I would like to ask every one: Do you know what that word means? No? Well how very sad ,as my Social Studies professor from high school would have said. I’m sort of shocked, no, not really. Point is though I’m not telling what it means. But then I might. We’re supposed to know, we’re supposed to be teaching this to our children so that they’ll teach theirs, and so on.
I love my country. A country that has been through a lot, then again, which country didn’t have bumps and bruises of its own? I love Guyana(that’s where I’m from) and I want to be honest with everyone and myself that after a lot of thought I came to that conclusion; me loving my motherland. Yes, after a lot of thought, and I’m ashamed of myself for taking so long to realize this, but thanks to my parents’ constant lecturing, I’m on the right track.
Guyana certainly had a history of her own. But what do some of us care, that’s all in the past, right? Wrong. Dead wrong.
We (well most of us, I gathered, especially the youths) are foreign minded due to the fact that a majority of Guyanese are exposed to foreign media, I guess I might have been one myself once. We hold other lands, like the U.S of A for example, in higher esteem than Guyana. We’re drawn to the attractions making us wish that we could live the great American Dream (North American to be more specific) too. Only thing is that we’re stuck here in Guyana. A third-world country. So what did many Guyanese do and some are currently doing?
Take off for the States or some other more developed country, that’s what. Resulting not only in population decrease, meaning the Gov’t would have less weight to lift which is a bit positive, but massive brain drain on the down side. Hold up! Yes, you’re free to live where ever you want to, for whatever reason, except for one reason being that you don’t appreciate Guyana.
It is totally fine to leave due to political oppression, lack of jobs, better educational opportunities, being victimized due to race and the like. Yup, all of those are valid reasons to set up shop somewhere beyond your country of origin.
Seeing the good life out there, we are forced, unconsciously, to scrutinize Guyana for what we lack , what we wish we had. Maybe this is what makes us dissatisfied being Guyanese. A couple of words: ungrateful and discontent.
But wake up and smell the coffee, people! We must come together as one, throw away race and gender issues and political views(but that one is easier said than done, however if we’re all working for a better future for us and our children that shouldn’t be a problem)and work for what we want Guyana to be, completely independent( that is, being free from prejudice of any kind, well to a better state than it is now at least), self efficient and to have good relations with our neighbours and the rest of the world.
But look at what’s happening today; now after the first shock of the second depression in the history of the United States , amidst a global recession, migrated Guyanese are coming back and some with a speed. The land they left, when some ran from it, is the very one they return to when things get rough overseas but she, Guyana, has her arms open for her scattered children.
Remember that Guyana was once a colony. There was slavery, indentureship, struggle, death and determination ultimately leading us to independence. Today, however, there’s only an amount of citizens, when it should have been an entire nation, who are interested in our country’s rich culture and history. A culture once so rich, it might probably still be if the current one didn’t involve way too much partying, drinking, inappropriate dressing and wasting money, which frankly disgusts me, but that’s a topic for another time.
Our freedom didn’t come without a heavy price, oh it sure as hell didn’t and a majority of the present generation doesn’t have a clue how lucky we are today. Now they’re unsatisfied on how far we’ve come from the dark days, partially due to ,as I’ve mentioned earlier, to foreign influence. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t admire them, no, or comparing them to our own. You are, by all means, free to do so. But please don’t down grade or look down upon Guyana, however some peoples’ attitude and bad manners do the very thing. She just doesn’t deserve it.
We have come a long way from the struggle of freedom. We’re developing, moving to higher ground. We have better education, health care, transportation, recreational facilities and good tourism. The standard of living has improved dramatically over the years. But some are still unsatisfied, always finding some excuse, like GPL(Guyana Power and Light) is unreliable but was there one before,? We’re lucky we have it! Don’t even get me started on GUYWA(Guyana Water Corp.) It’s not like I don’t get angry at them sometimes too, it just that we should be grateful we have them.
Still not satisfied, some look for someone to blame. Whom do they blame? But that’s probably the easiest rhetorical question yet! Why, the government, of course. Every Gov’t isn’t perfect but ours has done a great job so far, but they can’t do everything, maybe all at once, but if everyone co-operated ,eventually we can come close to being perfect. Fights have been fought, but political warfare is an ongoing battle, not to mention racialism but those two particular subjects, especially when combined, can be a dangerous ,and even a deadly, concoction. But I want to avoid them as much as possible.
The answers to the questions of those curious are: no people, I’m not a racialist and that I am indeed politically neutral(believe it or not) and I’m not just saying that to avoid trouble of any kind, I say it because it’s the truth. Now with that being said, we should get along, shouldn’t we, you and I?
We want to visit and explore exciting and mysterious lands beyond our own. Yes, that goes for me as well but I think, no actually I know that we should discover our own beautiful home first. Many of us are aware foreigners from near and far come to video, capture and indulge themselves in the many delights Guyana has to offer. Our wildlife is one amongst the many and so is our forests, one of which in fact is among the four untouched forests on earth. How many knew that?
In one of these videos that I have seen, I couldn’t believe it was Guyana! With all of the endless stretch of green, the trees and mountains and rivers and waterfalls! It was all so breathtakingly beautiful! Well the majority of the country’s population resides on the coastal plane, basically towns, crowded cities(well only Georgetown, the capital city, for that matter) and relatively dense villages. So I could imagine other’s surprise as well when they discover Guyana themselves, as I reside in one of these villages myself.
Now, now. I would like to get this clear: I’m not implying that all Guyanese are ungrateful (though some can be without knowing it), as I can testify. I’m not saying that all of us are “foreign minded”. Yes, you say you love and care for Guyana, you’re obliged to say so. What I’m really trying to say, to drive the point home, is that we should pay more attention to Our Beautiful Guyana (there’s a song called that) before we take a closer look at other places yonder.
In conclusion:
1. You are free to roam every spot on the face of the earth, if it’s legal of course in specific places.
2. You can live where ever it is that you want to be.
3. But most importantly; wherever you are, you must remember you homeland, having it rooted in a special part in your heart. This goes for everyone of every nationality in existance.
Why?
Because, that, my friends is what being patriotic means. But it just might have been easier to look it up in the dictionary for a much shorter version.
Why?
Because, that, my friends is what being patriotic means. But it just might have been easier to look it up in the dictionary for a much shorter version.
Devina A. Singh
A Proud Guyanese
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