GAWU Emancipation Day Message

Observances such as Freedom Day, which signals the start of Emancipation Month activities, tend to be multi-purpose in their manifestations.

They remind Guyanese of their history and cultural heritage and they inspire renewed impetus for introspection and commitments to the promotion of personal and community pride and social development. For after the celebratory events in the groups, villages and towns, these observances must motivate their primary participants to analyse and assess just where the historical moment finds them.

Against those reflections and advisory sentiments, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) joins the nation in recognizing another anniversary of Emancipations which begins (today), 1st August, 2010. Our union, which boasts hundreds of members, descended from the emancipated slaves – today’s Afro-Guyanese – holds fast to the conclusion arrived at by an ACDA official a few years ago. The African Cultural and Development Association official has declared that “without Emancipation there would have been no Arrival Day.”

This is the truth that all Guyanese should ponder at this time. Historical events revolving around one of our earliest groups have impacted upon all of us in one manner or the other. Whether history bestowed on us a common suffering, a common enemy, collective determination to overcome challenges or the will to triumph eventually as a people united in overcoming the evils of colonialism to form an independent nation, history remains the best teacher always illustrating what can go right, or terribly wrong, depending on how some of our whole behaved.

GAWU, therefore, enjoins the Afro-Guyanese community to contemplate how much of this shared history has thrown up circumstances which determined their status in Guyana today. Study too how other groups of the population benefitted from the history and lessons of their own fore-parents. If today’s status has been foisted because of unfair or inequitable distribution of resources and opportunity, what can be done to ensure fairer representation and adequate access to resources needed? Is political authority or influences used to deprive one group of economic justice?

If Afro-Guyana finds that some of the above are relevant issues, then this Emancipation should be used to really free-up that which is pent up. Public and private sector entities which benefit from the generosity of Afro-Guyanese must be made to give back.

GAWU recognizes the recent history of division in the national working-class movement. GAWU is still open to reasonable compromise with those who are wont to benefit from working-class differences, in the interest of workers solidarity and representation. After all, freedom from backwardness or standing still which division nurtures is what real Emancipation is all about.