Having announced its intention to do so last year (1), the government of Guyana has now made slain academic and activist Walter Rodney’s tomb and memorial now official national monuments, forty-two years after his assassination. (2) Having established himself as an academic of international repute with works like How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, Walter Rodney was a renowned advocate for the oppressed whether in Afrika, the Caribbean or Europe. (3)
In addition to official memorialisation, his death certificate would be corrected to read “professor” instead of “unemployed” and that his cause of death would change from “misadventure” as designated by the Burnham government at the time to “assassination” as was widely believed to be the case due to his activism in Guyana, but not officially recorded as such until a 2014 Commission of Inquiry. (4) However, the government has not yet publicised any plans to compensate the family for the state sanctioned murder. (5)
These developments around Walter Rodney coincide with the release of a new film, Walter Rodney: What They Don’t Want You To Know, to that had its world premier at the BFI in London on October 23rd 2022. The film, by Daniyal Harris-Vajda and Arlen Harris purports to examine “the life of a man who sought unity in the face of division and whose ideals lie at the heart of global struggles today.” (6)
As we saw with the recent Roy T. Anderson film, African Redemption: The Life And Legacy Of Marcus Garvey, definitive representations in a single film are nigh on impossible to achieve and are often to a greater or lesser degree representations of the perspectives of the film makers. (7) One of the aspects of What They Don’t Want you Know that has come under scrutiny is whether it presents a sanitised account of race and culture in Guyana, through the lens of the Working People’s Alliance, rather than exploring what Guyanese academic Dr Kean Gibson calls “the reconstituted Hindu racist ideology is embedded in the society” (8) which facilitates the “Continuing Criminalization of African-Guyanese” (9)
In an era where the representation and even the legacies of many Pan-Afrikan heroes and sheroes are ostensibly up for grabs from those of other communities, the global Afrikan community will need question what steps it needs to take safeguard these legacies and how to convey a representation that serves the interests of our people.
(1) Caribbean National Weekly (10/06/21) Guyana Government to Formally Recognize Dr. Walter Rodney. https://www.caribbeannationalweekly.com/caribbean-breaking-news-featured/guyana-government-to-formally-recognize-dr-walter-rodney/
(2) News Room (03/06/22) Walter Rodney’s tomb, memorial now officially national monuments. https://newsroom.gy/2022/06/03/walter-rodneys-tomb-memorial-now-officially-national-monuments/
(3) Chinedu Chukwudinna (2022) A Rebel’s Guid eTo Walter Rodney. Bookmarks Publications
(4) Afrika Speaks with Alkebu-Lan on Galaxy Radio (09/12/19) Are YOU Walter Rodney? https://www.mixcloud.com/AfrikaSpeaks/are-you-walter-rodney-091219/
(5) Kuba Shand-Baptiste (03/11/22) ‘My husband was assassinated for his activism’: Patricia Rodney on injustice and single parenthood. https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/walter-rodney-activist-assassinated-patricia-documentary-film-working-class-1948972; News Room. Op. cit.
(6) Verso Books (17/10/22) Walter Rodney: What They Don’t Want You to Know. Walter Rodney’s life and legacy — explored in literature and on screen. https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/5463-walter-rodney-what-they-don-t-want-you-to-know
(7) Geoffrey Philp (2021) African Redemption: The Definitive Marcus Garvey Documentary. https://jamaicans.com/african-redemption-the-definitive-marcus-garvey-documentary/
(8) Kean Gibson (01/07/21) Racist Ideologies embedded in a society do not disappear. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0ramMP4abJwHV22bLn39E4gwvBHbQAMFyGJnt9udwpoyynE9VMc5hEMQPdnQZNxSnl&id=100005861100289
(9) Kean Gibson (08/11/20) Continuing Criminalization of African-Guyanese. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02xTHJvzapNeHySGeg5DuKwCfhqNZ1dNEiGf75vQVT2E9qqTxkXUYE9VDqGuYwhqr8l&id=100005861100289
we ask the question:
Walter Rodney: What is his legacy?
1) Have you seen the film, Walter Rodney: What They Don’t Want you Know? What did you think of it?
2) Why has it taken so long to officially memorialize Walter Rodney?
3) Is “Hindu racist ideology” really “embedded” in Guyanese the society?
4) Do we have the resources to effectively represent the legacies of our Pan-Afrikan greats?
Our very special guest:
Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka: Resident guest who is Spiritual Leader of the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement and an Afrikan-Centered Education Consultant. Bro. Ldr is a veteran activist of nearly 40 years standing, a featured columnist in The Whirlwind newspaper and author of Mosiah Daily Affirmations and Education: An African-Centred Approach To Excellence.
Eld. Cecil Guztmore: is an internationally renowned veteran scholar and activist who has been active in the Pan-Afrikan community for over fifty years..
Bro. Mutsa Sanyaz: is a political commentator and member of the Black Think Tank
Sis. Jackie Stephenson: is a mother of two who is newly introduced to the work of Walter Rodney..