Dear Editor,
I refer to Mr Robin Williams’s letter captioned “The most positive thing we could do is to become conscious of our predicament” (07.01.12). Your caption does not indicate the greater truths Mr Williams points out.
The major position Mr Williams is pointing out is that whenever the Black man is speaking out for his individuality and his respectability, he is told “all awe is one”. And this monolithic and totalitarian statement deeply ensconces within its heart the idea that blackness is inferior to whiteness.
Mr Williams then goes on “The argument for diversity in Guyana, where its importance to the wellness of the nation cannot be overestimated, has to move beyond the facetious and pandering into a genuine and honest appraisal of prejudice and intolerance and its origins.”
What Mr Williams is calling for is the official recognition of a culturally plural society and for the state to provide a National Cultural Policy where all cultures are recognised and given space to function and grow. Most important, no culture shall be recognized as, or allowed to be dominant. All cultures should be given space. The “all awe is one” statement is a clever front for those who would like to impose one culture. And that one culture would be highly Western or European.
Pluralism, and particularly Cultural Pluralism, would protect the African identity, increase the morale and productivity of the African and allow for Africans to meaningfully contribute to the national well-being. And the same could be said of other ethnic groups. Mr Hamilton Green and others should reflect upon the plural society which results in an even more unified society than the artificial “all awe is one” type.
Yours faithfully,
J.J. Forde
