GUYANA, since its Independence, has enjoyed warm relations with African countries, particularly those in the geographic belt of the Southern Sahara, establishing diplomatic relations with most of them after independence.

Those of a matured age may recall the first of two visits to Guyana of that grand statesman of African politics, and one of the continent’s staunch champions of the struggle against the iniquitous system of apartheid, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, former president of Zambia, making what was to be the first state visit of any African Head of State to Guyana, in the latter part of 1965, before Guyana’s Independence.

Guyana was to become host to several such visits from some of Africa’s most prominent and noted leaders: Kaunda again in 1975; Botswana’s Sir Seretse Khama; Zimbabwe’s former president Robert Mugabe; His Majesty King Sobhuza from Swaziland; Nigeria’s General Yakuba Gowon; Tanzania’s Dr Julius Nyerere; and Guinea’s Ahmed Sekou Toure. There were even visits from Namibia’s Sam Nujomo, before he became president of his country, that had been a part of the larger struggle of the African Liberation Movement against the then system of racist separatism by South Africa, and another icon of the Zimbabwe struggle for Independence, Joshua Nkomo, before he became a member of Robert Mugabe’s cabinet, for a short while.

Therefore, the recent announcement by President David Granger of the imminent State visit to Guyana of the President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Akufo Addo, should be seen as a most welcomed continuation of that tradition that would have cemented fraternal ties between Guyana and the African continent, as well as strengthened bilateral relations.
In fact, it must be emphasised that it is no mere coincidence that Guyana will be hosting Ghana’s president, given the background of the historic ties that have existed with this giant of the West African continent. For among the tens of millions of African slaves who were brought to the Caribbean and South America, especially Brazil, many were from the Akan tribe who would have settled in Guyana. Thus, Afro Guyanese culture owes its many facets of identification with Ghana: the ever-popular Anansi stories; popular dishes such as metemgee and konki; and names such as kwesi and Kofi, very popular among Afro Guyanese males, are all from the Akan people.

President Granger, in his address to the 2017 Afro Guyanese edition of Ghana Day Celebrations, spoke about the need for “Guyanese to do much more research into their own history and that of the Akan people and of modern Ghana if they are to find linkages between Ghana and Guyana.”

It is a position which we wholeheartedly support, given the fact that historically, there has been a disconnect between the general African flow that was forcibly uprooted from their homeland and brought to the New World, inclusive of Guyana, and aspects of their historical cultural roots. And this is despite the fact that there exists currently much more awareness among Afro Guyanese as to historical–cultural circumstances and what should be done to remedy same.

Apart from the fact of the very enduring cultural influences that Ghana has bequeathed to Guyana, this country has also been very pivotal for the political-ideological influence that it gave to Guyana’s early political collective, especially the giants, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham and Cheddi Bharat Jagan, both late presidents of Guyana.

It was the late iconic leader, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who championed his country’s Independence, and whose intellectual insight into the construct and intention of colonialism that enabled him to precipitate the quest of his fellow anti-colonial leaders’ struggle for political independence from the various colonial powers for their individual colonies. As the foremost exponent of Pan Africanism, his ideas ran counter to the colonial overlords; although they were the basis for the early political guidance of both Burnham and Jagan, which also fired the duo’s zeal for independence from what was then British Guiana. It is instructive that both these later national leaders were present at the historic Independence ceremony and celebrations of the Gold Coast, when it became Ghana in 1957; with Nkrumah, at a later period, seeking to mediate the political differences between the two Guyanese leaders.

However, there is no doubt that Burnham, in his quest to make Guyana economically self-sufficient, was reminded by the great Ghanaian leader’s doctrine that political Independence is meaningless without economic Independence.

Last November, Guyana and Ghana signed what can be described as an open skies’ agreement at the Third African Diaspora meeting at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. This is a very timely Air Services Agreement, as it will reduce air travel time between Ghana and this side of the Atlantic from four days to a mere four hours, as reported. With also a Technical Cooperation Agreement for the exchange of knowledge and technical expertise in the critical area of civil aviation finalised, bilateral relations are indeed pivotally placed for greater advancement which can only benefit the two nations.

Guyana looks forward to this visit, for not only will it rekindle spiritual ties with a part of the African continent that has great significance for a section of Guyana’s socio-cultural life; rekindle that very special bond that has always existed between the two countries, in addition to attracting further interest from other countries within the African continent, but also in exploring other mutual economic agreements, especially at an opportune time as this.