Georgetown: As Guyanese observed Emancipation Day (Freedom Day,) Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo calls on citizens to be conscious of the new challenge to them and the nation freedom.
Speaking with reporters at the Emancipation observation at the National Park today, the Prime Minister noted that the challenge “to conquer us, to enslave us, once again.” He was referring to the challenge from Venezuela to our territory and people.
To this end, the Prime Minister pointed out that the spirit of our African ancestors, to resist and fight against oppression and domination, “is still a live fight.”
“We cannot separate the struggle of African people for liberation, the struggle for a nation state of all of our Guyanese people with this new challenge to take away what we have, that is our nationality, our identity and what we are-a Guyanese people,” the PM said.
Prime Minister Nagamootoo noted that Freedom Day is an event from which all races, for the reasons that all have drawn inspiration from the African struggle, the core of which has been resistance. He pointed out that resistance has been at the heart of the many struggles against injustices and wrongs.
He noted that the African fight is not over, because there is still a debt that is owed. For the reason that slavery benefitted European powers, there is resistance for the recognition of that fact, even for a moral debt to be paid. The new administration fully supports this resistance for repatriation, the PM said.
Guyanese from all walks of life turned out at the National Park to join the annual Emancipation celebrations, hosted by the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA.) This year, the ACDA’s event was commemorated under the theme “Rekindling Our Past Glory Through Youth Innovation”. They were joined by several Government Ministers.
The grand celebrations at the National Park featured a number of songs, dances and other cultural displays by both local and overseas performers. Performers included the Djoniba Dancers out of the USA, Blakk Rasta out of Ghana’s and from Guyana recently crowned Miss World Guyana Lisa Punch, Natural Black, Mystic Dance Group, Devine Star, X Factor, Charmaine Blackman, Junior Calypso, Shantel Gittens and former Chutney King Roger “Young Bill Roger” Hinds.
Apart from the live performances, there was a fashion display, activities for the children and a number of food and beverage booths.
Freedom Day or Emancipation Day is celebrated in Guyana on August 1. Emancipation Day or Freedom Day, as it was earlier called, marks the abolition of slavery in 1834
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