BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries were on Monday observing Emancipation Day with a national holiday and calls for the population of the region to reflect on the social, economic and political progress achieved since slavery had been abolished in 1834.

At least four Caricom countries in separate messages urged their citizens not to rest on their laurels and continue to work towards the development of their respective countries and the region as a whole.

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the occasion provides for an opportunity to reflect on the heroism, awe-inspiring courage and indomitable will of our forebears, as well as the legacy they have bequeathed to Jamaicans.

“The daring of those who were insistent in demanding their dignity; their resoluteness in struggling against their dehumanisation and their freshness of vision in imagining a new kind of life, must elicit the deepest admiration in us, their successors.

“We are heirs of a great and noble tradition of struggle for justice and human rights. The boldness of Nanny of the Maroons; the fortitude of Tacky and the moral fierceness of Sam Sharpe must illuminate our own path as we trod this road to the full economic emancipation of our people.

“We must draw on the rich reservoir of our history to drive our actions today. We are emancipated from the shackles of chattel slavery, but there are still some chains which hold us back. We must rid ourselves of them and break free,” Holness added.

His Antigua and Barbuda counterpart, Gaston Browne, recalled that the Jamaican National hero Marcus Garvey who visited Antigua in October 1937, “encapsulated the philosophical underpinning of our motivation” in understanding the “storm of subjugation by evolving and shaping new norms that have defined us culturally and politically”.

He said the late Jamaican reggae icon Bob Marley echoed Garvey’s thinking when he sang, “none but ourselves can free our minds” from the wounds of slavery and injustice to build a new Antigua and Barbuda and Caribbean.

“Our emancipation is therefore ongoing, as our people continue to explore new strategies and mechanisms designed to make life and living better for all our citizens. It is the task of each one of us to think big, aim high and strive for greater productivity in our blessed state of Antigua and Barbuda,” Browne said.

He told citizens that over the past 182 years, “we have risen from the ‘ruin and rubble of colonialism and political subjugation’ to independence, economic and social transformation.

“Our economic situation in Antigua and Barbuda, despite our limited resources and small population, has grown from strength to strength with few setbacks caused primarily by exogenous shocks. We are determined to evolve into an economic powerhouse under my stewardship as prime minister.

“Since Emancipation, our economy has moved from sugar and cotton production to one that is service-based, relying on tourism, financial services, construction, agriculture/fisheries, and government services,” Prime Minister Browne added.

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said that as the new pages of history are being written, there are several questions that citizens must ask themselves as the country moves forward.

He said these questions include whether people are facilitating new prejudices and divisions in Trinidad and Tobago’s society and also, if a mindset of entitlement is being perpetuated.

“The stories of our past should not condemn us to the turmoil of acrimony; but rather they should show us a path for achieving the positive and prosperous development of our country now and for the generations to come.

“We’re currently writing new pages in our history. We need to ask ourselves, are we facilitating new prejudices and divisions in our society? Are we perpetuating a mindset of entitlement – claiming rights where instead we should accept personal responsibility? Are we committed to working together in the best interest of our country? Can we look past the ‘me’ and ‘my group’ to the bigger picture of nationhood?”

Rowley said emancipation shattered an unjust status quo and reminded the population of the oil-rich, twin-island republic that enslaved Africans, had, after emancipation, to take responsibility for the direction of their own lives.

“Amid prejudice and ingrained philosophical beliefs of one group’s inherent right to dominate and denigrate another, they created opportunities for their own advancement.

“As Afro-Trinbagonians, at Emancipation we reflect on our history and proudly claim our ancestry. We celebrate freedom and recognise the immense sacrifices made by our ancestors.”

“While Emancipation Day may be a more intense emotional experience for persons of African descent, we must remember emancipation irrevocably changed the political, economic, and social reality not only for those who were freed but also for the population as a whole and all those who would follow.

“Today Trinidad and Tobago benefits from the contributions of all our citizens, regardless of race, and it is unfortunate that some among us still seek to create chasms within the population,” Rowley added.

For its part, Guyana said Emancipation has had a positive effect on the development of towns and villages in the country.

“The triumph of the Africans created the opportunity for the development of modern villages and towns inhabited by the majority of Guyanese today,” said the Government Information Service Agency (GINA), noting that “Emancipation was the dawn of a new era that gave birth to the trade union movement, the liberation of trade, development and the opening of the hinterland by pork knockers.”

It said the civil service was born and the setting up of artesian shops and small businesses created new communities. Many earned a living through the planting of cash crops while others with skills were employed.

“Emancipation has not only ended enslavement, it also sparked several radical changes in the social, political, economic and cultural life of Guyana. It was responsible for the arrival of the other ethnic groups who were brought to Guyana as indentured servants from India, China, Madeira (Portugal) and other parts of Europe to replace the African labour force on the sugar plantations.”