: What next? The next day, these ‘ads’ were to start and we did not have recording time after that. So, we had to have everything finished then,” Bradshaw fondly recalled.

Ninvalle was in the recording room, and Bradshaw was sitting in the studio, almost falling asleep. “Then Pete pressed the intercom and said, ‘Eagle to Carrion Crow, come in.’ And I said, ‘Yes, this is King Carrion Crow.’ And then Pete said, ‘Wait, boy! We can use this! We can use this!’ And you know what? Ideas started to flow like nothing; like water,” Bradshaw said.

And this was how the phrase started, with the team unable to produce any ‘ads’ without including it. “It became a household thing,” Basil Bradshaw (Photos courtesy Bradshaw said. “And we said it in of the Guyana Cultural Association) a funny way, too, so that further attracted people.”

Folk-ing it in the USA executing the first festival.

“This community included Claire Goring, Maurice Blenman, Andre Sobryan, and Malcom Hall.”

WELL RECEIVED Cambridge described the first ever Folk Festival as “a blast”.

“Participants showcasing Guyana’s rich multi-ethnic heritage came from every region of Guyana. It was a major logistical exercise,” he said. “In addition to wonderful food, dance, music, and games, there were also ‘popers’. We concluded: All of that was folk.”

The Folk Festival continued, and in

“The new regime apparently perceived the annual festival as an African thing,”Cambridge said, “because it was held on August Monday.

As a result, GBC gave it up, and ACDA stepped into the breach.”

‘EAGLE TO CARRION CROW’ Back in the 1980s, the catchphrase “Eagle to Carrion Crow” became very popular, and everyone understood ‘Eagle’ to refer to Peter Ninvalle, one of GBC’s foremost radio announcers/producers, and ‘Carrion Crow’ to refer to Bradshaw.

One night, the two were among

GUYANA FOLK FESTIVAL AGAIN? Bradshaw and Lawrence are in no way prepared to let the festival go, and have big plans to have it revived.

In fact, Merundoi Inc, of which Lawrence is the Executive Director, wanted to do a folk festival in time for the Jubilee Celebrations, and had even put forward the idea to then Tourism Minister, Cathy Hughes.

“It’s an ideal activity for social cohesion; I won’t give up the idea.

We still wanna have it. We want to do it on another day. It’s such an avenue to share our traditions. I won’t put it in the back burner; I’d put it on the front burner and we could aim for next year either on Republic or Independence Day,” Lawrence said.

In the middle of brainstorming which day would be better for the festival, Bradshaw observed that reintroducing the event would give young people a chance to see what they have missed in the olden days.

Both he and Lawrence, though, believe that the government ought to step up and provide assistance for this venture.

Meanwhile, for several years now, the Guyana Folk Festival is being held in New York.

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EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

REFLECTIONS ON EMANCIPATION

BY TOTA C. MANGAR THIS month of August, 2016 marks the 182nd anniversary of Emancipation. It was on August 1, 1834, that the despicable system of slavery was abolished in all British colonies including Guyana, the former British Guiana.

Such a development emerged as a consequence of intense and persistent struggle, sacrifice and resistance by the victims themselves along with the valiant efforts of energetic supporters such as religious leaders, humanitarians, politicians and enlightened individuals of the day.

Our history tells us that our Afro-Guyanese forefathers were first brought here to provide enslaved labour during the early decades of the 17th century by the Dutch in their quest for settlement and colonization.

This was part of a wider and forced movement of people from the continent of Africa to the West Indian islands and the Americas which was initiated more than a century earlier by European colonizers.

Slavery in the New World was institutionalized by the Europeans on the grounds of economic necessity through the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. The end-result was that millions of Africans were uprooted from their homeland through trickery, kidnapping, raids, bribery and other forms of deception and taken against their will to these parts where they found themselves into the monstrous system of plantation slavery.

In order to justify their actions Europeans quite simplistically and arrogantly argued that slavery was in existence in Africa even before they made contact with that continent. But, let me hasten to say that the slavery which existed in Africa before the advent of New World slavery was a completely different system. It was more or less a social institution. Africans saw it as an honour and obligation to give service to their rulers in the army, in agriculture, in construction works and other areas of development. It was a relatively humane system which permitted upward social mobility and enhanced dignity and pride.

On the contrary, the slavery that emerged in the West Indies and the Americas due to European imposition was characterized by greed, injustice, cruelty and gross exploitation.

There was nothing humane about the system and the victims were reduced to the status of ‘properties or things’ of their masters. It is little wonder that prominent African scholar, Dr. Ajayi, aptly states that it is absurd to use

the same word “slavery” to describe the two systems, the humane social institution in existence in Africa as against the very oppressive economic institution which unfolded in the New World as a consequence of European imposition.

The Trans-Atlantic slave trade and plantation slavery were degrading, demoralizing and dehumanizing to the victims in every sense of the word. From the very outset, it required supreme sacrifice and valiant struggle to survive this obviously harsh and oppressive system.

It was not surprising therefore, that resistance quickly became an integral part of the system. Our foreparents resisted capture on the African continent itself, they adopted innovative methods of resistance on board the overcrowded slave ships while crossing the Middle or Atlantic Passage and on the plantations they justifiably intensified their resistance to the system of enslaved labour.

Those varied forms of passive and active resistance clearly demonstrated their determination as a people and their non-compliance with the evils of bondage and oppression.

Malingering, feigning illness or ignorance, hunger strike, deliberately doing poor work, self-inflicted actions, damage to master’s property, maroonage, and slave rebellions were all part of the strategy to undermine the economic, social, political and cultural dominance the master class enjoyed at the expense of the victims.

The 1763 Berbice Revolt and the heroic efforts of Cuffy , Atta, Accabre and others must certainly have been an inspiration to many in the cause of Emancipation. The same could be said of other slave rebellions including the 1823 East Coast Insurrection which vividly illustrated the slaves’ desire for freedom.

These very actions of the enslaved Africans undoubtedly instilled fear and uncertainty in the minds of the plantocracy. Above all, they contributed significantly in complementing the efforts of those within the Anti - Slavery Movement to sensitize and mould public opinion in the furtherance of Emancipation.

In the final analysis the ongoing struggle, sacrifice and resistance bore fruit as the British Emancipation Act was passed in 1833 and came into force on the 1st August, 1834, bringing to an end the atrocious system of slavery which for centuries had brought so much pain, suffering and bitterness.

As a matter of fact, at midnight of July 31, 1834, an estimated ¾ of a million men, women and children ceased to be slaves. In the

case of Guyana it meant that approximately 85,000 enslaved Africans became ‘partially freed’ in 1834. It was considered ‘partially freed’ because in reality it was not ‘full freedom’ in the initial stage. The Emancipation Act catered for a period of transition called the apprenticeship system under which the ex-slaves were apprenticed to their former masters. This apprenticeship system lasted for four years, 1834-1838, before ‘full freedom’ was achieved.

During this period the apprentices had to provide compulsory unpaid labour to the extent of three-quarters the working week for their former masters, while the remaining quarter working week they were expected to earn wages.

By opting for the apprenticeship period the British Government intended to have a smooth transition from slavery to full freedom. It also wanted to ensure a continuous labour supply to plantation owners thereby ensuring the survival of the dominant sugar industry.

Indeed, the piece of legislation which ended slavery hinted at momentous, far-reaching changes in the society. It transformed the legal status of more than 80 percent of the population by abolishing the legal oddity of property in person and by substituting equality for all before the law.

It altered the labour base of the society by substituting a wage labour system for unpaid slave labour. It outlined the basis for the existence of a greatly enlarged body of free persons by removing the legal authority which had over the years enabled a small elite group (the planters) to exercise unlimited arbitrary power over the activities and lives of the overwhelming majority (enslaved Africans).

In reality, Emancipation and Apprenticeship created numerous problems. The ex-slaves quite rightly could not understand why they had to be apprenticed to their former masters and at the same time being told that they were free. Planters made life more difficult for them by adopting an increasingly hostile attitude. They wanted to extract as much labour out of the apprentices before the period was over. They arbitrarily deducted wage rates and even withdrew basic supplies. They indulged in unjust provocation and apprentices had to fend for themselves. They brazenly practiced many features of slavery.

This state of affairs led to the heroic passive resistance by Damon and his followers on See page XXXIV

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REFLECTIONS ...

From page XXXIII the Essequibo Coast in 1834, and by labourers elsewhere.

It was not surprising, therefore, that the system of Apprenticeship came to a premature end in 1838, and full freedom was eventually achieved.

Undoubtedly, the ex-slaves had high hopes, aspirations and expectations with the coming of Emancipation.

Their mass exodus from the plantations during the critical period of “crisis, experimentation and change” is testimony to this.

Several decades of cruelty and injustice under the slavery system had resulted in the plantation being seen as the symbol of dehumanization, degradation and demoralization as far as the victims were concerned.

They quite naturally wanted to rid themselves of planter class social, cultural and political domination and at the same time they were very keen to assert their economic independence largely through agricultural activities. They wanted to start life afresh and with dignity and pride.

In spite of the tremendous difficulties these freed men faced it was with great determination and enthusiasm that they embarked on the village movement commencing with the admirable communal purchase of Northbrook (now Victoria) and other abandoned estates countrywide.

Through their laudable efforts many communal and even proprietary villages emerged. Within a few years after emancipation the African village population had by far outnumbered that of the estates. Associated with this was their cash crop cultivation which resulted in a vibrant and rapidly expansive peasantry.

In the face of planter class antagonism, inadequate finance for capital investment and infrastructural development, periodic flooding and destruction of crops, exorbitant land prices and high rentals, virtually non-existent transportation and marketing facilities, restrictive ordinances and some unsympathetic administrators, the exslaves and their descendants persisted in the 19th century.

It was the free village life which initiated development in many rural communities such as the establishment of churches, schools, roads, bridges, sea defence structures, drainage and irrigation canals and of added significance, village management. The latter was local democracy in its infancy stage.

Emancipation Month is certainly an occasion for rejoicing and at the same time one for sober reflection. Our Afro-Guyanese fore-fathers who endured slavery with all its viciousness have paid the supreme sacrifice through their toils, perils and lives to help lay the foundation for our country’s development.

Their descendants have over the years given, and continue to give, invaluable contribution to every sphere of activity including the social, economic, cultural and political fields. Some of our very prominent politicians, religious leaders, trade unionists, professionals, agriculturalists, miners, sports personalities, businessmen, artistes, industrialists and the like, are descendants of those Africans who dedicated their lives for betterment.

This is clearly a time for us to take inspiration as we strenuously strive for full national unity so necessary for our country’s continued progress and the well-being of all Guyanese.

We should be heartened by the active roles of our local and regional Reparatory Committees in the furtherance of reparatory justice and within the framework of development cooperation during the last months. In 2014 CARICOM Reparations Commission Chairman and ViceChancellor, University of the West Indies , Professor Sir Hillary Beckles , in addressing the House of Commons in the British Parliament ,forcibly and convincingly argued that Great Britain has a moral obligation to compensate Caribbean nations for the evils associated with slavery.

I salute our African brothers and sisters and indeed all Guyanese on the occasion of our 182nd Anniversary of Emancipation HAPPY EMANCIPATION MONTH TO ONE AND ALL !

Tota C. Mangar [Senior Lecturer and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, UG]

In tune with her African roots

By Neil Primus

N

ANDY Simon is a beautiful, Afro-Guyanese who manages ‘KKC Fashion’, a small clothing stall in the Bourda Market.

This stall does not stock African clothing just for Emancipation; it exclusively stocks African wear all year round.

The young mother admits that she works on Emancipation Day due to demand, and in an effort to accommodate customers.

She displayed and named many of the colourful African designs and pieces she has in stock.

She took me on a grand tour of two other stalls she manages. One was another clothing stall, which also featured African designed footwear.

The third was an All Spiritual Stall.

This stall had an assortment of African cultural items, among them statues of the various African deities like Ogun, Shango, Elegua, Oshun, Odulumare and Obatala.

Nandy said she would be working again this Emancipation Day; she will also have a booth on Main Street.

One lasting impression of this grand tour was the trust and friendship with other stall holders.

When she decided to take me to the other stalls, she left hers unattended. This surprised and alarmed me. But she calmly said to the Indian woman who owns the stall next to hers and said: “Dolly, I’ll be back.”

Dolly smiled and nodded. And off we went.

EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

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EMANCIPATION SUPPLEMENT August 1, 2016

Emancipation: What it means EMANCIPATION is the term used for the abolishment of slavery resulting from the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade which lasted from the 16th to 19th Centuries.

Captured Africans were forced to labour on coffee, tobacco, cocoa, cotton and sugar plantations, toil in gold and silver mines, in rice fields, the construction industry, timber for ships or in houses to work as servants.

Slavery was officially abolished in most of the British Empire on August 1, 1834. This was legally done through the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

In practical terms, only slaves below the age of six were freed in the British colonies, while all other former slaves were re-designated as “apprentices”.

Emancipation was therefore legislated to have an “apprenticeship period” of four to six years before total freedom was achieved.

The Emancipation Act also included the right of compensation for slave owners who would be losing their property. The amount of money to be spent on the compensation claims was set at the sum of £20M. Under the terms of the Act, the British government raised that sum to pay out in compensation for the loss of slaves as business assets to the registered owners of the freed slaves.

In all, the government paid out over 40,000 separate awards.

The £20M-fund was 40 per cent of the government’s total annual expenditure.

IN THE US In the United States of America, slavery was abolished through the Emancipation Proclamation, which was an executive order by United States President Abraham Lincoln on

January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. It proclaimed the freedom of slaves in the ten states then in rebellion, thus applying to 3.1 million of the 4 million slaves in the US at the time.

The Proclamation immediately freed 50,000 slaves, with nearly all of the rest of the 3.1 million slaves being freed as Union armies advanced.

The Proclamation did not compensate the owners; did not itself outlaw slavery; and did not make the ex-slaves, called freed men, citizens.

Emancipation came about for two main reasons: Advocacy and slave rebellions, even though some would make the argument that slavery had become unprofitable.

ROLE OF THE QUAKERS Quakers played a major role in the abolition movement against slavery. The Quakers were the first whites to denounce slavery in the American colonies and Europe.

Quakers began denouncing slavery as early as 1688, when four German Quakers started protesting near Philadelphia.

In 1823, the Anti-Slavery Society was fo un ded in En glan d.

Members included Joseph Sturge, Thomas

Clarkson, William Wilberforce, Henry Brougham, Thomas Fowell Buxton, Elizabeth Pease and Anne Knight.

After the formation of the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1787, William Wilberforce led the cause of abolition

through the Parliamentary campaign to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire, with the Slave Trade Act 1807.

He continued to campaign for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire which he lived to see in the Slavery Abolition Act 1833.

Emancipation was achieved centuries after chattel slavery had been created through the Atlantic Slave Trade.

Today, in the former British colonies, August 1 is a national holiday. It is called Freedom Day in some of these countries.