Emancipation vs freedom

Deareditor

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On Tuesday we will observe “Emancipation Day” to commemorate that inaugural event of our country’s history: the emancipation of enslaved Africans on August 1st, 1838. On 28 August 1833, the Slavery Abolition Act hadbeengivenRoyalAssent to come into force on 1 August1834.Assuchitwas not unreasonable that in Essequibo, Damon led a rebellion of hundreds when theywereinformedtheyhad to continue working for another four years under the sameconditionsof“nopay”, as “apprentices”. The full title of Act, however, revealed the sly caveats that madeamockeryoftheword “emancipation” and freedom:

“An Act for the Abolition of SlaverythroughouttheBritish Colonies; for promoting the Industry of the manumitted Slaves; and for compensating thePersonshithertoentitledto the Services of such Slaves”

Thesocalled“apprenticeship” period was hypocritically not for extracting another four years of free labour, but for “promotingtheindustryofthe freedslaves”

The ‘Anti-Slavery Society’, formed in 1823 was led by William Wilberforce who had argued:‘Tograntfreedomto (the slaves) immediately would be to insure not only their masters’ruin, but their own.

They must (first) be trained and educated for freedom.’This“trainingand education” was to be channelled through the Christian Churches, which focused on creating individuals who would act “properly”. This meant an acceptance of the stratification system justifiedbythe“GreatChain ofBeing”,withaWhiteGod inheavenrepresentedbyhis white son Jesus on earth, followed by white Angels also in heaven followed by humans, with Whites at the apex and Blacks/Africans at thebottom.

Thecategoryof“race”had been created to justify enslavementofAfricans,who had been defined as bereft of souls.Othernon-whitegroups were placed in intermediate positions between White and BlackastheEuropeansrulers saw fit. After the wholesale rape of enslaved African women by Whites on West Indian plantations, a new Colouredstratumwascreated hereandgivenanintermediate positionaboveAfricans After emancipation, “marrying up” meantmarryingsomeonewith a “fairer” complexion but since the offsprings’ phenotype could veer randomly towards “Black”, this precipitated a deep schizophreniainthatgroup.

Wilberforce’s “training and education for freedom” is the key point we should reflect on this Emancipation Day: the assumption by the White establishment, including the anti-slavery movement that the formerly enslaved workers were incapable of making responsible decisions in a “cash-based” economy and had to be tutored into its ways Never mind that during slavery, the enslaved Africans had reared livestock, cultivated provisions and vegetables and sold them in Sunday Markets.

Asamatteroffact,even though the status quo was supposed to remain in place post 1834, with the freed Africans allowed to earn wagesaftercompletingtheir daily tasks, it was the manager’s killing of the workers’ pigs that pushed Damon and his colleagues overthebrinktorebel.

The Churches were funded by the state to first establish schools in the villages that the Africans spontaneously founded after 1838

They focused on creating “BlackEnglishmen”alongthe lines of the Thomas Macaulay’s“MinuteonIndian

Education” to the Indian Parliament in 1835. This outlined how “Brown Englishmen” were to be createdtoservetheinterestof theColonialpower.

There was nothing but superstition in local knowledgeandculture,which was to be wiped out Not coincidentally, Thomas Macaulaywasthesonofthe slavery-abolitionist Zachary Macaulay

Queens College, founded in 1844, which eventually accepted Coloureds and Africans, epitomized that pattern of transmitting the European hegemony

Because of the cruelties inflicted on Africans during slavery the planters were convinced that after emancipation, retribution would become the order of thenewday

TheGuyanaPoliceForce was therefore organized by 1838 but its launch was delayedforoneyearwhenit was decided to model it not on the unarmed London Metropoliton “Bobbies” but on the armed Irish Constabulary that was organized as a pacification Force. Police Stations were soon established near the newvillagesandmannedby immigrant Barbadian recruits withWhite officers: thelocalswerenottrustedto discipline their “matties”. Our centralized and authoritarian police culture was inculcated from its beginning.

We need to appreciate HannaArendt’sobservation: “…liberation may be the conditionoffreedom,butby n o m e a n s l e a d s automatically to it”. The formal and informal institutions and structures implicitinthementalchains of our “education” need reexamination.

Sincerely

RaviDev

DEAREDITOR

I do not see a problem with a group of people like OGGN (Oil & Gas Governance Network) workingtogetabetter,fairer deal for Guyana from Guyana’soil.

The Democratically E l e c t e d P P P / C Government seems to be h y p e r s e n s i t i v e t o constructive criticism l e a d i n g t o s o m e supporters getting riled up attheslightestcriticism

This is what happens whengovernmentsdonotdo proper CONSULTATIONS. They tend to have to be on thedefensive.

H a d t h e P P P / C Government done proper Consultations on mega projects then there would b e n o n e e d f o r Government supporters to come out swinging at constructivecriticism.

My advice to OGGN is tohaveafigure(asinanidea of what we want from a r e n e g o t i a t e d ExxonMobil/Guyana oil contract) so that Guyanese have an idea of how much better off Guyana’s coffers wouldbewitharenegotiated oilcontract.

Itisnogoodsaying that we want more money, etc. Quantifyit.

My advice to the PPP/C Government is to do the required FEASIBILITY STUDIESonmegaprojects. Open up the projects to proper scrutiny by way of CONSULTATIONS so that Guyanese can assess the viability Look at things objectively:we’rebuildinga US$2 billion pipeline to reducethecostofelectricity in the HOPE that manufacturing will take-off. Of course, citizens will be concerned.

It is a lot of money to spend/borrow on a pipedream.

Sincerely

SeanOri