The Guyanese Culture

On the fiftieth anniversary of his country's independence, the author looks in Janus - faced fashion, at the culture of his native Guyana from its early days of slavery and indenture to the present, and speculates on its development over the next half-century. His account records the trials and tribulations of the laborers who were imported by the British plantocracy to toil under cruel and oppressive conditions. Strict control was achieved by the British though the imposition of their culture on the captive population and a "divide and rule" policy which sowed the seeds of racial conflict between the various ethnic groups. The British Governors were replaced by elected representatives of local political parties, some of whom did not hesitate to adopt the British policy of division to ensure victory at the polls. As a result of these political machinations, cultural diversity and racial harmony were diminished by ethno-racial animosities and violence, especially between Afro- and Indo-Guyanese. Several proposals have been made in the past to resolve the situation, including power-sharing and more inclusive governance, but unfortunately, thus far, no significant progress has been made. The author reviews these recommendations, both old and new, to see if a change in the political culture can bring about the social cohesion and national unity which are critical to the nation's future.