…went to the Cultural Centre on Wednesday night to see the Ministry of Cultural Cohesion’s presentation of ‘ONE’…my song ‘Sing Guyana-I’ was used in the performance finale. Kudos go out to Russell Lancaster and his team for pulling off such a considerable production, with only a few glitches. However, my main issue with the production is the premise on which the

performance opens; two longtime friends, (African and Indian) lamenting –

“…look like dem waan bring back dis racial ting” (or something like that)

I submit that “dis racial ting” never went away and will not go away unless we stop pussyfooting around the matter – confront it head-on. Each unique element of the Guyanese ethnic mosaic must be free to clearly define and express itself (with no ambivalence) in the pattern of our national cultural identity.

History should be taught to Guyanese children with the idea of inculcating (in all of them), a sense of pride in self…of their original culture, and an awareness of the contribution each group/community has made and continues to make in creating the overall design of the Guyanese persona.

We especially need African Guyanese to understand and dignify their history, which does not begin as chattels of slavery.
Tonight at the Burrowes School of Art, we launch Yukuriba Heights by accenting our first creative initiative, the donation to BSA, of three (3) acres of land for establishment of a Philip Moore Artist’s Retreat with access to The Maroon Sculpture Walk. In this United Nations Designated Decade For People Of African Descent, The Maroon Sculpture Walk at Yukuriba Heights, first of its kind in the Caribbean, is dedicated to the memory of all Ancestor Maroons Of The Americas.
Without a doubt, what I most admire about Philip Moore is that he was a profoundly spiritual Black man with an intriguing sense of himself. Philip truly believed in his “godmanliness”, that he was “an ancient soul {reincarnated} in a modern body”. Philip’s very being gave expression to the essential philosophy in W.E.B. DuBois’ ‘Credo’:

“…I believe in pride of race and lineage and self; in pride of self so deep as to scorn injustice to other selves; in pride of lineage so great as to despise no man’s father; in pride of race so chivalrous as neither to offer bastardy to the weak nor beg wedlock of the strong…”

And twas a Black man like Philip More Julian Mayfield was thinking about when he wrote –

“Magically greased, out of the locks and chains of definitions slips the Personal I…”

We need more Black men, more Black women, more Black people like Philip Moore…who would unabashedly stand up and declare to the world I AM! I’ve been lucky in my lifetime to be invited into the mind of a few extraordinary Black men and women like that. I trust that this three acre plot of Yukuriba Heights we present to Burrowes School of Arts today, for the establishment of a Philip Moore Artists’ Retreat, will serve as a sanctuary for artists like him; Philip Moore just wanted to be – that’s all, just to keep on being.
This prayer (below) “To Create A New Cultural Paradigm For People Of African Ancestry” was conceived by Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, a leading light in the ‘CULTURNOMICS’ movement Harlem USA, sixteen years ago, around the turn of the century. Since then, Barbara Ann Teer and her prayer intended to “REORDER, RESTORE, SELF EMPOWER, AND CODIFY THE ‘PARENT PEOPLE OF THE PLANET” has left an indelible impression on my mind.
Philip Moore’s “godmanliness” spiritually rejected all assumptions of superiority enshrined in racist philosophy. This is the friend I remember.
Therefore, today I can find no more appropriate way to honour our ancestors, especially Brother Philip Moore in whose name, with facilitation from The Burrowes School of Art, The Philip Moore Artists’ Retreat, is being established at Yukuriba Heights, than with the following excerpt from THE CULTURNOMICS PRAYER by Dr Barbara Ann Teer:
“IN THE NAME OF OUR ANCESTORS AND OUR AFRICAN GODS…
bring forth all the stillborn memories locked inside the physical and mental holds of a thousand slave ships….bring forth new life…decoding the cellular memories tattooed on the imperfected thoughts of our souls¸ memories that kill our ability to tell our children the ancient stories of old
In this 21s century…
save us from drowning…plummeting down into the black holes of resignation, degradation and unworthiness
keep us from dropping below the negative thoughts…filled with self-hatred – denying us the experience of self-love
…pull us out of this illusionary underworld.
destroy and reinvent this language of the underprivileged, underdeveloped, underclass and underserved
stop the continuing spiral into the fiery flames of numbers codifying us as culturally deprived. Release us from these…negative thoughts…stuck in the dismemberment of our minds
In this new Century,
cleanse and purify us so that we may reach the ultimate vision where our historical records are kept, resting in trust, in the time capsule of our minds…
We ask you, the true lords of the earth, to help us rise up beyond our historical circumstances of scarcity and lack…refreshed and renewed
let us swim in the spiritual waters of remembrance
…release our true power, let it soar, revealing to us the science and secrets of our great heritage.
We seek TRUTH. We seek BALANCE. We seek JUSTICE. We seek DISCIPLINE & ORDER.
let all the good that is rightfully ours take place
let us come together resolved to break the chains of this mental anchor …holding us hostage in the jails of our financial imprisonment
release us from this economic system which has blocked our ancestors, energy flow, preventing us from the experience of our natural birthright
unite our hearts and minds so that we may experience the infinite abundance of your universe and once again enjoy an abundant prosperous life
let your spirit energy help us bring forth financial atonement
forgive us for replacing our original mathematical theology…for living in the lie of oppression for more than 400 years
forgive us for letting go of our spiritual practices and disciplines and for breaking the natural laws and principles that you gave us to live by
In the name of our economic freedom and cultural autonomy, give us the strength to forgive all the many crimes committed against us
help us once again to codify our own culture and systematically stand up one by one no longer a “minority” but a “Majority” people counting for ourselves
For we are the original people, ancient parents of …Planet Earth…we are the inheritors of all the natural resources needed to determine our own destiny…for this we are eternally grateful
In this new century,
help us to rebuild our own institutional infrastructures and nurture our own creative genius. Let the roots of our culture once again take hold and flourish…the fruits of our labour, bring a cultural and economic healing to our children
take away their illusions of limitation, lack, materialism and exploitation…which have stopped their cultural and spiritual growth. Free them from the mistakes of past generations
LET THIS SOULFUL CULTURAL HEALING AND THE NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE PLANET BE USED SYSTEMATICALLY TO BRING FORTH THE DISTRIBUTION AND MANAGEMENT OF FINANCIAL WEALTH NEEDED TO UPLIFT THE WHOLE OF HUMANITY AND CELEBRATE THE ONENESS OF GOD’S ENERGY AND LOVE.”