Dear Editor,

One cannot dispute that there is a need for an African Renaissance in Guyana, and Mr. Eric Phillips should be congratulated for putting this idea in the public forum. This idea seems to have stirred some debate. I however agree with the general premise of Mr. F.. Skinner's letter "A renaissance is needed but putting it forward as a political strategy may be dangerous" (11/08/06), though I would not deem such strategy as dangerous but would advise caution. There is a tendency in Guyana to bungle the social imperative with the political imperative. One reason for this is that most people who are involved in the debate are either politicians or are political theorists in the field of academia, and therefore see every phenomenon through a political prism.

The fact that we agree that there is a need for a renaissance among African Guyanese is an admission that there is regression. The question Mr. Skinner raised is what strategy can best be used to address this situation. The argument made by Mr. Skinner is one I have often made, both in private and in public, that is. African Guyanese concerns cannot be articulated by a political party. It must be articulated by an African leader or organization. This is where I believe Mr. Phillips in his letter captioned; "The concept of peace was used to attack the African psyche (11/08/06);" which came across as the formulation of a conspiracy theory against African Guyanese, seems to have gotten it wrong. In his argument, one gets the impression that he exonerates the PNC from blame for the African Guyanese condition. The PNC has poorly represented African Guyanese interests both in office and out of office, that is, if one sees the PNC as the party representing the African Guyanese interest which it has projected itself as doing.

Mr. Phillips would do best to recognize that African Guyanese since the late 1970s have embraced the idea of multi ethnic politics, thus the large support the WPA enjoyed from African Guyanese in the late 1970s and 1980s and the large support the AFC enjoyed in 2006. Any political party that comes on the scene with a genuine multi ethnic platform is sure to get large support from the African Guyanese community. That's not to say that a considerable amount of African Guyanese do not see the PNC as the party of their choice. It is on the basis of this recognition that one can argue that if the PNC seeks to genuinely transform itself into a multi ethnic party and apologizes for past mistakes, it would not lose African Guyanese support but would in the process be in a better position to gain support from other ethnic groups, especially Indian Guyanese disenchanted with the PPP, but who see no reason to vote for the PNC because of its past mistakes, and lack of acknowledgment of those mistakes. The PNC must also realize that it cannot win elections based on minority politics. This is the hard truth. Many African Guyanese realized this truth and so it explains why so many stayed away from the polls. It is due to an apathy that their votes do not matter.

Care must be taken in how the idea of an African Renaissance is put forward, since putting it forward as political strategy assumes that one political party has the right to represent all African Guyanese. Any idea of a Renaissance must recognize that African Guyanese are of different ideological, political and religious persuasions and belong to different class strata. Therefore the renaissance must encompass these aspects of their existentialism. For this reason the emergence of an African leader or an organization such as the African Cultural Development Association, ACDA, with no political affiliation is best suited to articulate and advocate the social and political imperatives of the African Guyanese masses. In fact, this is the creed by which ACDA pledges and it must remind those who speak on its behalf of this doctrine, to represent African Guyanese regardless of political, ideological, religious affiliation or class. These ideals ACDA has a responsibility to hold true to.

Having made this argument it is a glaring truth that there are attempts to pacify the African Guyanese masses. This pacification is made through propaganda campaigns of the victimhood and guilty race argument, by the PPP and their consiglieres. The thesis is that African Guyanese are a violent people which Indian Guyanese must fear. This campaign is made to keep the Indian votes solidly behind the PPP, and by appealing to the African Guyanese conscience of guilt, intended to keep their behaviour in check. Some even use African Nationalism to explain violence among African Guyanese. This thesis must be challenged. African Guyanese like any other ethnic group in Guyana are peace loving people. They are criminal fringes in any ethnic group, whether they are drug king pins, robbers, smugglers, murderers, corrupt officials etc., no group has a monopoly on violence in Guyana.

However, the concept of peace should not be seen as the absence of activism neither should activism, be pursued through militarism. Militarism regresses human conditions, it does not advance such conditions. We also have to realize that equality is best achieved through active negotiation, cooperation and dialogue with others. So the desire for shared governance as a means of achieving political equality, and as a way of replacing the unworkable Westminster system that excludes large sections of the African Guyanese community from meaningful participation in a representative democracy must be pursued through the principle of negotiation and peaceful activism. Peace is the cornerstone of progressive societies. It is often not achieved through belligerence.

In addition, moral certitude is the basis on which the African Renaissance movement must exist. It means that if we as African Guyanese will fight for equality we must recognize the equality of others. This also means that while we must in no uncertain terms fight against extra judicial killing of young African Guyanese men, we cannot be silent on the criminal acts of African Guyanese men, whether the victims are Indian Guyanese, African Guyanese or any other group.

Yours faithfully,