AS Guyana prepares to celebrate Emancipation Day 2022, many questions must be answered about the mindset of some Afro-Guyanese, and how that mindset is keeping them back from advancing as a people towards the truest forms of freedom, self-consciousness, and attainment of wealth to prosper.

If these questions are answered in a rational, less emotional, and critical way, then the dilemma, which is facing parts of the Afro-Guyanese community would cease to exist.
Afro-Guyanese have a rich history and culture in Guyana. They are proud people who experienced the unfortunate, brutal and inhumane horrors of slavery, colonialism, and neo-colonialism.

Through it all, they progressed until the Afro-Guyanese slaves were freed from the shackles that sought to hold back their movement. It was not until Emancipation Day, August 1, 1838, that the Africans here secured their freedom from their oppressors, and the journey began towards securing their economic and cultural identity.

Fast-track to 186 years or more after, some Afro-Guyanese are still fighting against the system that they blamed justly or unjustly for their present-day struggles.
Some want to blame others, alleging all manner of things such as racism, racial and political discrimination, and inequitable distribution of resources, particularly the wealth of Guyana.

Others want to conveniently play the victim while some place little or no emphasis on education, jobs, empowerment, and entrepreneurship as a tool to fight their way out of poverty and battle the socio-economic ills of society that weigh them down.

The truth is, some Afro-Guyanese are still reeling from the scars of mental slavery; this keeps some of them down and boxed. Though the physical chains cannot be seen, the devastating effects are still being felt and transmitted across generations.

It is a state of mind where one becomes trapped by misinformation about self and the world.
This quota of misinformation that continues to be spread throughout the community teaches some Afro-Guyanese that they are inferior, and promotes ways of thinking which will continue to impede their growth and development.

This misinformation causes many Afro-Guyanese to adopt the mindset of an observer complaining about the world as opposed to being a change agent in the world.
It leads many Afro-Guyanese into demonstrating wealth through material things such as clothes and cars instead of through educational development. Like others, failure to know oneself fails to identify self-interest, making us an obvious target for exploitation and oppression.

Afro-Guyanese must understand that they are nobody’s victim. It serves no positive purpose. Complaining about how somebody did something to us, how someone hates us, and how someone stole from us but not doing something about it is part of the problem.

Similarly, Afro-Guyanese must cease complaining about being discriminated against either racially or politically until and unless they embark on a process of documentation where statistical analysis and evidence are given to make a factual case.

Mental slavery diminishes the creativity of Afro-Guyanese because they know what they want but are unaware of how it can be obtained in Guyana. They understand the importance of history, but all those small steps on the ladder that leads to success, such as unity, investment of time, support, and spending, escape them.

The first step to recovery is recognising that some Afro-Guyanese are afflicted with this disorder, then understanding who Afro-Guyanese are as a people, our history, and our value system. The next is to stop waiting for the system to change.

Rather Afro-Guyanese should use all the tools at their disposal to do for themselves. Afro-Guyanese must realise the necessity for education, planning, strategy, dedication, and hard work.
Going on the streets and protesting is not going to create the change that some Afro-Guyanese want to see in their country.

Utilising the State and government apparatus to get results will lead to much satisfaction in the end.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali has a vision of One Guyana with one purpose in mind. If Afro-Guyanese want to experience and feel that they are a part of this One Guyana, then they must be willing to wipe away the scars of mental slavery and change their mindset.

They must put their well-being first, taking advantage of everything and every policy measure that Dr. Ali implements to get them out of slums of poverty.
Finally, they must seize every opportunity that seeks to strengthen their growth and development– only then can they be truly emancipated.