Arrival Day is a national celebration

THE Guyanese nationality is a rich amalgam of diverse cultures and religions woven into a complex tapestry, of which the common denominator is the suffering that foreshadowed our emergence into a Republic. So, Arrival Day is a national celebration of that heritage.The abolition of slavery preceded the introduction of the indenture system to British Guiana, and the cessation of both should be celebrated in a national context, because this was the genesis of the Guyanese nation. Our past, present and future endeavours are intricately interwoven and cannot succeed without an ethos of unity.

After the slaves were freed, the colonials imported contracted workers, including Africans.

Our sharing of events began even before the Guyana experience, for it is in Africa that the greatest Indian of all times, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhiji, began his freedom struggle by fighting for liberation against the discriminatory Apartheid system.
Slavery is a relative term. One can be enslaved by love, hate, societal mores, the defects in one’s own psyche and within the boundaries of one’s limitations. But an enslavement where one human being is levelled to the equal, and below, of a beast of burden is a degradation both to the oppressed and the oppressor, for while one allows the bestiality of his physical being, the other displays bestiality of a mind domineered by greed and godlessness which, perhaps, is a worse enslavement.

The history of the Middle Passage is much written of and well-documented, but it is our foreparents, whose forbearance and courage, in the face of domination and attempted domination of their physical, mental, and spiritual beings, with whom we are concerned and honouring during our commemorative activities on Arrival Day.

The democracy enjoyed by all Guyanese today is the legacy of freedoms wrested through the blood, sweat and tears of all our ancestors; and we should pay homage to the unimaginable sacrifices that paved the way for future generations to walk a pathway of peace, progress and prosperity.
The only slavery that exists today is a bondage of the mind, and all Guyanese need to heed Bob Marley’s exhortation to free ourselves from mental slavery, because it is only by unshackling our minds can we achieve our full potential for growth as individuals, as a society, and as a nation.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.