Dear Editor,
IKEMBA condemns the recent widely circulated statements by Social Media commentator, Mr. Mikhail Rodrigues, who is more popularly recognized by his alias, “Guyanese Critic”.
Mr. Rodrigues made several disparaging, reprehensible and distasteful remarks with regard to persons of African Heritage, which this organisation considers to be inciting racial prejudice and grossly disrespectful to persons of African heritage.

We wish to caution Mr. Rodrigues to desist from making such ill-informed, vile and irresponsible comments, and ask of him an immediate apology. He has made several public statements subsequent to his utterances, all of which does not hint a single shred of remorse. Instead, he chooses to dance around the issue suggesting he was “taken out of context”, cannot clarify his intent, but rather, uses his self-inflamed ego to suggest he is the victim of some conspiracy.

What conspiracy is there in persons of African heritage standing firmly against race hate and prejudice? What conspiracy is there in a people standing resolutely to say “we will not be disrespected”, and demanding better?

Mr. Rodrigues, just like our colonizers, refuses to apologize because, inherent in his apology, would have to be an admission of wrongdoing. That is the real reason he stops short of apologizing, but we will not stop short of demanding same.

We call on the Ethnic Relations Commission to take appropriate action against Mr. Rodrigues, who himself suggested that his utterances were indeed serious beyond its distastefully intended comical delivery. He said, “They ain’t got nothing about wha I talk is a joke, it might come over like a joke”.

It is our view that Mr. Rodrigues has abdicated the responsibility that follows his freedom of expression and we join the several Guyanese already calling for a boycott of the “Guyanese Critic”.

Persons of African heritage are neither gullible nor illiterate as suggested by Mr. Rodrigues, but rather resilient and pioneers of many of the world’s greatest inventions. The institutional and systematic underdevelopment of persons of African heritage is a crime punishable by international law and not a badge of disgrace and shame.

IKEMBA stands firm to its commitment and advocacy for reparatory justice.

Regards
Shaquelle V Williams
Communication Officer
IKEMBA