There is a great irony in Guyana in the way one of its greatest unifying forces has been characterized as a force of division. A real cultural strength possessed by the nation has been a factor in the rancour. Guyana prides itself in noble words on being a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural nation of “six races,” but this verbally expressed pride has not always been reflected in attitudes and behaviour. Racial and cultural differences are an asset contributing to the wealth of the nation in terms of identity, character, tradition, heritage and art. But the country has been plagued by ethnic issues.
Prejudice is unnatural. It is based on ignorance which immediately leads to intolerance because members of one race know too little about the other race. But cultural differences not only gloriously exist, but exhibit amazing similarities between the deep-rooted ethos of one race and that of another. This may be strikingly illustrated in the case of Guyana.
Take the ancient, brooding, commanding and mysterious-looking silk cotton tree, for example. Different ethnic cultures in Guyana relate to it. This tree is the subject of Amerindian myths and it
