— says Dr. Hinds at celebration of Kwanzaa

GUYANESE have been divided for years because of political and ethnic indifferences but Executive Member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr. David Hinds, believes that there can be unity once there is a culture of respect among people of different ethnic groups.

“Ethnic unity does not always mean respect, unity without respect really means nothing,” said Dr. Hinds in an invited comment amid Kwanzaa celebrations at the Buxton/Friendship Museum, on Friday.

He said it is imperative for Guyanese to have respect for the various ethnic cultures and the Kwanzaa celebrations serve as an urgent reminder of how important it is to have respect across all ethnic lines.

Kwanzaa is a Pan-African holiday that serves to unite people of African descent despite their location in the world. It runs from December 26 to January 1.
Over the seven days, people of African descent come together to celebrate family, community, culture and the bonds that tie them together as a people. They also utilise the time to reflect on their heritage.

“So in line with the celebrations, when we talk about unity, we talk about it at different levels… while we talk about it among African Guyanese, we also consider unity between African and other ethnic groups,” said Dr. Hinds.

The notion of unity is, however, not confined to Guyana and must be encouraged across the Caribbean because those nations share the same history as Guyana.

“As such whenever you have such a ceremony it brings uniqueness to multiethnic tapestry of Africans,” said Dr. Hinds, adding that Kwanzaa was started by African-Americans and was meant to be an alternative to the Christian Christmas.