Emancipation and our crisis of leadership

NERUKHI ATO OSEI

THE REPEATED call for African history’s inclusion in our school curriculum has once again surfaced as an issue for discussion.

The issue of respect and acknowledgement of African culture has been a topic by numerous calypsonians, activists and historians before and since the Black Power Movement of the 1970s. From Cecil “Maestro” Hume with his legendary hit Black Identity in 1973/74 to the Mighty Sparrow, Duke, Bro Valentino and countless others, the issue has never been allowed to die.

The recent gem by calypsonian Kurt Allen (Subconsciously) is yet another reminder that despite the demands for a more progressive approach to teaching our youth and our society the true history of all our peoples, there continues to be attempts to maintain the colonial status quo amid token concessions.

Having personally gone through the name-changing process in the early 1980s on my journey to cultural connection (having both indigenous and African heritage prominent within my DNA) it is a topic that is close.

I have personally been discriminated against, mocked, denied opportunity and disrespected by family, strangers and associates alike for daring to distance myself from the tag of the colonial plantation owner. I have had direct experience where politicians and political parties have mocked the African name and used it as a political football, claiming in some instances that voting for a particular party would result in the descendants of Africans having to change theirs to the names of their own ancestors.

What a tragic state of affairs when the culturally traumatised turn their own culture into something negative for supposed political gain (that never materialises).

I have had to forcefully stand in defence of my ancestry, taking the blows and holding the line. I was privileged to have joined the movement to have Emancipation Day declared a public holiday in 1985, working alongside countless committed men and women of NJAC, ESC and those of other groups. Many of us took the bold step to change our names to reflect the right to embrace the heritage and culture of our ancestors.

I have seen many buckle under the pressure, resorting to their previous western name in an attempt to survive the discrimination as people were denied jobs and other opportunities. I have been complimented on the position that many of us took and proudly hold and have seen thousands of young children being proudly named in the tradition of their ancestors as a result of our efforts. I have seen people who previously scorned and despised their culture (as I once did) embrace it with love and honour.

I can’t say that I have seen it all...there is always more to see, learn and experience.

As we commemorate another Emancipation Day, we must take a sobering look at our progress to reconnecting with our culture and our true selves.

Our education system sadly remains a mildly tweaked model of the same system that indoctrinated and trained those under the illegal oppression of a colonial dictatorial system. We have been trained to be good and loyal subjects and servants. We seem unable (most of us) to engage in critical thinking, problem-solving and any type of independent thought. Our economies have grown more dependent and despite the apparent material and technological developments we remain at the mercy of yes-men, yes-women hustlers and permission seekers.

The yearly awakening (for a week or two at most) of our pride in our own cultural identity is to be expected as institutionalised tokenism remains endemic within our society. Our indigenous peoples have moved from being discovered to being rediscovered in our textbooks as our educational policymakers (themselves victims of colonial trauma and misinformation) seem reluctant to go against the grain.

The trauma of our past as written and trapped within our DNA along with colonial tokenism reflects in the behaviour of those in positions of authority. Despite the legitimate demands of the people, they continue to look to the former enslavers for acknowledgement, permission and justification for any progressive action.

It affects all to the point that some people demonstrate a level of backwardness in thinking and behaviour that is mind-boggling and of great concern. Yet many among us must be applauded for their consistent efforts to bring progressive change and enlightenment.

Mention must be made of Shabaka Kambon and the Cross Rhodes Freedom Project, Roger Belix of Partners for First Peoples Development, Shaman Rauold Simon and the indigenous community of San Fernando, along with the Emancipation Support Committee for their efforts to remove statues, monuments, streets and landmarks (still polluting our landscape) that bear the names of and honour historical individuals who were agents of genocide, cultural assimilation and other horrendous acts. However, there has been much pushback on this matter.

It is good that the demands for the removal of these monuments that must be seen as a direct insult to both the indigenous community and the African diaspora have been heeded by at least one individual. I refer here to the statue of Christopher Columbus in Moruga originally erected by Eric Lewis.

Lewis (of the Moruga indigenous community), after himself erecting this insultive slap in the face of our indigenous ancestors, has been forced to finally remove this national disgrace after much public outcry and criticism. It is beyond rationale and logic for any indigenous individual proud of his/her ancestry and the struggle of his people against the mass atrocities to have erected such a monument, yet it is a reflection of the effects of the same colonial trauma.

As we come to the end of the UN-designated International Decade for People of African Descent, we ought to focus on the fact that our current government has failed to access the billions of dollars made available by the United Nations for projects to uplift the African diaspora following the horrendous evils of the past. Even at a time of worsening economic woes the Government should have been wise enough to take as much as was available, as such money could have been spent on projects that would also bring benefits to all sectors of our nation.

Promises of African history’s inclusion in our school curriculum are yet to materialise.

We have heard nothing of the Local Reparations Committee which was disbanded under this regime. Reparations will bring opportunities for institution building and an ease to the economic pressures as well. Money will be in circulation and benefit all.

Maybe if we focus on these issues we may be able to have more meaningful debates, discussions and possibly find opportunities to correct many of our social ills within the African diasporic community and wider society.

But in the meantime though, let’s celebrate ourselves. Let’s celebrate our ancestors. Let’s reconnect with our Creator and our true self. Let’s celebrate our great achievements.

Ato Osei, aka Nerukhi, is a retired teacher, cultural activist, singer/songwriter and visual artist