Britain passed the Slavery Abolition Act in British Parliament that abolished slavery in most British colonies, freeing more than 800,000 enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and South Africa as well as a small number in Canada. It received Royal Assent on August 28, 1833, and took effect on August 1, 1834.
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Some of my ancestors were West African people who were enslaved. I am very proud of their determination to overcome a bottomless pit of oppression.
By Pat Dial, Aug 01, 2021 Consumer Concerns, News , Source - https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ion-day-reflections/
Today, August 1, Emancipation Day, is celebrated throughout the Caribbean including Guyana. In 1833, the Emancipation Act was passed by the British Parliament freeing all slaves in the British Empire. But real freedom did not come until August 1, 1838, since the Emancipation Act specified a number of hours per day over several years which each slave had to serve before full freedom were finally accorded. This period between 1833 and 1838 is known as the Apprenticeship (System) and accordingly, full freedom came only on August 1, 1838, at the end of Apprenticeship.
On August 1, 1838, a wave of joyous celebrations swept over the country. African drums were played all night and there was much dancing and feasting on the many African foods, recipes of which had been brought from Africa. As time marched on, new customs came to be added to the celebrations, such as for example, young people would go from house to house at daybreak singing Emancipation songs and awakening sleepers to join the celebrations or, in addition to rum, new drinks such as jamoon wine, rice wine, ginger beer and sorrel came to be added to the Emancipation menus.
As the years passed on, the descendants of the freedmen came to be the most educated people in the colony and supplied the schools with their teachers and, as academics, began to research and even write on slavery and its various aspects. They exploded the myth, for instance, that Emancipation was solely due to the benevolence of the colonial authorities and uncovered the truth that there was always a struggle, both covert and overt, against slavery and that it was these struggles such as the Berbice Slave Rebellion, the Demerara Slave Rebellion and Damonâs Rebellion in Essequibo which helped to precipitate Emancipation. Such writings became a necessary part of the Emancipation celebrations and this article itself is an example of such.
In the writings on Emancipation and its aftermath, not enough emphasis has been accorded the creative contributions made by the freedmen and their immediate descendants to the building of Guyanese society and there are three such areas we would like to mention in this offering: the Village Movement; the supply of personnel to man the lower levels of the colonial administration and of the Police Force; and the pioneering of the gold and diamond industries.
After Emancipation, many of the freedmen decided to remain on the plantations but when they realised that the wages offered were below a living wage and that there were many vestiges of slavery which still remained on the plantations, they decided to leave the plantations and set themselves up as free village communities. They were able to purchase a number of abandoned sugar estates which they converted into villages.
The money they used for such purchases came from savings they had made from the small stipends they received as Apprentices and from their Sunday Markets. In constructing these new village communities, they had to overcome challenges of various kinds such as legal, financial, engineering, leadership and dealing with an unsympathetic colonial administration. Such legal problems were of the nature of land transfers and division of land or engineering as the creation of an infrastructure and building hundreds of houses. They were able to overcome these and successfully confronted the challenges of creating an economy in which the villages could survive. This economy consisted in farming and the supply of tradesmen such as carpenters, plumbers, furniture makers and so on both to their village and the surrounding areas and for the towns, Georgetown and New Amsterdam. This achievement of having the discipline of saving and the creation of successful new communities is of the highest order and one of which all Guyanese are proud of and especially our African Guyanese population.
Since the freedmen and their offspring took to education with dedication, a very large proportion became literate in a short time and was able to supply personnel for the lower ranks of the government Administration and the Police. The colonial government would not have been possible except for the service of this group. It should be mentioned that service in the Police was somewhat of a sacrifice, since Police work, all over the world and in Guyana was among the lowest paid; this engagement in the Police Force by the offspring of the freedmen allowed the youths of other communities to work in the better remunerated Private Sector.
The gold and diamond industries were pioneered by âpork-knockersâ from this segment of the community. This meant venturing into deep forests with dangerous falls and rivers infested with wild animals and without the help and guidance of equipment, such as compasses or maps, in the quests and exploration for the gold and diamond deposits. The main gold and diamond fields were discovered by these pioneers and many were able to become fairly successful miners. It is these same gold and diamond fields which the recently established foreign companies with their modern equipment had been able to very profitably exploit.
From about the 1950âs, the great creativity and enterprise shown by the freedmen and their offspring began to decline to the great loss of Guyanese Society and all Guyanese have been seeking ways of resuscitating this spirit of creativity. In this quest, we may mention a little booklet by Dr. Accabre Nkofi titled, âRebirth of the Blackman,â which may be obtained at the National Library or the Library of the University of Guyana. There are also other useful writings on the subject and Guyanese as a whole are confident that this dull phase would pass away. We therefore celebrate this Emancipation Day with the usual joyousness and optimism.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Aug 01, 2021 News, Source - https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ipation-day-message/
The Peopleâs Progressive Party
The Peopleâs Progressive Party (PPP) wishes to extend greetings to our Afro-Guyanese brothers and sisters across the country and in those in the Diaspora on the occasion of Emancipation 2021, which marks the 187th anniversary of the formal abolition of slavery in British colonies.
This anniversary provides yet another opportune moment to reflect on the sacrifices made by our African ancestors who were brought to these shores in chains in order to provide free labour to the sugar planters.
Stripped of their humanity and dignity and forced to toil long hours, to say that our African ancestors suffered at the hands of the sugar planters would be a gross understatement. During that genocidal process, many were tortured and brutally killed for standing up for their rights. In the long march to freedom, many battles were fought, including the Berbice Slave rebellion led by our National Hero, Cuffy. In the end, the resilient spirit of resistance prevailed and freedom was attained.
The fortitude and the resoluteness for success of our African ancestors and the foundations, which they laid for our society, must therefore serve to imbue us all with a profound sense of pride and purpose as we endeavour together to build our country for the betterment of all and to confront adversities. The values that they have instilled and the contributions they and their descendants had and continue to make in advancing our country will remain invaluable.
Traditionally, during this period, there would have been a plethora of activities across the country to mark this very significant national event, which attracted thousands of Guyanese. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unavoidable scaling down of public events again with direct impact on this yearâs celebrations. Despite those challenges, the true spirit of what Emancipation symbolises will never be diminished.
Our Party once again extends Emancipation greetings to all Guyanese, in particular our Afro-Guyanese brothers and sisters.
Peopleâs National Congress
Emancipation celebrates the greatest enterprise in our nationâs history â the abolition of human enslavement and the transformation of plantations into a nation. Emancipation marked the termination of two hundred years of the greatest crime against humanity â the Trans-Atlantic Trade in Captive Africans â and their enslavement in the Guiana colonies of Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice. Emancipation was driven by the human desire for freedom and economic independence.
Emancipation in the Guiana colonies initiated the greatest movement of freed peoples in the western hemisphere. The Village Movement began on 7th November 1839 when 83 free men and women from five plantations â Annâs Grove, Dochfour, Enmore, Hope and Paradise â agreed to pay 30,000 guilders (f 30.000) for Plantation Northbrook, which they renamed Victoria Village.
Africans, once free, were able to buy 6,000 hectares (about 15,000 acres) of land in cash, attesting to their visionary thinking and thrift in the decade after Emancipation. Historians wrote: âThis was an economic miracleâĶ In the whole western hemisphere, there was no movement like the Village Movement of British Guiana at the time in which thousands of people were able to move off of the plantations.â
Emancipation, this year, reminds us of the resolutions of the General Assembly of the United Nations designating the decade â 1st January 2015 to 31st December 2024 â as the International Decade for the People of African Descent.
The âInternational Decadeâ acknowledges that Africans were the victims of the greatest crime against humanity and continue to suffer from dispossession and discrimination. The Decade recognises that persons of African descent have not yet fully overcome the legacy of colonial under-development, which continues to contribute to their present condition.
Guyanese today are the beneficiaries of the economic enterprise and efforts of the pioneers of the Village Movement. Our foreparents bequeath the legacy of land to build a robust agrarian economy and an independent peasantry. Our generation must aim at establishing enduring economic emancipation on the solid foundation they laid.
Working Peopleâs Alliance
The WPA salutes the African Guyanese community on yet another Emancipation anniversary. The contributions of the group to Guyanaâs evolution as a nation-state cannot be denied. In fact, they are even more remarkable given the fact that African Guyanese endured more than two centuries of chattel slavery, which effectively reduced them to a state of inferior humanity. That they survived that gross inhumanity to become equal contributors to Guyana and the larger Caribbean Civilisation should never be forgotten.
This yearâs anniversary comes at a critical time for African Guyanese as they continue to navigate the changed political environment triggered by the change of government a year ago. In our charged and divisive political environment, any change of government brings with it new anxieties and fears for the group represented by the losing political contestant. But the controversial nature of the last election has left in its trail an unprecedented ethnic fallout that has worsened ethnic relations between the two major ethnic groups. The situation has been exacerbated by the apparent ethnic insensitivity by the new government, which interprets its mandate in broader and more absolute terms than is usual.
It is against this background that the WPA warns the wider Guyanese community of the dangers being posed by the fast-deteriorating situation.
In our multi-ethnic country, ethnic peace is pivotal to the maintenance of national stability. It is for that reason the WPA urges the government to use its institutional power to begin a process of ethnic and national reconciliation. There is no better moment to begin this process than on the anniversary of the formal end of the most evil socio-economic and political system known to mankind. We ask the government to take the lead because it holds institutional power in its hands.
Genuine national reconciliation can no longer be delayed. The solution to every other national problem relies on it. History will continue to be unkind to the PPP party and government for their scant respect for the right of half the population to participate in the governance of their country through inclusive representation in the councils of power. Towards this end, the WPA again calls for a renewed national commitment to tearing down the majoritarian winner-take-all system which has proven to be a facilitator of conflict rather than an instigator of reconciliation.
Second, WPA is concerned that African Guyanese are not equitably represented in the areas of the economy that facilitate wealth-generation.
As the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer, the wealth-gap is reproduced at an alarming rate. This is an affliction that must be corrected if Guyana is to achieve its stated motto of a united nation. The two major political players must move beyond their narrow partisan visions and use the State to begin to correct this injustice. The oil economy will not bring the kind of national liberation from poverty that is envisaged if the ethnic inequities are not corrected. The wealth by itself would not solve the ethnic problems. But even as we make that observation, we have to stress that the oil wealth, however depleted, must be equitably distributed among all groups. For us in the WPA, this is non-negotiable, and we are prepared to fight tooth and nail for this outcome
Third, WPA urges African Guyanese to begin to fashion a new politics that reaches beyond the narrow confines of party politics. WPA does not discourage participation in party politics, but it cannot be the primary concern or the only arena of struggle. The politics of Black Empowerment, in particular economic empowerment, are often limited and compromised by party politics. That is the reason for the hyper-anxiety in the community whenever the party to which it pledges loyalty loses power.
The new Black politics must emphasise a community and group bias that put the interests of the group above those of the parties. It must also give priority to the strengthening of the family as both a cultural and economic unit. The family and the community must be the bedrock of the Black economy. Towards this end, the resuscitation of the cooperatives, both as institution and spirit, must be put at the top of the agenda.
Fourth, WPA notes the sense of impatience among the African Guyanese masses at the real and perceived inaction of their elected leadership. We fully understand the state of affairs and urge a more open dialogue between leadership and followership on the responsibilities of elected representatives. The era of covering up the shortcomings of leaders must come to an end. We urge the community to demand servant-leaders and more importantly to avoid being imprisoned by one party or the other.
Finally, WPA is committed to fighting for all ethnic groups, especially the down pressed. Thatâs why we put on the national agenda, the Universal Cash Transfer as a policy that discriminates against no one ethnic group. On this Emancipation anniversary, we urge the African Guyanese community to endorse and advocate for this policy initiative as a democratic way to ensure that all Guyanese directly benefits from our oil wealth.
Ethnic Relations Commission
The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) extends Emancipation greetings to all Guyanese at home and within the Diaspora in observing another anniversary commemorating the end of slavery.
The ERC, with its task to promote national harmony, contemplates that in 2021, one hundred and eighty-three years after Emancipation, Guyanese of African descent can reflect on the sanctity and right to freedom; an entitlement of all humankind.
From the ships at sea transporting their chained human cargo to a life of privation and hardship on the plantations, the ancestral experience remained imbued with the courage to change and shape the future for a better existence. The rebellions and the consequences are graphic memorials of that yearning.
Stripped of their identities and cultural baggage, they endured the challenges to re-discover self and value as freed men. It is that perennial resolve and desire that must remain throughout from every commemoration to the next. The initial foundations of the colonial state were laid by the sacrifices of the bondsmen, not omitting contributions made later by other compatriots to the diverse society.
The ERC encourages all during this commemoration, and in the midst of the pandemic, to extend their hand of friendship and brotherhood to neighbours virtually, as a show of appreciation for that inevitable, memorable event â the abolition of slavery.
It paved the way for the future assembly of more peoples with a repository of unique cultures to share and thrive in one multi-ethnic Guyana.
Happy Emancipation Anniversary to all from the management and staff of the Ethnic Relations Commission!
Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union
The spirit of yearning for freedom â that liberty of mind, body, and soul from ownership by others never deserted the African slaves and the indentured contracted workers who followed them after full Emancipation in 1838. Numerous were the uprisings, rebellions, protests, riots and strikes. Emancipation never came willingly or cheaply from the colonialists.
Against those sentiments, the GAWU salutes the memory of those who struggled and sacrificed for freedom and the descendants of our African forefathers who today have hopefully inherited their spirit of justice and true freedom from those who dared to stand up against the brutal, enslaving colonial system.
As we look back across the centuries at the atrocities and wrenching pain, which slaves suffered, during what should be assessed as the darkest period in human history, it seems mandatory that we celebrate the measures of freedom that we now enjoy. Slavery was established for economic reasons, with accompanying assumptions about race, colour and perceived inferiority, which for centuries was rationalised from biology to theology, but such theories have long been proven unscientific and self-serving. Slavery was an organised, profitable enterprise. Former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Eric Williams, in his book,âCapitalism and Slaveryâ demonstrated that it was the profits from the slave trade and slavery, which consequently made England the great workshop of the world. The late Professor, Walter Rodney, also explained that Western Europeâs vital sectors in finance, shipping, mining, insurance, agriculture, manufacturing and technology were developed from these two enterprises, and in that process, millions were reduced to beasts of burden, and stripped of their overall identity.
Western Europe went to Africa with their superior ships and cannons. Slaves were traded and packaged in barracoons as cargo, then taken across the horrendous ordeal of the Middle Passage. Men, women, children were brutally abused on journeys that lasted between six weeks to three months, depending on the weather. Diseases were rampant, mental stress and suicides were high, with many slaves throwing themselves overboard.
In the new lands, millions of African slaves lived their entire life, working from dusk to dawn, in pain. Over succeeding generations, the minds of their children were scrubbed, being replaced with European narratives, which ensured, among other things, that they forget their past. Such unspeakable hurt, torment and cruelty cannot be equated to or compared with any other form of human interaction or relationship.
GAWU feels that this Emancipation 2021 period should reinforce in us all the lessons of the post-1838 history. In unity, strength is most sustained. The descendants of Emancipation must all share in equal opportunity as our natural and human resources become available to development for all.
No group should be favoured or discriminated against because of political expediency. It is such approaches that will help preserve and give enduring meaning to achievements like emancipation and independence.
GAWU urges reflection at this time. Emancipation, Arrival and todayâs challenges are issues that hold lessons for us and guide us in our pursuit and future endeavours. Let us heed them on Emancipation Day and onwards.
A pleasant Emancipation Observance 2021 from GAWU.
The Guyana Trades Union Congress
The Guyana Trades Union Congress extends Emancipation greetings to all Guyanese, particularly our African brothers and sisters whose ancestors were enslaved for centuries as property, cargo of another race (Europeans).
183 years ago, the valiant struggle by Africans for human dignity and respect was advanced a step further with the Emancipation Proclamation, which ended the most brutish system of manâs injustice towards another. Freedom from chattel slavery not only set in train a series of events proving to the world the indomitable spirit of the newly freed, and the capacity of human fellowship across racial diversity, but that of self-determination in charting a course for further upliftment and development.
The nation will recall the dogged pursuit for economic freedom, via the Village Movement, that saw the purchasing of plantations to establish communities, local government, build stability, familial and otherwise, and advance development. This sense of thrift not only proved beyond a shadow of doubt, a peopleâs capability, who though for hundreds of years toiled and lived under inhumane conditions, whips reigning down on their backs, families torn asunder, treated as property not human beings, in the four-year of Amelioration (1834-1838) were able to achieve what others thought impossible.
The achievements must not only be testimony of the ability to self-determine but also determination not to be enslaved or constrained by past unpleasantries. Heirs and beneficiaries of these struggles, sacrifices and gains must engage in redoubling of efforts, vigilance and insistence to be allowed to continue the forebearsâ work. Zealously defending, protecting, strengthening and deepening what was bequeathed and leaving a firmer foundation for future generations must become the mantra and solemn pledge.
Freedom is not free; it requires eternal vigilance and continuous sacrifices. To the extent where Africans are deprived of equality in the social, cultural, political, civic and economic environment, all out efforts must be made to secure these. And let it be said, in the pursuit of said determination, it must matter not the identity or diversity of those who suppress or support the cause. The only thing that must matter is the cause, for it speaks to and solidifies the inalienable rights of all humankind. To ignore this would be unlike the ancestors who worked with others in furtherance of their interests and resisted any who participated in their enslavement and deprivations.
With determination and commitment, anything is possible, and descendants of the enslaved must continue the unfinished journey to freedom. Emancipation merely marks an attainment, significant though it is; it is not the final marker/finishing post for freedom.
The struggle must continue!
TORONTO -- Sunday marked Canadaâs first federally recognized Emancipation Day -- the day on which the British Empire ended the practice of slavery for millions of African people and their descendants across the former colonies.
The recognition of the day follows years of campaigning by Black lawmakers and community advocates, all of which culminated in March, when the federal government unanimously voted to recognize Emancipation Day.
Aug. 1, 1834 was the date an act came into effect that ended slavery in the former British colonies, including Upper and Lower Canada. The act freed about 800,000 enslaved people of African descent across the colonies nearly 200 years ago.
In-person and virtual ceremonies and events were held to commemorate Emancipation Day in different cities and provinces, including Nova Scotia, home to a historic Black community.
In a statement online, Nova Scotia Independent Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard â a leading figure in the push to recognize Emancipation Day -- called the day a âmonumental milestone for Black people in Canada.â
âIn 2021, African Canadians continue to experience systemic anti-Black racism and substantial economic inequalities. Understanding our full history provides a critical perspective of the persisting condition of poverty and violence within Black communities, acknowledging these as systemic issues, not individual issues,â she said.
She added that âfederal recognition of the day highlights that Black history is Canadian historyâ and extends beyond simply the month of February -- echoing how many educators across the country hammered home that same idea last Black History Month.
At an online event on Saturday held by the Delmore Buddy Daye Learning Institute, Bernard also noted how apologies and topics such as reparations need to be discussed seriously.
Natasha Henry, president of Ontario Black History Society which is hosting its own virtual celebration at 6 p.m EST, explained long-standing events such as Caribana festivities in Toronto were created specifically to honour Emancipation Day.
So with the federal recognition, the government is simply following the âlong tradition in Canada and in the Americas,â she told CTVNews.ca in a phone call on Sunday.
âI see it as a great opportunity for more Canadians to âĶ join in understanding that this is also a call to action,â Henry said, attributing the unanimous vote directly to last yearâs social uprising following the murder of George Floyd.
âI think it affords an opportunity for people to also not see Emancipation Day as one day, but connected to the wider movement for Black lives around the issues that Black Canadians have raised forever around education, around employment, [and] around the justice of the criminal justice system.â
And in a blog post last week, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO echoed the call for genuine action.
âFor real progress to continue, we need more than just a tacit acknowledgement from Canadians and our government,â the commission wrote. âObserving a shameful historical moment in our history is one thing. Doing something proactive to address its legacy is another.â
Michelle Williams, assistant professor at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University told The Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, which has been promoting several different online events, that today marks simply âone step toward righting the historical wrongs and resulting harms that African Nova Scotians continue to experience.â
In a statement on Sunday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that âEmancipation Day is a representation of social activism, justice, and our commitment to an equitable future.
âToday, we recommit ourselves to fighting anti-Black racism, xenophobia, racial discrimination, and related intolerance faced by people of African descent in Canada,â he said.
The federal governmentâs webpage about the day states that âEmancipation Day celebrates the strength and perseverance of Black communities in Canada. After British colonial settlers established Upper Canada, the number of enslaved Africans and their descendants increased significantly. It is estimated that 3,000 enslaved men, women and children of African descent were brought into British North America and eventually outnumbered enslaved Indigenous Peoples."
With files from The Canadian Press
The House of Commons declared Slavery was abolished, that is the British White establishment acknowledged the practice was over for them in Africa. However, they applied the practice of indentured labour which they administered in the British Isles to their colonies in South East Asia. Natives shipped to work under under worse than Black Slave like condition. An indentured dead no losses to the Manager. A slave died it was loss of property-sometimes they were put to death for creating problems.
Slavery was and is still alive even after the British said it was over-dey juss din care to notice it.
The world of mankind has its perils, one just have to be careful how they tread. Doan ever be a slave.
@Prashad posted:Some of my ancestors were West African people who were enslaved. I am very proud of their determination to overcome a bottomless pit of oppression.
I told you that you are a blackman pretending to be an Indian.
Black racial hate of the koolie in Guyana reduces Prashad to an inferior subhuman koolie.
@Prashad posted:Black racial hate of the koolie in Guyana reduces Prashad to an inferior subhuman koolie.
Is this some kind of confession?
@Prashad posted:Black racial hate of the koolie in Guyana reduces Prashad to an inferior subhuman koolie.
You are a blackman pretending to be koolie man. Your inferiority complex is not a diagnosable mental health disorder.
You have been demonstrating that you are a person of low self-esteem or self-worth. Seek help.
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