https://issuu.com/hazelwoolford/docs/gihronline news__february 2023
https://issuu.com/hazelwoolford/docs/gihr online news__december 2022
Email address:hazelwoolford@yahoo.com
Email address: hazelwoolford@yahoo.com
Website address: http://hazelwoolford.wix.com/gihr
The Guyana Institute of Historical Research is a partner of the Guyana Cultural Association of New York. Professor Dr. Aubrey Thompson, of Morgan State University is the GIHR representative. The Institute is also a partner of the IndoCaribbean Cultural Centre.
Editorial Team
James
Office
Acknowledgements
CARICOM Heads of Government meeting
History of Mashramani
The first Republic Day was on Feb 23rd, 1970. On this day, Guyanawas declared a co-operative republic and all ties were cut to our British sovereigns. The Governor-Generalwas replaced by the Head of State or the President.
Mashramaniwas first celebrated in Linden, it was organized by the group called the Jaycees Jubilee Committee, this was done to commemorate GuyanabecomingaRepublic. It was done and executed so successfully thatit was approved to be held every yearall across Guyanabut the main celebration was been moved to the capital city of Georgetown. Mashramanicelebration is symbolic of RepublicDay and its festive activities featuringcultural performance and arts make it a local tradition and the essence of whatRepublic Day is abouttoday.
Masharami is the Amerindian word for “ celebration afterhard work”. The deciding of the name was not an easy feat, as no one had everspeltit out before and even to the oldestAmerindian heard of the word but neverknew to spellthe word. Jimmy Hamilton, the Jaycees Chairman, made a guess on the spelling, and to this date, it has remained the same. Due to the huge success, it was concluded that Mashramani will be the official celebration of Republic Day by the then presentForbes Burham. Have a awesome MashramaniGuyanese!!
God bless our Land!
[Source: Methodist Church. GuyanaDistrict]
After 50 years, is it time to correct the Mashramani myth? A scene from last Sunday’s Mashramani parade in Georgetown.
By Al CreightonReprinted from Stabroek News (1March 2020)
Exactly a week ago, Guyanareached the high pointof its Golden Jubilee activities to mark its fiftieth year as a republic with the festivalof Mashramani. It was created in 1970 as the national festivalto celebrate the nation’s Republic Day on February 23 each year.
Fifty years is a very appropriate time to evaluate a festival that was manufactured for the occasion of republicanism, but which seeks to be an important national cultural tradition. It assumes great importance because it is the official cultural activity to celebrate nationhood, and it makes very interestingstudy as a cultural festival. One of the mostsignificant factors in this study is the name of the festivaland whatit means.
The name Mashramaniis very well known, and virtually every Guyanese willtell you whatthey believe it means. The origin and meaning are taught in schools. The pupils are taught that Mashramani is an Amerindian word which means a celebration after cooperative work. They are told that it comes from the Arawak and describes a tradition of celebratingand makingmerry afterwork. However, there is a problem with this, which is that the true meaning of the word is not known, and what is being taught about it is not accurate. The fact is that mashramani is not a known Amerindian word and it does not exist in the Arawak or Lokono language. Therefore, it was never used to describe celebration afterwork, and a tradition called by that name is not known to exist.
Considering the magnitude of this, one might ask several questions: How come this is taught to all Guyanese? Whatis the source of this error? And why has it not been corrected? The truth is that it is not generally known to be an error. At the time of the adoption of Mashramaniby the governmentin 1971, then prime minister Forbes Burnham wrote congratulating the communities of Mackenzie, Wismar and Christianburg, “for having provided the title for the national celebrations – Mashramani … The name Mashramaniis particularly appropriate as it is one of the words used by the Amerindians to referto the celebrations which follow the successful completion of a community or coope rative enterprise or project.”
At that time, that is what was known. The prime ministerwould have been so advised and the research had not yet revealed anything else. No one had any reason to doubt the accuracy of the information given to Mr Burnham, and it is no surprise that it went down as fact and found its way into general knowledge nationally.
But how did this information come to be disseminated in the first place? And whatproof is there that it is not correct? The answers to those questions will take us into the history of the origins of Mashramani.
In the 1960s, the Jaycees of GreaterMackenzie were the producers of an annual Independence Carnival that was the official eventforthe celebration of Guyana’s Independence Day in that mining community. Later, the three municipalities of Mackenzie, Wismar and Christianburg, became known as the town of Linden. This carnival far outstripped anything in Georgetown and grew to become recognised as the national festivalto celebrate Guyana’s independence. Itwas endorsed and adopted by the government and severalministers, along with multitudes of the population travelled to Linden forthe event. By 1969 the new Linden Highway was opened, and itbecame infinitely easier to travelto the mining town which previously was only accessible by boat up the DemeraraRiver.
When the governmentannounced thatthe country would become arepublic on February 23, 1970. The Jaycees decided that the Independence Carnival would be used to celebrate Republic Day, but it could not do so in its present form, and with its present name. They, therefore set about planning to transform the carnival into a festival that would better reflect an indigenous Guyanese identity. In the process of crafting this refashioned festival, they wanted an appropriate name.
Their idea was something indigenous, so that the celebration would reflect a local custom or tradition and, in that way, have some depth of meaning and context. They were therefore seeking the name of some Amerindian cultural tradition. They started a search which reached into several Amerindian communities up the Demeraraand around the circumference of Region 10. The word mashramanicame before them as the answer to their search, and it was said to be Arawak describing a celebration that follows the successfulcompletion of cooperative work.
They wanted to testthis information to ensure thatit was genuine, so they carried out furtherresearch around the communities and by consulting authorities. None of those sources knew the word. What
restored their flagging faith in the word was the discovery of an 84 year-old Lokono, a Mr Fiedtkou of Malali, who said he had never heard the word mashramani, but he knew of a custom which involved people of a community working together on a community or a family project, such as a wedding. All would come together and work until the completion of the project. There would be a spree, such as a weddingcelebration at the end.
Fortified by this report, they decided to use the word. In the words of Jimmy Hamilton, presidentof the Jaycees atthe time, “since we found nothingto confirm or deny it, we decided to run with it.”
But the first evidence of doubt that the word was authentic, therefore, came from the organisers themselves. There was no concord among them as to where the word came from or how it reached them. In one account, people wrote letters in response to theirenquiries and the name was suggested in one of those letters. Another version was that they sent emissaries into the various surrounding villages and one of them broughtback the word.
The second piece of evidence that the word did not exist came from the sources they consulted. Mr Fiedtkou of Malali, who was a native speakerof Arawak, said he neverheard the word. The closest thing he knew that could match theirenquiries was the custom he described which he called, “mustameni”. No other source confirmed the word or the tradition it named. These included authorities such as the University of Guyana’s Amerindian Languages Project, the UG’s Amerindian Research Unit and the foremostauthority, lexicographerCanon J P Bennett, whose firstlanguage was Lokono. Bennett’s first pronouncement was his Lokono Dictionary – An Arawak/English Dictionary with an English Word List. Mashramani is not listed there, and Bennett was likely the first to comment on the use of the word to describe the festival
He is quoted in Kabethechino:A Correspondence on Arawak, edited by Janette Forte, as sayingthat the word is “a coinage” and does notexistin the Arawak language. He remarked thatit was coined to name the festival for the celebration of Guyana’s Republic Day. Bennett went further to identify a Lokono word which means “coming together to work” or “a cooperative effort”. That word is “mashirimehi”, which is the closest Amerindian word to mashramani with a similar meaning. Bennett explained that there is no word in the indigenous language for community or collective sporting, and rather than merriment or celebration after cooperative work, in the original usage of mashirimehi “the emphasis is on work”. He further listed the meaning of the word as “voluntary work done cooperatively” or simply as “labour”. A telling repudiation of the belief that it is an Amerindian word describing celebration after cooperative work is his explanation that no word exists in the language with that meaning. Yet anotherauthority is the Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage. Richard Allsopp lists mashramani, but describes it as “an adaptation”, as a variant, a coinage, or a borrowing, not as an Amerindian word. He describes it as being coined “as an appropriate indigenous label for the national day celebrations of the newly designed Cooperative Republicof Guyana”. However, none of those sources were consulted in 1969 or 1970.
The main informants from that time who were directly involved in the formation of the Mashramani festivalwere Jimmy Hamilton, Walter Melville and Basil Butcher. Their accounts of how the festival was named vary. None of them could properly account for the word and Hamilton admitted they could not “confirm or deny”it. They were looking foran appropriate name and they were presented with one that very nicely fit what they were looking for; they were in a hurry to find it before February 23, 1970. Verification took months and difficult field research into riverain territories that might have notbeen so easy to reach. They were fairly well comforted by what they heard from Mr Fiedtkou of Malali, and so the festivalwas named, and the explanation of its meaningprovided.
The word mashramani is therefore something of a mystery. It is at best a coinage or a variant. All the creditable sources hold what is nationally believed, accepted and taught in schools as not to be what it claims to be. Unlike the situation in 1970, or 1971 when the prime ministerwrote giving endorsementof it, the sources are here today and can be verified. Butthere have so farbeen no attempts to correct it.
The festival is now a very popularestablished national tradition and there is no suggestion thatits name should be changed. Butunless furtherresearch can prove otherwise, perhaps there can be acorrection to the myth of its meaningand origin.
Tributes to the late Jimmy Hamilton
Dear Editor,
I’VE read with sadness the passing of my friend and colleague of 45 years, the late Jimmy Hamilton. “Jimmy”, as his colleagues and friends knew him, was an iconic and trailblazing architect of Mashramani, and made significant contributions to otheraspects of Guyana’s cultural heritage.
Like other well-known citizens past and present in this Republic, Jimmy could hold his own in conversation on any topic underthe sun, with or without the fabled ‘drinks’. He smoked and drank with abandon, and yet was always the same healthy-looking, smiling person and friend I grew to know and respect.
At that time, the early 70s, the Jaycees in Linden was the leading organisation for social activities, and Jimmy’ s name was often mentioned atevery levelof society. His dark hair, handsome features and slim body enhanced his popularity in that community.
He is known as the founder of Mashramani, but there were other facets to Jimmy that few knew of, including his love for cricket, which he would often speak about, and his courage. He once told me of beingstrapped to the undercarriage of a plane which flew overan area in Linden while he photographed the terrain. I found this courageous feat to be incredible, which could have been fatal had a single pebble hit him as the aircraft landed.
Later in life, I had the honour of working with Jimmy to help build the National Front Alliance (NFA) of which he was a founder member until his passing. He was one of our chief negotiators in unity discussions with 11 other small parties, which was eventually reduced to four, and then two. Nevertheless, Jimmy stood by his commitment to continue to strive for unity, both at the community and national levels. He, along with Lawrence Farley, insisted on the need for a weekly paper to get our message across. ‘Vision and Voices’ resulted in weekly inputs from Jimmy and others.
When others dithered about joining with the PNC/R Rainbow Coalition, he was very vocal about the need to put Guyanafirst.
Resultingin the birth of PNCROne Guyana. We did not always share the same political and philosophical space, but he never retreated from his stated positions, once the facts were available to support his position. His eloquentexpositions werealways appreciated.
With his passing, I hope that his contributions and life will be recorded as among the salt of the earth, and I hope that in due course, some memorial, formal or informal, will be established in his name. I extend my solidarity on his passing to his extantfamily and friends, in Guyanaand the Diaspora. Regards,
Keith Scott Leaderof the NFA PartyRemembering JIMMIE HAMILTON the man who helped coined the word Mashramani
by Robinra Rooplall, February 2017MASHRAMANI SHOULD BE A CELEBRATION OF GUYANESE HERITAGE AND ADOPTION OF ALL FOREIGN CONCEPTS SHOULDBE REMOVEDFROM THE CELEBRATION. IT SHOULD NEVERBE CALLED MASH.
Mashramani should be a celebration of Guyanese heritage and adoption of all foreign concepts should be removed from the celebration and it should not be called “Mash”, former Public Relations Officer (PRO) and Chairman of the Jaycees of GreaterMackenzie and foundingfatherof the Mashramanievent Jimmy Hamilton said. Jaycees was an organization with a mandate to promote community development in Mackenzie, Linden.
In an interview with this publication, the 86 year-old Hamilton remained a slim, distinguished-looking man who aged gracefully over the years as he gestured with his cigarette explaining the event which commemorates the country’s RepublicAnniversary, which was achieved in 1970.
This year the festival will be celebrated under the theme, “Celebrate with Dignity, Liberty and Greater Unity.”
Mashramani began in the town that known as Linden in Region 10 following independence in 1966, a place where Hamilton spent40 years of his life. The Jaycees of GreaterMackenzie which included wards of Wismar and Christiansburg was formed in 1965 by an enthusiastic group of ambitious young men
from the bauxite-rich township on the UpperDemeraraRiverwho wanted to utilize their time to better themselves and theirrespective communities.
Consequently, numerous fundraisingactivities were hosted, with the main attraction beingthe crowning of an Independence Queen, an eventwhereby the various departments of the then Demerara Bauxite Company (DEMBA) would sponsor one of its female employees. The employee would then solicit support from the community members, who, by their votes, would decide the winner. Among supporters were businessmen, electricians, machinists, foremen, insurance agents, engineers, accountants and seniormanagers of DEMBA Limited.
As the eventgrew in popularity, Hamilton said the organisers decided to move it from an ‘Independence Queen’, to an ‘Independence Carnival’, which saw new features and participants.
The first such eventwas held in 1968, and was hailed a success. Jimmy Hamilton, who was the PRO for a numberof years and later chairman, said the first ‘Independence Carnival’ queen crowned was Evadne Grasvesande. She was astudentfrom SilverCity, Wismar. The group of contestants soon grew from the four that initially participated. “In 1969 a girl from Bartica who, but I can’t recall her name.” Following the success of the Independence Carnivals, the Jaycees were faced with the task of ‘Guyanizing’ the event, as the new socialist republic would not recognise the monarchy system.
“Jour Ouvertbecame fo-daymawnin jump-up(away of describingthe early morning celebrations in the streets). Ole Mas became the Revolt Dance and the Calypso Contests became the Shanto Contest.”
Jimmy Hamilton said as he chained smoked. He has been smokingforoversix decades.
The Calypso contest was abolished and replaced by a Shanto contest. Shanto, he said is a rhythm and beatdeveloped from acombination of African drums, East Indian strings, and Amerindian chants. Within a short time, the group managed to win the respect and cooperation of their communities by organizing small projects, such as donating dustbins to the local authority, sponsoring scholarships to the then Mon Repos Agricultural School, painting the Mackenzie All-age Schooland organizing business administration courses for small businessmen, and several seminars and leadership development courses for both Jaycees and otherservice organisations.
Guyana was also gearing for Republican status, and in 1970, a decision was taken not to have an independence carnival in Mackenzie. Hamilton recalled that the then government had set out on a socialist agenda, resultingin a restructuringof many of the country’s traditional events.
Terms such as ‘monarchy’, ‘crowningof queen’ and ‘carnival’ had to be replaced, and the search began for patriotic names.
Former West Indies cricketer, Basil Butcher, one of the organising members, was tasked with travelling to the three Counties (Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo), soliciting interests, while Hamilton and severalothers were required to come up with a new name forthe national celebrations.
Hamilton said the search for a name was extensive and tiresome, as it entailed research from the University of Guyana, the National Archives and severalotherintellectual sources, which, unfortunately, proved futile.
It was at a meetingin early December1968 that someone suggested they find an Amerindian name. There were over 400 Amerindians working with the bauxite company and others in settlements in Wismar, Old England, Coomakaand many others up the DemeraraRiver.
Alan Fiedtkou, an Amerindian who worked in the geological department of the bauxite company and lived in the hinterlands was called in on the research project.
Alan had a grandfatherwho was over80 years old and lived at Malali, a settlementaboutthirty miles by river from Mackenzie. After consulting with the old man, Fiedtkow said his granddad recalled celebrations where people living hundreds of miles apart would get together and celebrate for days in an identified area. The word used for this celebration was Arawak in origin, but in English sounded like ‘Mash-ra-mani’. It was a celebration which usually goes for days during a wedding, or after the end of hard labour.
After hearing the story, Hamilton said the organisers felt that it was the perfect patriotic name for the celebration.
The idea was immediately taken to Adrian Thompson, a historian and a District Commissioner who worked in the hinterland among several Amerindians; and following days of extensive verification, Thompson advised thatthe eventshould carry the name, “Mashramani”.
Adrian Thomson concluded thatsince no one could have confirmed or denied thatthe Arawak word for festivalwas Mashramani, then the festivalcould be called Mashramani.
Hamilton said Mashramani quickly became popular, and the celebration attracted the sponsorship of the DemeraraDistillers Limited (DDL).
From Lindento Georgetown
With the first Republic Anniversary celebration fast approaching, organisers of the Independence Carnival were prompted to transform the event into a national celebration involving participation from across the country.
From every nook and cranny they came. From down river they paddled their canoes, some came on horseback, others walked long distances and yet more came by bus. The year was 1970. And the stage was wellset in the bauxite town of Mackenzie.
The first Mashramani was a resounding success. Six contestants participated in the first ever Miss Mashramani contest, and 20-year-old Hazel Figueira, a Mackenzie beauty sponsored by D’Aguiar Bros, came outon top, becomingthe first MashramaniQueen.
Her costume was designed by Godfrey Chin and entitled, ‘Woman and Beauty’. It depicted the ever changing mood of a woman in a riot of shimmeringcolours silver, red, yellow, gold, blue and orange. Young Guitar Levans, son of the legendary Shanto singer, Guitar Levans, became the first Shanto champion in Guyana.
The costumed bands performed on stage to be judged. Large bands performed in sections, according to their themes, and the largestcrowd everto assemble in the mining town took to the streets, led by the first Miss Mashramaniand herfollowers in an open float.
Due to logistic reasons, however, only the parade came to Georgetown, as it was hard to transport costumes and bands to the city.
PresidentForbes Burnham lateracknowledged thatMashramaniwas a tremendous success. Burnham wrote: “I congratulate the community of Mackenzie, Wismar and Christianburg not only for having presented one of the mostcomprehensive programmes forthe firstanniversary celebrations but also for having provided the title forthe celebrations – MASHRAMANI.”
He contended that the name “Mashramani” was particularly appropriate since it was one of the words used by Guyana’s indigenous people – the Amerindians – in reference to the celebrations which follow a successfulcompletion of a community or co-operative projectorenterprise. Some four decades later many celebrate Mashramani but are uncertain of its origin or of the circumstances that are responsible for the observance of the Republic’s anniversary in carnival style on February 23 each year.
The Mayor of Christianburg, Wismar and Mackenzie township later known as Linden, was not left out. He opined that“the community has matured into a township.”He furtherstated, “I appreciate that the JAYCEES in the continued effortto improve the area has encouraged the youngmen and young women to play a greater role in the civic life of the area and has encouraged them to play a greater role since there is much the young people could do if given the right stimulus.”
AfterGuyanagained Republican status, Mashramaniwas taken to Georgetown forthe firsttime in 1972, following the then government’s call for it to travel to other parts of the country in keeping with nationalistic principles.
Hamilton disclosed that the Region Ten residents were not pleased with the idea to move Mashramani out of the Region, and that same year, the Bauxite Company in Linden decided to mount a 500-strong
band to visit Georgetown to showcase Region Ten, as it felt that it needed to remind the country that Mashramaniwas theirs.
Hamilton said Region Ten held the reputation as the first region to mount a band of that magnitude, and later influenced othergroups, such as the Joint Services, to join the bandwagon.
After witnessing the massive crowds, glitter and level of competition, Mr. David Singh, a Government Official, held discussion with the Jaycees Committee about bringing the event to Georgetown, the nation’s capital. Approvalwas also given by the then PresidentForbes Burnham forMashramanito be a National Event for the Republic celebration. Mash activities were rotated in Linden, Berbice and Georgetown butdue to sponsorship, the Costume Bands contestremained in Georgetown. In 1972, the Jaycees were advised by the then government that the celebrations would be decentralized.
Now 87 years old and a colleague of designer Don Gomes, Hamilton has never missed a Mashramani celebration since, and believes thatit is a part of him.
Companies such as GT&T, Banks DIH, Solo, Digicel and Ansa McAl have over the years, joined in the sponsorship and participation in Mashramani, making it bigger and better.
With Guyanabeingas large as it is, people travelfrom miles outof town to be a part of the celebrations, with children, food and all, because they see this day as a day of celebration. The Mash Day depicts a hive of activity from Vlissingen and lrving streets all the way to the National Park, with an air of expectancy. Thousands of people summon to the streets to participate in the annual Mashramani celebrations, which has been a part of Guyanese culture forover50 years.
[Source:Claire Goring]
Observing the centennial birth anniversary of the late President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham in pictures
Burnham was a visionary and ahead of his time
By Hamilton GreenMonday February 20, 2023 marks the centenary of the birth of one of our outstandingGuyanese, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham. Winner of the Centenary Exhibition, as well as a Junior Scholarship, and the Percival Exhibition winningthe highestscholastic award (1942), Winner of the Prestigious Cup in London (1947), Chairman of the People’s Progressive Party (1951), Founder Leader of the People’s National Congress (1955), loved by many and hated by some, but even those in the latter category cannot deny the grandeurof this Guyanese visionary. His favourite bit of music was Simon and Garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Water, which he sang or rather hummed severaltimes in his moments of relaxation.
Those of us who worked closely with him recognised that as he tried to sing Bridge Over Troubled Water, he could not have made a living as a singer. As a tribute to his love for this music, the late Haslyn Parris played it on his trumpetat his farewellceremony held atthe National Park in August1985.
I knew Burnham from my early childhood through my motherand his motherwho both hailed from the Upper Demerara River area with Amerindian blood surging through their veins. Due to World War II, Burnham could not proceed to London to complete his studies at the Bar until the end of hostilities in Europe.
I rememberthe propheticremark of my motheras a gangly slim Forbes came to bid her goodbye on his bicycle, she putsomethingin his pocketand has he turned away, she said to us, he will come back to be a great person and to help Guyanagain its independence
As we observe his 100th birth anniversary I briefly focus on the significance of his favourite music ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water,’ in the context of today’s world and Guyana. We’ve seen in Scotland recently, the Prime Minister throwing in the towel because among other things, she said she was divisive.
Understandingourhistory, Burnham wished to be the opposite. The political turbulence of the 50s, 60s and 70s is not the purpose of this tribute today. Not known to very many, in spite of different approaches to dealing with the then two superpowers in the Cold War, Burnham and Jagan remained friends, both committed in their own way to the bettermentof Guyana. So it was to fulfill their earlier dreams, to disentangle a constitutionally independent Guyana, from the grasp of the superpowers, Dr. Jagan afterBurnham stretched outa hand to him, agreed to what is now known as critical support when our two Titans agreed to set aside their differences to nationalize the then two major industries, Bauxite and Sugar. A lesson, I hope the incumbent leadership would take wise counsel from and do this nation a favour by working together to avoid the spectre of imperial domination and a not so subtle form of recolonization.
As may be known to a handful of persons, I was part of secret talks initiated by the late Elvin Mc David to bring the two men and two parties togetherand to rekindle the hope and glory of the 1953 pre -split People’s Progressive Party. The problem which lingers unto this day is thateven when Dr. Jagan agreed to certain things, those close to him in the PPP, so distrusted Burnham that they scuttled those proposals.
The PPP Leadership then felt that Burnham was so smart, so clever, so capable of manipulating the language and words that Cheddiwas no match for him. The rest is history. At another time and other places, those of us who knew Burnham could spend much time to describe the grandeur, greatness and political guide of this gifted Guyanese who I recalled when he was due to speak at a United Nations Session of the GeneralAssembly, Delegates from the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Europe and North America would ensure thatthey were seated to hear the oratory of Forbes Burnham, ofttimes speakingwith the aid only of notes written in the palm of his lefthand.
Burnham’s wit was sharp and matchless and at the final Independence Congress, I had the good fortune of beingpresent, I along with Sir Shridath Ramphal are the only survivors who attended the Conference held at LancasterHouse, November1965.
Mr. Peter D’ Aguiar wanted the 1st of August as a date for Independence because he argued that was the day the British signed the emancipation proclamation freeingthe African slaves in Guyana. The PNC Delegation expressed a discomfort because our Independence date shouldn’t synchronize with a date fixed by our erstwhile masters and unrelated to the struggle for freedom, and proposed the 23rd of February, the date the slaves struck out fortheir freedom in Magdalenburgin Berbice.
The British explained that the time was too short to put in place the necessary arrangements and protocols for the transition to Independence and proposed as a compromise some date between February and August. One British official suggested the 24th of May, without a pause, Burnham reminded the official, that date was equally inappropriate since it was the Queen’s (Victoria) Birthday and so we have May 26 as a date for Independence and later February 23, 1970 was the date we now celebrate as a republic.
As we mark Burnham’s centenary, let us as citizens do all we can to make a reality of the philosophical underpinnings of the words on our Coat of Arms – One People, One Nation, One Destiny. That is the besttribute irrespective of political beliefs thatwe can pay to Burnham one hundred years after he was born, 20th of February 2023. One can only imagine that with the massive resources we now have we could have fast-tracked the idea to Feed, Clothe and House this nation and to make education from kindergarten to university free, so that we could have a country that is not only rich materially but is rich spiritually and morally.
Had Burnham lived we would have maintained as he did, a Foreign Service, second to none. He recognized that the quality and character of our High Commissioners and Ambassadors are the face of the Nation, an importantfrontline of a nation state.
Recognising the significance of our beliefs and responses and the importance of our expressions in our paintings, our songs and our dancing, he initiated the first and perhaps most exciting festival of Caribbean Arts known as CARIFESTA 72.
To tackle the generations of misinformation or what we call brainwashing he had e stablished the Institute of Decolonization. This led us to be the first Republic in the English-speakingCaribbean. My final statementis that Burnham was a visionary and ahead of his time.
Yours faithfully,
Hamilton Green
Burnham’s Republican vision for a Guyanese nation saw no race, culture as superior. Every group lifted
up.
From The Desk of Roysdale Forde SC
Fellow Guyanese, today is the 53rd Anniversary of our Republic and three days after the 100th birth anniversary of the late President Forbes Burnham, under whose leadership Guyana succeeded in severing the final yoke of colonial domination, putting the nation and its people on the path to selfdetermination.
The quest for self-determination is evident in the desire, pursuit, and attainment of republican status. Independence did not free Guyana from the vestiges of colonial domination, and it is only with the attainment of republican status that Guyana was able to establish itself as a country with its own internal self-government, its own constitution, domestic laws and pursuit of an ideology and developmentprogramme in keepingwith our own perspective of development. In settingup Election CoI the Ali Govtfailed to put discoveringthe truth above partisan politics 53 years post Republican status we are all well aware of the continued and divergent influences of colonial powers and the challenges faced. Nevertheless we mustkeep foremostin our minds that ours is still “A Destiny to Mould.”A destiny of ” One People, One Nation, One Destiny.”We mustnever give up the fight to achieve this!
In 1970 it was the People’s NationalCongress (PNC) government, led by Mr. LFS Burnham, who oversaw the next phase of nation building. It was a government that loved all Guyanese and believed in our potential. Mr. Burnham forged a Guyanese culture to celebrate our diversity, promote this as strength not weakness, saw it as critical to inclusion not exclusion in the nation’s ethos and development, and giving meaningto our motto, “One People, One Nation, One Destiny”This was the national vision of the man, expressed in these six words:“One People, One Nation, One Destiny”
It was a vision made known two years prior to independence. In 1964, after forming the new governmentin a coalition with the United Force, LFS Burnham stated:-
“…all the people of this country are equally important, whether they belong to a large group or a small group. …the Amerindians are important….the Chinese are important…the Portuguese are important…the Europeans are important. …the mixed races are important…. the Africans are important. ….the Indians are important. In short, all Guyanese are important and valued members of our community, and we cherish them and consider… it is [the] duty and privilege [of Government]to guard, protectand furtherthe real interests of all.”
Symbols of nationhood were created by the PNC government, not symbols of an African nation, or an East Indian nation, but a nation of all Guyanese, allraces.
Mr. Burnham saw no culture as superior and sought to lift every group’s culture up for recognition, respect and engagement, legalising the East Indian religious marriages, including the non-traditional religions; repealed the Obeah Ordinance, recognised other faith-based organisations such as Rastafarian, Jordanites, Mother Khali followers. Significant days on the Muslim and Hindu calendars were incorporated into the national holidays. These are Diwali, Phagwah, Youman-Nabiand Eid-ul-Adha. I remind you today of our National Coat of Arms. It includes a crest of an Amerindian head-dress, symbolising the indigenous people of the country. This crest is also called the Cacique’s Crown. This is not by accident or chance, nor is the naming of the national flag the ‘Golden Arrowhead.’ These are in recognition and honourof this group of fellow Guyanese who firstsettled here. Also wellpositioned on the Coat of Arms is the national motto, “One people, One Nation, One Destiny“, which appears on the scroll below the shield, as a reminderof whatwe, all Guyanese, aspire to be and must assiduously w ork for.
Indigenous legal framework
Some forty-three years ago, the Guyanese nation transitioned from a constitution given to us by our former colonial master, to a constitution which was indigenous and reflective of the aspirations, hopes and ideals of all the Guyanese people. A constitution thatvalues every Guyanese as equalparticipating members of society
A constitution, established under the leadership of Mr. Burnham, that outlines in its Preamble the commitment to “Forge a system of governance that promotes concerted effort and broad-based participation in national decision-making in order to develop a viable economy and a harmonious community based on democraticvalues, social justice, fundamentalhuman rights and the rule of law…” Indeed, we all would recall that no one other than Dr. Cheddie Jagan, himself, declared that he found nothingreally wrongwith the 1980 Constitution.
Articles 24, 26 and 27 for example, conferred the right of free medical attention and social care in case of old age and infirmity, the right to proper housing accommodation, and free education from Nursery to University. The constitutionalcommitmentto social and economicrights as stated in these Articles of the Constitution were neverintended to be barren, sterile or arid legal provisions. They were meant to be state obligations which underpin the nation of Guyana.
Fundamental laws put in place in recognition that the country’s development was dependent on the devolution of power, and developmentreachingthroughoutthe length and breadth of Guyana, through the regional system as evidenttoday with powerspread across various political parties. These are meant to value the role and duty of citizens and their representatives in nation building. Today these are under threat with the politics of exclusion and tendency to treat some Guyaneseless than.
Burnham established a local Appeal Court which became the final court of resort, not the UK Privy Council.
Vestiges of colonial domination were being removed and these also included naming our streets after indigenous and international heroes who struggle forliberation.
Indigenous Programmes
Mr. Burnham believed in the Guyanese people and our capacity to work together and thrive. He doggedly pursued programmes ‘to make the small man a real man.’ One such is the “Food, Clothe and House.” The vision of the programme was to provide Guyanese with food produced by us, not only for nourishment and economic opportunities but also in the pursuit of Food Security. Food security contributes to a nation’s economic and political self-determination. That CARICOM is pursuing this with the aim of reducing food import by 25 per cent by 2025, is most welcomed. It also reinforces that the visionary leadership of Burnham for CARICOM, of which he was a Founding Father, remains relevant in the 21st Century.
The clothing programme was not only about the style of the clothing but the quality of cloth was of equal importance which influenced the establishment of the Sanata Textile Mill supported by the production of cotton at Kimbia and other locations.
The Burnham administration created a HousingProgramme that saw the establishmentof infrastructure such as roads, water, drainage, electricity, playground, schools, health centres, shoppingcentres, police outpost, and turnkey homes, built in a manner that allowed for future expansion, and with different modalities foracquiring same. Itwas a holistic approach to developmentand aperson’s well-being.
Relevance of the Cooperative Republic
It remains today relevant as stated by LFS Burnham in his speech, “A vision of the Cooperative Republic,”that this nation must be cognisant of the “social needs and wants in creating a justsociety for the people of Guyana.”
He advised: “A just society cannot be achieved unless the majority of the people, the masses, the little men have a full share in the ownership and control of the economy…”
With our vision trained on these responsibilities, it is also important to acknowledge the achievementof self-determination was not without challenges and setbacks, for though we were severed politically there were economic manoeuvres made that diluted the whole quest for self-determination. We also had internal challenges that suited the interest of external forces. We are seeing a re-emergence of these and the divide and rule politics at play, and an effort to undermine our national motto of “One People, One Nation, One Destiny”by replacing it with a ‘one Guyana’ slogan. It is no differentfrom the bastardisation of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana as the Republic of Guyana when such legal amendments have notbeen addressed.
As Guyanese we cannot claim to be heirs of Guyana or speakers of truth without acknowledging Mr. Burnham’s legacy and contribution to the foundation of who we are as a nation. We must be true to ourselves and this nation acknowledging such contributions in advancing, representing, and defending the core values of nation building. Similarly, if we are truthful to our historical legacies and all that makes us who we are, we mustbe true to the successes of the party, the PNC that he founded, a party that led this nation from Independence in 1966 to Republican status in 1970; a party that pursued the creation of vibrant regional and international synergies to keep those who sought to infringe on our sovereignty atbay.
We do no justice to our national integrity when we deny the achievements of a founding leader of this nation or a party capable of bringing friends, allies and those who believe in the pursuit of freedoms, together. Building our indigenous pride and an egalitarian society whilst stripping the vestiges of the colonial masters away to setfree the talents and potential of our nation. In the heightof a Cold War and global crises this was no easy feat. Mr. LFS Burnham nevertheless did this without fear, building and achieving the greatest growth and national development of any other period. We, all of us, must be proud. History cannot be erased butwe mustensure thatit is not rewritten.
It is an honourand privilege, in this era, to be part of a collective responsible foradvancingthe legacy of Mr. Burnham, this Caribbean Man of the 20th Century, and I take this opportunity to call on all
Guyanese to challenge the deniers and to ensure an accurate representation of every aspect of Guyanese history, from Cuffy to the Enmore Martyrs and the living martyrs protesting for a better way of life and who the state guns were turned on;from Jagan to Burnham and Peterd’Aguiar;from Hubert NathanielCritchlow to Joseph Pollydore, to every single workerof the field, office and factory.
The history of Mr. Forbes Burnham is the history of Guyana, and we must value the contributions and legacy of this gentleman even as we seek to further understand his ways and contributions. There can be no doubt, as stated in the Song of the Republic, written by Mr. Cleveland Hamilton, Mr. LFSB Burnham soughtto forge
“…a nation’s mighty soul, construct a nation’s frame, where freedom [is] our everlasting goal, courage and truth our aim; [and our people] what soe’er their breed, their hue or quality, with one firm never changing creed, [mustensure] the nation’s unity.”
These words exemplify whatrepublican status means and why we, the current generation of Guyanese, mustzealously guard, protectand defend ours. Happy RepublicDay. Enjoy your MashramaniCelebrations.
James Bond b. 3 February
Rickford Burke b. 5 February
[Elsie Harry]
