THE title of this editorial is borrowed from the school texts which recounted the history of the Caribbean people from our point of view. Every man, woman and child who reside here, their forebears came from different parts of the world, under different circumstances, and while they initially lived through diverse experiences,they have today come to call here home.  Whereas it has been said our Amerindian (American Indians) brothers and sisters came to these shores through the Bering Straits during the Ice Age and settled here first, others came after. According to the history earlier told, the Europeans came after and met the Amerindians who were the first people they saw outside of themselves.
This recount of history was later debunked by Guyanese-born and international acclaimed anthropologist, the late Professor Ivan Van Sertima. In his book “They came before Columbus- The African Presence in Ancient America,” he recounted and provided evidence of the African presence in the Caribbean before Columbus and having trade relations with Amerindians.
Thus, where an earlier understanding of history has been shifted given new revelations, what remains undisputed is the treatment meted out to both Africans and Amerindians. Amerindians were first enslaved by Europeans, but fought against the bestial system. Some were decimated from the diseases brought by Europeans and the conditions they were forced to work under; others fled the plantation and went inland. The Europeans thereafter turned ther attention elsewhere for another source of labour which they thought was cheap in acquiring and more suitable for plantation conditions. That source was Africa, which saw the emergence of  the slave trade and slavery that lasted for centuries.
This trade and source of labour, along with the millions of lives lost in and during the Transatlantic Slave Trade; and sub-human treatment meted out to the enslaved on the plantations, led the United Nations to define this period of the world’s history as the worst crime against humanity. The resistance by the enslaved, including the dignity of suicide rather than living under the brutish system, rebellions and revolutions, along with support from humane Europeans led to the abolition of the slave trade earlier (1807), amelioration (1834) and emancipation (1ST August, 1838) .
At the end of emancipation and where the society still maintained a plantation economy, labour was sourced under the indentureship system. This system, though not as brutish as slavery in the sense of being chattel, propertied and unpaid, living and conditions of work for the indentured were nevertheless inhumane.  The European plantoclass under this system sourced labour from Africa, China, Portugal and India, which comprised the majority.
Indentureship entailed a system whereby labour was bound. This meant persons entered into the system on contract for a fixed period. They were paid and at the end of the contract allowed to return from where they came. The return passage was shared in part by the indentured and the plantoclass, and the former had to first put up their share in order to receive the other part from the latter.
In a society where the freed, indentured and plantoclass co-mingled, there were conflicts. The first resulted from the determination of freed Africans to carve out a life independent of the plantation and efforts by the former enslavers to hinder this. Then with the arrival and presence of other groups, divide and rule became a matter of policy, which created conflicts among the indentured and freed. This notwithstanding, it did not prevent alliances between and among groups on matters, based on solidarity and/or the recognition that in unity success can be achieved.
And in this environment where indentureship was abolished and a colonised state existed, together the indigenous from the various racial groups fought for independence, which was achieved on 26th May 1966 and republican status, which broke the final yoke of domination on 23rd February 1970.  In recognition of this storied aspect of our history when it became law to mark 5th May Arrival Day,  a date that recognised the first arrival of East Indians as indentured servants, it set in train and created opportunities for collective recognition, understanding of our history, and acknowledgement of contributions made by all groups.
While it should never be forgotten how we arrived nor the circumstances and experiences of the past, where all have contributed to making this country what it is today serve as testimony of resilence, common bonds and the ability to overcome and succeed. Our entire culture -i.e. lived social, political and economic experiences-reflect the fusion of diverse historical ways of life, including artefacts and preferences. In that today it can be proclaimed that we are One People (human beings), One Nation (Guyanese of a nation state called Guyana) and One Destiny (the commonality to continue striving for the development of self, collective and country) in testimony of the fact that ultimately while it matters from where we came, what will determine and success is our commitment to stand as one, even in the face of challenges.