As a Guyanese you realise that everyone suddenly become conscious
of their race and ethnicity and of the other people around them at elections
time. The same “ole talk” every five years about PPP\C (The “coolie” people
party) and PNC/R (The “black” people party.) People can get so deep into
conversation about politics in Guyana that they don’t realise that they spend
all day talking about it and get almost no work done in the office or elsewhere.
The race factor in politics is said to be more prevalent
among the older generation. Without a doubt some of it is filtered down to the
younger generation. The Guyanese populace speak of race and ethnicity as if it’s
the same thing. The races that came to Guyana during its history are the
Amerindians, Europeans, Africans, East Indians, Chinese and Portuguese. I
wonder to myself if after almost 200 years of slavery and indentureship, do we still
have races of people in Guyana. We have a population of just under (800,000) eight
hundred thousand, with so much diversity......And people not mixed up? People
in Guyana are so mixed that at times you can’t tell that they are of a particular
race. For instance I may look like an East Indian, but in fact my dad has a
mixture of African and East Indian descent and my mom African, East Indian and
Portuguese. So what am I? How do I fit into a race of people? Thank God at
least I can say I’m Guyanese. The point here is that there is almost virtually
no pure race in this country. Well....maybe except for the Indigenous people
who live in isolation for the most part in the (Rain Forest) interior.
Now that the word race has been dealt with let’s try ethnicity.
This word sometimes can get you into trouble, depending on who you engage it with.
Imagine me a mixed person, looking mostly East Indian by my appearance, filling
a form or someone asks my ethnicity, and I say Chinese.......they would watch
me as if I’m mad! “A coolie boy like you is Chinese?”, would be the norm to
ask. But ones ethnicity is not determined by which part of the world their ancestors
came from or who their family are or religion is. It’s determined by their environment
and the things they appreciate. In essence it’s our choice! We choose our own ethnicity;
I can be an Amerindians or even mixed up like a Cookup as Guyanese declare, and
say that my ethnicity is European. The fact that my favourite dish, clothing
and behaviour may reflect that of a European, my ethnicity is as such.
I just hope that we become true Guyanese ASAP and work
towards our motto, “One People, One Nation, One Destiny.”
If we are all one people(Guyanese), why is it that some people take great pains to point out our differences? What is the point of a Miss India Pageant for girls born and bred in Guyana? I would have thought that a Miss Guyana Pageant was sufficient for all girls to take part in. And then we have Miss Amerindian, Miss African etc....I believe that the only way we will get rid of racism is if we stop making our differences more prominent than our strengths..
ReplyDeleteWhat are your thoughts and comments on this Gibion?
If you read my first blog titled "My Land" you will see my views on Guyana's diversity. You see our situation in Guyana is somewhat different compared to countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. In being part of the "New World" the people of the "Old World" who settled here brought their cultures. Now if we choose to not recognise our differences(which is really what makes up our culture) .....then we have no culture. We would just be human beings in on a land. Culture is what clearly defines a people. Culture should not be mixed up with race in the Guyanese context. Since most Guyanese of all descents actively participate in the various cultures present in Guyana. I have a cousin, who is of Portuguese descent, who took part in the Ms. Diwali Pageant. Look at holidays like Phagwah and Diwali and Christmas and Easter, Guyanese, regardless of their ancestry actively participate in these festivals and occasions. Embracing our differences (culture) will only help to build Guyana. Think of it Guyana itself is an Amerindian word....Georgetown is named after the former King of England. If we deny the very fabric of our lives(culture) as Guyanese which makes up and defines our nation, what are we? What defines us?
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should acknowledge our ethnic background, but we should not make it more prominent than our Guyanese background, this leads to racism.
ReplyDeleteI am Guyanese, you are Guyanese, who we are defines us, not where we came from.
If we have a Miss India Pageant, at least let the Judges be Guyanese why should 3 of them come from India (Bollywood)? Guyanese-Indian Judges aren't good enough? Would Guyanese Judges be allowed in India to judge a Pageant?
When we stop with all of this Amerindian, Indian, African, Chinese, Portuguese, Dougla stuff..Racism will hopefully disappear.
I think the pageants in essence is a good way of displaying our culture, like clothing and talents that each bring, but may be the titles of these pageants is where the problem lies. Bcuz to call it a miss India Pageant is to imply only Indian women can participate. For instance it was originally called miss Diwali and the Hindu Community said that Diwali was something sacred to them and that a pageant should not bare the word Diwali in its title. Fair enough. But I think the organisers could have find a more inclusive word. But I generally agree with you.
ReplyDelete