MOST of the activities to observe the 177th anniversary of Emancipation are now over. From all indications, it seems that this year’s observances were more widespread and elaborate. As usual, ACDA’s Folk Festival at the National Park was very well attended by those in and around Georgetown. There were also smaller events in communities across the country. This is a good sign.
It is important that communities and their organisations be encouraged to mount these activities. They serve to bring residents and communities together to reflect and celebrate this important moment in our history. Of course, given the plural nature of our country, these ethnic-centered observances do not generate much cross-ethnic participation. That is a problem that cannot be overcome in the shortrun; it takes much public education to convince non-African groups of the linkages between Emancipation and their own place in the Guyanese tapestry.
Emancipation starts with the African Guyanese story, but it is simultaneously a broader Guyanese and Caribbean story. Towards this end, we make the following suggestions. First, the government should declare August as Emancipation Month. Organisations and communities would be able to plan programmes rather than a single activity on August 1. This would allow the opportunity to integrate festivities with public education. Some communities such as Buxton and Bagotville are already doing this.
Second, more of the observances should focus on children, who should learn that Emancipation is more than festivities. We propose that there should be Emancipation Camps for children during the month. The Black-Consciousness organisation, Cuffy250, is already holding these camps in a few communities where the children are exposed to lectures on Black and Guyanese history and other subjects such as Law, Entrepreneurship, Health and Career Guidance. They also participate in drama, craft and creative writing, using Emancipation themes and narratives.
Third, we feel that in the weeks leading up to the end of the Easter Term, the Ministry of Education should introduce a lecture series, whereby historians and others knowledgeable about Emancipation visit the schools and share their knowledge with the students. This can be done in collaboration with organisations such as ACDA, Cuffy250 and Pan African Organisation.
Finally, we support the imitative by the government to make some resources available to the communities through their groups. But we urge a more equitable distribution of those resources. It is unacceptable for one organisation to get $2 million, while the others get a few thousands. We agree that some groups have more elaborate programmes. But surely the huge gap can be closed without necessarily allocating more money.