By Odeen Ishmael
THROUGHOUT the early part of 1966, preparations for Guyana’s independence celebrations went in full swing. A special committee appointed by the government designed the new Coat of Arms, and selected the Canje Pheasant (or Hoatzin) as the National Bird.
The name for the independent nation— Guyana—had already been chosen since 1962 by a select committee appointed by the House of Assembly.
NEW NATIONAL SYMBOLS
The general design and colours of the new flag, appropriately called the “Golden Arrowhead”, had already been chosen during the period of the PPP (Peoples Progressive Party) government (1961-64) from entries submitted through an international competition.
The winning five-colour design was submitted by an American, Whitney Smith. It was finalised, with slight adjustments, by the successor PNC-UF (Peoples National Congress-United Force) coalition government after the 1965 independence conference, which granted independence to Guyana.
The flag of Guyana was designed with a golden arrowhead along its middle to signify Guyana’s journey into the future. The golden arrowhead, with narrow white and black strips along its sides, was set on a green and red background, with narrow white and black strips along its sides.
The five colours were also seen as symbolic to the country’s various assets: Green for the agriculture and forests; gold representing the country’s mineral wealth; red for the zeal of nation-building; black border depicting the people’s endurance; and white symbolising the natural water potential of the country.
A nation-wide competition, sponsored by the then National History and Arts Council, also helped to select the words of the new National Anthem. The winning entry, “Green Land of Guyana”, was written by Reverend Archibald Luker, and the words were set to music by Cyril G. Potter, a prominent Guyanese educator and musician.
Even though Thursday, 26 May, 1966 was Independence Day, the celebrations actually began four days before, and continued until 29 May. Numerous public events were held, and these included carnival-style parties, exhibitions, float parades, and public rallies addressed by Prime Minister Forbes Burnham and his Ministers.
For the occasion, public buildings and business places were brightly decorated with streamers and buntings bearing the colours of the Guyana flag.
VILLAGE CELEBRATIONS
The radio and newspapers concentrated their reports on independence activities in Georgetown, and to a lesser extent in New Amsterdam. As a result, we knew very little about the celebrations in the rural areas, where public buildings were also decorated with streamers bearing the colours of the Golden Arrowhead.
We had our own activities in my little community, in the ethnically diverse neighbouring villages of Britannia and Chester in West Coast Berbice. I was a teenage teacher back in those days, and we had school holidays from May 25 to 27 (Wednesday to Friday) for the celebrations. Mid-morning the Wednesday, the village overseer of Britannia, Mr. Rupert Shepherd, one of my father’s friends, dropped by at our home to divulge the plans of the local authority to usher in Independence Day.
It is important for me to add here that our small, rustic home at Britannia in those days was a relatively important location for the dissemination of local information. It was not unusual to find our ‘bottom-house’ having a few young people who would just drop by to chat. My father would also have “gyaff sessions” with his friends who might congregate there; at other times, they gathered under the huge, shady tamarind tree on the Chester roadside in close proximity to home. (That tamarind tree, which dates back to the days of slavery, is still standing, regal as ever.)
I was at the time chairman of the village cricket club, and had already become active in community activities. (I guess being a teacher also wielded some influence and respect.) At the same time, I was also secretary of the local PYO (Progressive Youth Organisation) group, and, quite often, intense political debates with persons of various political persuasions occurred at our “bottom-house”.
Those in our community who supported the PPP, from a few years before, had serious differences with PNC and UF supporters, who had, up to the end of 1964, vehemently opposed independence for Guyana. I myself, even though a youngster, had participated in the West Berbice area in two “Freedom Marches” for independence before the 1964 elections, and I remember how we were jeered and mocked by our political opponents for demanding freedom from colonial rule.
Even back then, I found it difficult to understand why those persons whose ancestors suffered under the bondage of slavery and indenture would object to their own freedom from colonial oppression.
ABOUT-FACE
Then, astonishingly, in 1965, we witnessed an amazing turn-around. With the establishment of the PNC-UF coalition government under Forbes Burnham, who had now become an advocate for independence, all those who had vociferously opposed this constitutional status suddenly began to behave as if they had been the staunchest freedom fighters from the beginning of time!
But despite such hypocrisy on the part of those persons, that did not deter PPP supporters in our community from welcoming independence, even though it was granted under a government of two parties which had dumped principles aside by rejecting the independence movement when they formed the opposition before December 1964. Independence was also being celebrated under the cloud of a long-existing state of emergency, and the detention, without trial, of a number of persons, mainly from the PPP.
Mr. Shepherd, fully aware that we were willing to help despite these circumstances, explained that the local authority would host a party for the community’s roughly 100 children on Independence Day, and sought assistance for this activity. By this time, a little crowd had gathered, since some other inquisitive villagers in the area had dropped in to listen. In the end, we had a few persons who volunteered to decorate the Village Office, prepare the site for the outdoor children’s party, and to assist in sharing the refreshments.
INDEPENDENCE BANNER
The Overseer also asked for my assistance in preparing a large “independence” banner to be mounted across the road. He came prepared for this, and pulled out from a bag a long piece of white cotton fabric, about eight yards in length, on which the appropriate slogan would be written. His bag also contained a few small tins of red, green and black paint and paint brushes.
We thought that we should have a neatly written banner; and for that job, we all felt that Oswald Marks was the man to do it. Oswald, who was my mother’s ‘first-cousin’, was a burly ex-teacher in his late 30s, and was well-known in the community for his calligraphy and also his admiration for Fidel Castro. We sent someone to call him from his home, and eventually, it was agreed that he and I should decide on the appropriate independence slogan for the banner.
After lunch, my father (Hamid Ishmael, who passed away in March 2006) and a couple of his friends rigged up a crude carpenter’s “work-bench” in the “bottom-house”, using old boards and planks which could be found in almost every backyard in the area. Oswald carefully stretched and tacked the white fabric across the “work-bench”; yelled at a few curious little children to keep their distance, and, with a pencil, carefully sketched the large letters of the simple slogan the two of us had conjured up: WE WELCOME INDEPENDENCE TO GUYANA. Then, with the red paint, he carefully filled in the letters.
By this time, a sizeable group had gathered to witness this exercise in calligraphy, and everyone felt that Oswald had done a magnificent job. However, both Oswald and I felt that since there was some vacant space left at the two ends of the banner, we should find some additional small slogans to fit there. Oswald carefully lit a cigarette and, eyes half-closed, he puffed away. Then, suddenly, he dipped a paintbrush in the green paint tin and, with a flourish, wrote in neat smaller cursive letters diagonally across the corners: ¡VIVA GUYANA! Obviously, the “Castro admiration” had influenced his choice of this revolutionary slogan.
Late in the afternoon, by which time two long wallaba poles were already planted on both sides of the dusty red-brick road in front of the Britannia village office, a small crowd gathered to watch as the new banner was strung up. No ladder was used; “Booghin” Booker, one of the best “greasy pole” climbers in the area, mounted the poles to which he tied the cords attached to the ends of the banner as everyone “oohed” and “aahed” at how majestic it looked, even though it could only be properly read by viewers coming from the west.
FLAGRAISING IN GEORGETOWN
That evening of May 25, everyone tuned in to Radio Demerara and the British Guiana Broadcasting Service (BGBS) to follow the events taking place in Georgetown to usher in Independence. A grand cultural performance took place at the Queen Elizabeth Park (later to be renamed the National Park). Dignitaries in the audience of thousands included the Duke and Duchess of Kent, representing Queen Elizabeth, and representatives of foreign governments. Then, at midnight, the Union Jack, the symbol of British colonial rule for 163 years, was lowered, and the new flag of Guyana, the Golden Arrowhead, was raised majestically to the top of the mast.
With the raising of the new flag, fireworks burst across the sky in various parts of the country. As we listed to the commentary on radio, we could only conjure images of the fireworks display after the Union Jack was lowered and the Golden Arrowhead slid up the flagpole to unfurl in the Atlantic breeze. For me, I felt a distinct pride when the radio commentator announced that Prime Minister, Forbes Burnham had embraced PPP leader, Cheddi Jagan just before the flagraising ceremony, indicating their satisfaction that Guyana had finally won its political independence.
Early on a bright, sunny Independence Day, everyone was up early and shouting greetings of “Happy Independence” to each other. Soon, many of us managed to get copies of the Guyana Graphic to read about the activities in Georgetown; but we were also more taken up with our own activities planned for that day. Later, volunteers would remind families of the children’s party. As if the children needed to be reminded at all!
OPENING OF PARLIAMENT
Again, around mid-morning, many of us tuned in to the radio to listen to the broadcast of the national events taking place in Georgetown. The first big event was the State opening of the Parliament of Guyana, which was preceded by a military parade, accompanied by much pomp and pageantry.
Significantly, for this occasion, a portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh decorating the wall of the Parliament Chamber was removed, and replaced by a portrait of Prime Minister Burnham.
The meeting of Parliament was chaired by the Speaker, Aubrey Alleyne. The Duke of Kent read the Throne Speech on behalf of Her Magesty, Queen Elizabeth II, and then handed over to Prime Minister Burnham the constitutional instruments designating Guyana an independent nation.
Immediately after, there were speeches by Prime Minister Burnham and Opposition Leader, Cheddi Jagan.
Burnham, in an appeal to Guyanese nationalism, declared: “The days ahead are going to be difficult. Tomorrow, no doubt, we, as Guyanese, will indulge in the usual political conflicts and differences in ideology. But today, to my mind, is above such petty matters. For today, Guyana is free.”
In welcoming independence, Jagan seized the opportunity to point out that the Burnham Government was abusing its powers through the extension of the state of emergency beyond the date of independence. This, he said, was generating fear throughout the country, and was detrimental to the struggle for peace and security.
He also highlighted the view that his party was “the victim of repeated constitutional manipulations designed to keep it out of office.” He added, “We are confident that despite these manipulations, the People’s Progressive Party can be triumphant at future elections if these are fairly held.”
OUR VILLAGE EVENTS
In our rural community, our big event began at one o’clock. The Village Office sported the new Golden Arrowhead on a flagpole, and brightly-coloured balloons and streamers were strung everywhere. Since the Village Office and its compound had almost no space for a gathering, the party was held on a plot of vacant grassy land over the road, opposite the office near to Rupert Shepherd’s house. A large tarpaulin-covered tent was erected there, and under it, tables were laid out to set up the delicacies, ice-cream makers, and big white buckets brimful with homemade drinks. And beneath the tables were a few crates of bottled lemonade.
The children, mainly toddlers and those of primary school age, all dressed up for the occasion, were given small paper Guyana flags and balloons. In no time at all, they organised themselves in their own groups, played games, and ran around and shouted in excitement and glee. Someone had also brought along two donkeys to the site, and offered free rides to the older and more adventurous children. There was musical accompaniment from Wilfred Ross’ juke-box, “The Devil”, belting out the latest tunes, which were not necessarily those that little children enjoyed. The District Commissioner and his wife dropped in for a while, but they did not remain for too long, since they had to attend similar functions elsewhere.
Village councillors and other adult volunteers served the beverages, “home-made” ice-cream in cones, salara, buns and candy, as well as phulourie, mithai and channa. The eatables were all packed in brown paper bags, and each child received one of these. All the liquid refreshments and the eatables were donated by residents in the community; the large quantities of salara and buns were donated by the local baker, “Uncle Manoo” Hookumchand (father of Mrs. Clarissa Riehl, our High Commissioner to Canada) of the neighbouring village of Tempie.
And as the sun began to set, the children were each given a small paper bag containing cake, sweets and balloons to take home.
FIREWORKS DISPLAY
But our little celebration had one last surprise. While everyone was at the children’s party, the police from far-off Weldaad Police Station set up fireworks on the “side-line dam” separating Britannia and Chester. It was around the time the party was ending that the news circulated that the fireworks would begin at seven that evening.
Meanwhile, that same afternoon in Georgetown, Sir Richard Luyt was sworn in by the Duke of Kent as Guyana’s first Governor General at a ceremony in the ballroom of Guyana House, the official residence of the Governor General. Luyt would be the representative of Queen Elizabeth, who continued as Head of State of the new independent nation.
Back in our village, as darkness descended, an excited crowd gathered by the public road in the area at the head of the “side-line dam”. Apparently, the news had spread far and wide, and people from miles away turned out to witness the spectacle. It was the first time most of them would see a live fireworks display, and two policemen were there to keep people away from the place where the fireworks rockets were set up.
Soon, colourful explosions filled the sky, and screams of excitement filled the air. This continued for about half an hour, and then it was finally over. We had all seen and enjoyed the fireworks, and we felt satisfied that it was not only the town people who had witnessed the celebration of our Independence Day. We, the rural folk, were also part and parcel of it; at least, in our own simple and unique way.
(First published in the Sunday Chronicle in May 2007, on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of Guyana’s independence. This edition has some minor editorial changes. The writer previously served as Guyana’s Ambassador to the USA, 1993-2003; Venezuela, 2003-2011; and Kuwait and Qatar, 2011-2014)
