– President promises to give due consideration
As the local African community gathered at the Critchlow Labour College Auditorium on Sunday to take part in the fifth annual “State of the African Guyanese” Forum organised by the Cuffy250 Committee, a request was made for a subvention from Government to establish a secretariat to implement the programmes and policies directed to address issues facing this particular ethnic group.
A representative of the Country Coordinating Committee (CCM), which comprises of several local and overseas-based Afro-Guyanese organisations, Jonathan Adams, said that the African Guyanese “Action Plan” was delivered to President David Granger, which was based on a commitment the group made when the President addressed the annual forum in 2016.
Adams said based on research, Afro-Guyanese still suffer and remain a disadvantaged group in society. He said there is still a lot of stigma attached to being Afro-Guyanese and against that backdrop of darkness, doom and despair, the CCM has recommended that policies, programmes and projects in education, economics, equality and employment, among other areas of concern, be implemented.
“There is the need for the immediate establishment of a secretariat, its full funding and an enabling environment to facilitate the effective and efficient execution of its mandate,” he told the gathering. Adams said that in recognition of the International Decade for People of African Descent, the CCM’s submission is one of the first steps in the movement towards achieving the objectives of the decade.
The secretariat will then initiate the necessary studies to ascertain the conditions of Africans in various communities even as it established a widespread and concerted programme in African communities on the decade and its potential to impact African strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
“To achieve recognition for African Guyanese, four education policies, eight education programmes and 16 educational projects are recommended. To achieve justice, three education policies, three education programmes and 14 education projects are recommended. To achieve sustainable development, one education policy, four educational programmes, and six educational projects are recommended.”
In addressing the packed African cultural audience, President Granger said given the fact that the budget process is close to wrapping up, the group will have 10 weeks to consider the request. The President urged the CCM to consider erecting an economical structure that can deliver the objectives of the organisation and that can carry on its work beyond the decade.
“The CCM needs to work purposefully and quickly. As I said before the decade was launched in 2015. In fact, one third of the decade has expired. Forty months of the 120 months have expired,” Granger said encouraging the group to work towards ensuring that enough is done to achieve goals set out to observe the declaration of the International Decade for People of African Descent.
The theme for this year’s Forum was “Repositioning African Guyanese for Recognition, Justice and Sustainable Development.” It is being held in collaboration with the International Decade of the People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana (IDPADA-G), a coalition of African Guyanese organisations and individuals which, for the past year, has been working on an African Guyanese “Action Plan.” The impetus for this initiative was a call by President Granger.
Towards this end, the highlight of this year’s Forum was the unveiling of the “African Guyanese Action Plan” which lays out a strategy and agenda for African Guyanese Empowerment for the next decade. The keynote address was delivered by the President. Other speakers included Nigel Hughes, Marjorie Mc Caskey, Vincent Alexander, Comica Johnson, Eric Phillips, Esther Gittens, Dr Norman Ng-a-Qui and Dr Simpson da Silva.
Cuffy250 was founded by a group of Guyanese in the USA and Guyana who came together in 2013 to observe the 250th anniversary of the Berbice Revolt, led by Cuffy, against the slave system. It is an organisation dedicated to encouraging socio-economic and cultural revitalisation within the African Guyanese community and the fostering of ethnic and racial equality in Guyana.
In this regard, Cuffy250 is also committed to the reversal of ethnic domination of all kinds and from all quarters. Hence part of its mission is to encourage self-empowerment and self-respect among African Guyanese as a prerequisite for respecting all ethnic groups and as a defence against domination.
