Dear Editor,
I write to commend and salute Vice Chancellor Paloma Mohamed and Guyana Chair of African Slave Reparations Commission, Eric Phillips, for their achievement in bringing heirs of the Gladstone family to Guyana and their tendering an apology for their involvement in the abominable slavery. Dr. Paloma is cheered for a wonderful program. She did a fantastic, exemplary job as chair of proceedings. While others were focused on slavery, she mentioned indentureship a few times and stated “… apology for slavery and indentureship of Indians, Portuguese, and Chinese”. It was a highly significant event for UG in that it was an inaugural for the launch of a Migration and Diaspora Institute and the first for an apology on slavery in Guyana. Apologies for slavery took place in several places in Europe and the Caribbean. The overall UG program was very good with lessons to be learned on (balanced) ethnic inclusion as the events or activities leaned towards one ethnic group. Perhaps that was the intention.
To be fair, as we learned from the remarks of Eric Phillips, the African Slave Reparations Commission was primarily responsible for the presence of the Gladstone heirs to Guyana. He did the lion’s share of the work. He informed that he traveled to multiple countries seeking apologies and reparations for slavery albeit with funding from the Guyana government and CARICOM. It would be dishonest not to recognize the work of Phillips. He met members of the Gladstone family and gratitude is expressed for his activism and pioneering work on African slave reparations. Justice for Africans underpin his activism and he is recognized as a champion of Afro-Guyanese advancement relating to emancipation. He speaks for Africans. And Phillips and his organization and UG (through the good office of VC Dr. Paloma) collaborated in securing the presence of the heirs of John Gladstone.
An African organization as a collaborator or co-sponsor was bound to lead to questions of ethnic equity. Initially, through a private organization press release, it was billed as an event (an apology) relating exclusively to slavery. Complaints resulted in UG intervention making it an inclusive multi-ethnic event. A release to that effect followed from UG. Prof Paloma and UG are applauded for inclusivity resulting in an emotional written apology.
I commend those who (Paloma and others) helped to negotiate it behind the scenes. There is one critique on the apology. The Gladstone gentleman read an apology for slavery after which Eric Phillips was requested to receive the signed document (memento). Kudos go to Dr. Paloma and UG for pulling off a remarkable achievement – first time for an apology in Guyana on forced labour. The heirs of Gladstone are also saluted for their apology. It takes strength and courage to apologize especially for something which the present generation or heirs of Gladstone have or had no connection. It will lead to more apologies and dialogues between the descendants of the progenitors of slavery and indentured and the descendants of the two abominable forced labour systems.
Sincerely,
Vishnu Bisram
