Guyana

Please provide us with your views on the state of peace in the country you will represent at the One Young World Summit

The news will tell you Guyana is peaceful, that the tensions between our six different ethnic groups have not erupted into armed conflict. Prima facie, there is peace. Peace however is much more complex. In my mind, Guyana is not at peace. The youth unemployment rate is at 40% and the air is thick with a sense of despair. Despair that manifests itself in youth crime and violence and one of the highest suicide rates in our region. No mental peace. The McDougall report produced by the UN tells another part of the story: how there is no peace in the minds of Afro-Guyanese who have faced marginalization for over a decade in their own country. We continue to be casualties in a political war politicians wage against each other. No political peace. Now that Guyana has discovered oil, there is the belief that this will fix our problems but this is contrary to reality. Our problems will be compounded by another source of political conflict in our waters. No economic peace. Peace therefore is a dream, something the youth of Guyana work towards. Something we hope to achieve in our lifetime so that our children can come to know it.

How do you think your work and/or activism contribute to a sustainable peace?

My work with the Cuffy 250 Committee coupled with my other initiatives contributes to a sustainable peace by firstly, empowering Afro-Guyanese citizens. Their marginalization over the past years means that they were placed at a significant disadvantage when compared with the other ethnic groups in society. They have not been able to participate fully and fairly in various areas of Guyanese society such as the economy, land ownership and access to other resources necessary for development. I do not advocate the deprivation of any ethnic group for the benefit of another. I simply believe that African-Guyanese must be reconciled with the wider society through affirmative action and the affirmative action I have chosen is work directed to their empowerment. I believe that when all ethnic groups begin to see each other as equal partners in development, there will be peace. The other ethnic groups in Guyana should be commended for their cultural retention and their collective identity. My work is geared towards generating similar actions in the Afro-Guyanese community. I believe that once there is understanding of the various cultures in Guyana, beyond tolerance there can be appreciation and this appreciation can become the sustainable peace we seek.