The ‘IN THE DIASPORA Column of the Stabroek News of Jan 31st, 2022 and Guyana Graphic of January 26th, 2023 carried an article I wrote entitled ‘HOW AMBA AND JACK CAME BACK’. It has since been posted to the GUYANESE UNITED Facebook page and a few others. The article is about how I came to create imagined portraits of the leaders of the 1823 Demerara Uprising. In brief, I created those portraits for inclusion in the Thomas Harding history text ‘White Debt’. They have since been included in the Dutch edition of the same text, and the portrait of Jack appears on the cover of that text. They are also, soon to appear in the German edition of that very text by Thomas Harding and the portrait of Jack is to grace the cover of that edition also.
These portraits have also been acquired (the actual portraits, not the copyright to them) by the National Portrait Gallery of London and are to be featured in the RADICALS, RESISTANCE & REFORM gallery of that British museum as part of their more transparently retelling ‘DISPLAY OF BRITISH HISTORY FROM 1350 TO THE PRESENT’ I say all this to say that for the last year, to the day, today I have been trying to persuade (PERSUADE? SHOULD THAT EVEN BE NECESSARY?) Guyanese officials to consider, as part of the commemoration of these events, the issuance of $500.00 currency coins bearing these portraits. It has been to no avail! I’ve also proposed that a mural painting project to explicate this period of history be initiated and be made available for submission by Guyanese and Regional artists, and be subject to a juried selection. This has been to no avail also. Proposed, as well, is that Middle St. be renamed ‘THE AVENUE OF THE 1823 DEMERARA UPRISING. There has been no response to that proposal either. One would have thought that to be the easiest to effect, and the most pressing of changes to make in honour of the ten thousand rebels resisting the abhorrent system of Slavery. Many of those brave souls had their heads chopped off – were decapitated – and their gruesome visages displayed on stakes along that very street in the vicinity of Parade Ground, to dissuade any others from making any similar attempts to be free.
The result that this 1823 Demerara Uprising had, was that it precipitated the ending of slavery in the British West Indies in ten years. The brutality with which the British authorities put that attempt to be free down so outraged the British public that demands to end that inhumane system grew so loud the government had no alternative but to move to end it.
But their intent to extract profits from the exploitation of people did not end there. And this is where and how this matter is of great import to others in our society. It is not of import to people of African descent. A line of Martin Carter’s poem immediately comes to mind – “ALL ARE INVOLVED/ALL ARE CONSUMED” The ending of slavery that the Uprising brought about is what led to the additions to our population of the Portuguese, The Chinese, and the East Indians as Indentured Servants. A system slightly less egregious than the system of Slavery. This historical matter concerns us ALLL!
None of us, however, it appears, are willing to acknowledge this fact of history, beginning with our African Descended Prime Minister! I’ve written to him making the very proposals I’m reporting here that I began making one year ago, today. They first appeared, in the ‘IN THE DIASPORA’ Stabroek News column of Dr. Alisa Trotz, on 31st Jan 2022. His response was a passing of the buck. He suggested I make them to the President. Now tell me, would it not be of more significance for him to carry that water that i? But Know, what he suggests amounts to a no. AMBA AND JACK ARE NOT ALLOWED BACK. Not through the auspices of his high office.
YUH TINK I DUN DEH!? KNOW SAH!
I next write to the official Facebook page of the Minister of Culture Youth & Sport, asking what his ministry is planning by way of the commemoration of this Bicentennial. No resppponse!
I write to the Governor of the Bank of Guyana. No Resppponse!
I reach out directly and indirectly to influential Guyanese – the Director General of the Foreign Ministry Ret.; two Ambassadors Ret.; the President of the Caribbean Development Bank, with whom I worked; high functionaries of the CARICOM Ret. All to no little or avail.
I make contact with prominent artists of Guyanese nationality, locally and in the diaspora, with a request that they back up my letter campaign with letters of their own to the Prime Minister, whose responsibility I see this as being. This High official is apparently, though a military man, himself, more afraid to stand up for this cause than any of the lowly ten thousand resisting rebels were to stand up to the brutality of the British armed and hostile forces! Not one of these artists were willing to stand up either. They begged off as being too busy, too religiously inclined, or too something or other, or completely ignored my request of them. All have proved unwilling to put themselves on the line to bring honour to two historic leaders who put themselves on the line.
I have to conclude, sadly, that though European interests of high stature are willing to bring Amba and Jack back and with much honour!. We are apparently not willing to officially honour these two historic leaders.
AMBA AND JACK ARE NOT BY US ALLOWED BACK!
Errol Ross Brewster
Sunrise Fl. USA
31st Jan 2023
