By Ralph Ramkarran
By the time this article is published the Emancipation Day commemoration of the 175th Anniversary of the abolition of slavery would have passed. This year also marks the 250th anniversary of the 1763 Slave Uprising and the 190th anniversary of the 1823 Demerara Slave Rebellion. The 1763 and 1823 slave rebellions, along with economic factors, culminated eventually in the abolition of slavery in 1838, and are among the most cataclysmic events which have shaped the history and consciousness of the Guyanese people, in particular African Guyanese. This opportunity is taken to pay tribute to the heroes of these momentous struggles, to reflect on the example they left for us to follow and to thank the African Guyanese people and others who have kept alive their memory. Before it was fashionable, the old PPP began to recognize our heroes and named its party school after Accabre.
This must be a time for all Guyanese to reflect on the enduring passion which has always existed for human liberty and human dignity amidst the most degrading and terrifying brutality imaginable. 1763 and 1823 demonstrated this to us on a large scale. But our history is replete with individual and group acts of courage in the face of certain death such that we today cannot even begin to comprehend. Our ancestors fought for their own, not our survival, but we survived because they fought. African Guyanese are justly proud of the struggle of their ancestors for our freedom and for their achievements today although much more remains to be done.
Some legacies of slavery continue to haunt us. Lack of development and the
