Vieira vs Harripaul
Cassandra's Candid Corner
In a moment of weakness, I had a thought. You, dear reader, might decide it was a moment of dotishness when you grasp the theory. This happenstance did not have its genesis in scientific and sociological (dare I use these two words together) experiment; rather it stemmed from empirical observation - with all its inherent flaws. In truth, I was trying to find an answer to the views held by Tony Vieira et al on the beatings of East Indians. When slavery was abolished and the self-evident idea that all men were created (?) equal was taking root and Britain was losing the Empire on which the sun never set, a vacuum emerged in the Colonies. Who would succeed the British? In Guyana, of the imported people, the Chinese were never ones to promote themselves on a national scale and seek dominance; they much preferred their own company and their own fixed customs and folkways which were morally binding and necessary to the group's welfare and even preservation. The Africans had just come out of centuries of slavery and oppression, and their leaders, to a great extent, were really white men in black skins, and their thought processes were definitely not afro-centric. It was these leaders who sought to fill the void. But they had nothing in common with the black masses. Frantz Fanon wrote about Black Skin and White Masks. In any case, Africans held no advantageous economic base from which to generate long-lasting power. So, that left the Portuguese and the East Indians. Both possessed a relatively large percentage of mercantile elements. Ergo, they had to be competitors. Furthermore, both felt that they had the necessary credentials to fill the gap. The Portuguese were already European and mingled often and easily with the higher echelons of the Guyanese society. The East Indians, always the ones to feel superior (after all didn't they have the Vedas and Upanishads and the Indus Valley civilization? Didn't they withstand and overcome centuries of Islamic domination followed by the British Raj?), must have been convinced that their numbers alone gave them a right to be the heirs to the disappearing British. I will agree that many of the Indian leaders were also "Mimic Men" and Naipaul even wrote about a masseur who transformed himself from Ganesh Ramsumair to Sir G. Ramsay Muir. But, over and over, I have witnessed that, wherever East Indians are in the diaspora, the lowest one among them has an innate confidence based on what he perceives to be a great history and a great culture. (That Indian comrade with his stained dhoti and body odour reminiscent of massala checking out twenty purchases in the 5-item express lane in a Peckham supermarket couldn't be bothered about his effect on those white natives around him. After all, he is a Brahmin). If one is a Triton among the minnows, should one not rule? And then there was religion. Catholicism versus Hinduism/Islam. Great rivalry there. Up to this day. For example, the Pope's visit to India is harvesting a great backlash and opposition. (The Pontiff's 'Ecclesia in Asia' emphasises that "the peoples of Asia need Jesus Christ and his gospel. Asia is thirsting for the living waters that Jesus alone can give". Heady stuff that. And antagonistic too. You think the people of Asia was consulted about their spiritual needs?) So my point here is that from day one, the Portuguese and the East Indians were on a collision course. Over the years, the negative myths, legends and stereotypes about each other's culture, lifestyle and methods of doing business were cultivated and fertilized; now its harvest time. They can never see things from the other person's point of view. Well, dear reader, that is my convoluted explanation as to why Mr Malcolm Harripaul reads so much into Indian beatings of January 12 (and before and after), and why Mr Vieira considered Indian agony as a superficial episode. What do you think? * Speaking of T.V.'s TV, have you noticed that Evening News last week carried over twenty advertisements. Twenty ads in a one hour news broadcast?! I hope this is a reflection of how well Tony is doing. Irrespective of what some might say about Mr Vieira's role in the development of TV entertainment in Guyana, for me he will always be not only THE pioneer, but his station offers many hours of enjoyment for an addict like me. *In passing, isn't it interesting how those traditionally recognised as pioneers in an accomplishment, suddenly get challengers for the achievement award. No longer did Colombus come first to the New World. Leif Erikson is a current challenger. And, according to Dr Ivan Van Sertima, Africans came long before them. And calculus has many fathers. And Shakespeare was not Shakespeare, rather it was Francis Bacon, Marlowe and a hundred other candidates for the title of author of some of the finest literature and poetry language has produced. And someone has actually challenged Tony Vieira's role as Guyana's foremost TV person. Not to wory, Tony. Who know, know. Besides you should hear how many people claiming to be Cassandra, in spite of Fenty's declaration that Cassandra's identity is no secret. *Let's get back for a moment to a spin-off of the issue raised about evangelisation. Well, one aspect of Christian fundamentalism is the matter of prayers in school. One Pandit Vikash Ramkissoon (SN 17.11.99) takes umbrage at Christian prayers in school. Others have commented on this practice and some have agreed that we should develop some kind of cross-cultural all-encompassing prayer, with which all could be happy. What about the students who are atheist and agnostic? They have a right not to be bombarded with religious dogma and mantra - pan-religious or not. The point is quite simply this: Guyana's Constitution makes a clear distinction between Church and State (secular). End of story. It is just plain illegal for principals to commence their school sessions with prayer. They are defying the Constitution blatantly and continuously. * On a more pleasant note, having had an opportunity to meet Miss Indra Changa, I truly hope she does well in the Miss World competition. She is beautiful, charming and intelligent and displays a fixity of purpose. Pity that she had to fight all the way to the plane bound for London to get a decent wardrobe, money and appropriate gifts, when you would think that the last weeks should have been spent in feverish preparation for the big event. Kudos to those who came forward and provided tangible support. As for Mr Yoogeandra I think he owes us some sort of explanation.
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