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| WALTER RODNEY 25th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION COMMITTEE |
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Floods In Guyana ( A brief history) David Hinds: Race and Political Discourse in Guyana
Women Against Violence Everywhere |
A Grounding in Guyana: Celebrating Walter Rodney and His Vision of Emancipation 25 Years After His Assassination. June 6-14 2005. This Invitation goes out to all those who have in any way been touched by the work, life and example of Walter Rodney. And there are many of us. As a teacher, freedom fighter, political leader - in the "dungles" of Kingston, Jamaica, among freedom fighters in Africa, from the lecterns or classrooms of the great Universities of the world, on a street corner in Guyana, in a myriad settings in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean or Africa, wherever people gathered around the common cause of human liberation and dignity - Walter moved many with his unflinching commitment to the struggles of his people for their full liberation. And it was always their struggle and their liberation that were important. His passionate engagement with the struggles of the oppressed was matched by his equally passionate rejection of all vestiges of "leaderism." This was what underscored and validated his notion of "self-emancipation." and that became institutionalized in the political formation he helped to bring into being in Guyana, the Working People's Alliance. In the 25 years since Walter Rodney's assassination much has changed in the world. The face of the oppression that has deepened the misery of peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, Africa and among working peoples in the US, Canada and Europe has changed from its dictatorial manifestation into its "democratic" form. Poverty and misery are now products of a democracy that has been reduced to electoral competition among a self-regarding elite who thrive by exploiting every division among the working poor, be it racial, religious, tribal, ethnic or other cultural difference, in order to hold them in subjugation, the better to be exploited by the new global masters. But the resistance grows and examples abound. From the inspiring courage of the Cuban revolution, to the irrepressible self-emancipating activities of the Haitian people in the face of overwhelming hostility on this the centenary of Haitian independence, the struggle to maintain and expand people's power in Venezuela, the courage and vision of women seeking constitutional recognition for caring work, the ongoing experiments in libertarian democracy in Chiapas, and the liberation movements in Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Paraguay, all these stand as evidence that the quest for fullest human liberation in our region and beyond is energized and on the move. JOIN US in this "grounding," as we, women, youth, farmers, artists, workers, students, teachers, in the spirit of Rodney, come together to share our ideas and vision for the resolution of the deep problems affecting the lives of our peoples in all parts of the world. We are calling on sisters and brothers around the world to participate in this grounding with us. You can do this in a number of ways: (1) Turn up in Guyana to share your ideas and wisdom and to demonstrate
your support. We are structuring this grounding to be as inclusive and
as participatory as possible, and to make everyone's presence count!
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