In an Emancipation Day message to the nation, President Irfaan Ali stated that the government remains committed to the struggle for reparations for the crime of African enslavement.

He said the Government demands that those who were complicit in and who profited from the trade in captive Africans and African enslavement “pay just reparations”.

According to the President, Emancipation in 1838 did not end oppression and freed Africans continued to face tremendous challenges which they confronted.

The President said Emancipation Day also heralds the significant contributions of African-Guyanese to the society, noting that African achievements have touched all spheres of life.

As Guyana celebrates Emancipation Day today, President Ali called on the nation to pay tribute to those who endured unimaginable hardships, yet resisted.

He said the nation must also recall the sacrifices of the African ancestors who emerged strong and resolute in the face of such a barbarous system which gave no legal recognition to them. The President said there must also be celebration of the contributions of the Africans into shaping the Guyana

The President said he wants all African Guyanese to know that his government is wholeheartedly committed to ensuring that they will never be politically or economically marginalized.

African Guyanese, he said, will share in the bounty that will flow from Guyana’s transformative development now and in the future.

“However, I am mindful that there are forces inside and outside of our country who, for selfish reasons, continue to stoke division and engender fear, mistrust and suspicion. As I have done in the past, I want to encourage Guyanese to continue to reject these attempts and expose the agitators of disunity and fear-mongering who threaten our nation’s cohesion and progress”, President Ali said.

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