Dear Editor,
Those who write and speak are often sincere but unless they have a deep understanding of our history, their words fall short of hitting the target. I refer to letters from some of my good friends critical of a statement allegedly made by Dr. David Hinds. Here again, to understand the other side, we should dig deep and digest our history. For brevity, let me extract the words of a lecture delivered by Professor Ali. A Mazrui during the observance of the 150th anniversary of Emancipation, titled “From the Mandingo to the Mandelas.” After noting how other people have used their suffering to their advantage, he noted that “Blacks have neither sacralized their suffering into a sacred doctrine nor exploited it as a political fund.”
In the many slave uprisings, we must not forget the role of those who worked in the homes of Massa during our pre-emancipation period. They often alerted the Overseers of plans by the field slaves to be freed from the degradation and brutality of slave labour. We cannot ignore the truth of our history, since history, all history has a fascinating way of repeating itself. It would be useful if we sit down with Dr. Hinds and others to shed some light in areas of darkness and avoid emotional responses. We can only build this nation on the foundation of the whole truth, avoiding the mis-steps and folly of those who were wittingly or unwittingly complicit with the machinations of the imperial and colonial masters.
Sincerely,
Hamilton Green
Elder
