Dear Editor,
Another year to remember and celebrate the lives of those lost defending their grateful nation. True freedom always comes with a price, one that some of us are thankful not to have paid. But, truly speaking, a remembrance of what one loses in the pursuit of being ‘free’ isn’t always life. It may be an accustomed way of living, it may be in compromising or more importantly, losing an ignorance that may have kept us sequestered from truth.
Attached are some pics I consider on the day itself, my birth homeland of Guyana and my adopted homeland of the United States. Both beloved, both dear to my heart. Most anyone that knows a smidgeon about me knows that I am extremely proud of each country, what they mean and how far they have developed, how much further they can.
Neither is perfect, but perfection has never been part of the criteria for love of country.
As depicted below, my father distinguished himself in many ways after being trained by the British as one of the first officers of the newly independent Guyana’s Defence Force. He served to secure the borders of the New River area, helping to re-establish Guyana’s presence on its eastern border. He also served in securing the western border at Ankoko.
On the eve of Independence, he led the contingent that were part of the military/civilian team that scaled Mt. Ayanganna, raising the Golden Arrowhead at the moment we gained freedom from being owned. Recognition of that is very gratifying.
Remembering one’s history is important. Even if the stories are not to our liking. The United States has been a beacon of what the democratic experiment can look like at its best, and its worst. Yet it survives, yet it learns and re-learns, ever evolving to be better. Not all moments will be proud ones, but as a proud American, I believe it will always self-correct….as true democracies are wont to do.
I claim a heritage that is uniquely my own, and that of my children’s; hence, it behooves me to accept that I, and those that follow, play a part in the unfolding story of both nations.
Guyana is benefitting from its geography, yet again. My belief is that it has always been a rich nation, now that is only exponentially growing by leaps and bounds. All that ever gets in the way of Guyana being a truly great nation is Guyana itself. We are one that should use our wealth to the benefit of all, lifting those of one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere to the rarified air of far wealthier ones.
This is our chance to show what we are made of, to honour those who came before us, all of the leaders and citizens and patriots who descended from people brought here enslaved, owned or indentured.
Celebrating their victory over a journey and a brutal process by the precious and careful stewardship of our nation is the job of every Guyanese. Destroying and denigrating those here, abroad or invited to explore and communicate what added value they can contribute does nothing but make us ungrateful amnesiacs. Our imperfect history should teach us one lesson: we will perish or prosper one way and one way only: together.
My own father was always my best example of this. A proud American (and member of the Republican party, lol), from the time I was a tiny child, I knew and recognized the tattoo on his forearm that read: “Viva Guyana” A soldier. An officer. A patriot. An American and a Guyanese.
For those that arrive at our shores believing we are ignorant, unlettered or heedless of what constitutes a civilized or educated nation, feel free to indulge your lack of enlightenment.
We will show you we are most certainly not.
For others who seek to deny and decry our nation for its poverty of values or capacity, please be reminded that when it mattered, we have never lost a war.
Two imperfect nations individually celebrating their nationhood, those that defended it, those that preserved it, those that live in it.
This humble, but unabashed lover of both chooses to believe in their combined greatness. And that the imperiousness of an intemperate present will eventually give way to a future that far exceeds our most cherished hopes and aspirations for them both.
#VivaGuyana
#VivaAmerica
#Thislandisyourlandthislandismyland
#NoSunshinePatriotshere
“There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.”
Nelson Mandela
Yours faithfully,
Scheherazade Ishoof Khan
