Modern Guyana stands on pillars of contributions by African Guyanese – Pres Ali in Emancipation Day message

MESSAGE FROM: His Excellency Dr Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, on the occasion of Emancipation Day 2026 

The Pillars upon which Modern Guyana Stands

I extend heartfelt greetings to all Guyanese, at home and across the diaspora, on this Emancipation Day 2026.

Today, we pay homage to the resistance, resolve, resourcefulness and resilience of our African ancestors in the face of the most abominable system ever known to mankind—the Transatlantic trade in captive Africans and the brutal machinery of slavery. Though subjected to the horrors of enslavement, they never relinquished their dignity, their humanity, or their quest for liberation.

On this Emancipation Day, we recall that when the long night of bondage gave way to the dawn of freedom, our forebears did not greet the morning with bitterness in their hearts. Instead, they fixed their gaze steadily upon the future, seeking to create from their freedom a better world for themselves and for the generations yet unborn.

That very first Emancipation Day marked the dawn of a new journey, one driven by an unquenchable yearning for economic empowerment and self-determination. In the decades that followed, African-Guyanese rose with extraordinary purpose. They transformed their circumstances in remarkable ways. Through the Village Movement, they pooled their resources to purchase lands and establish villages. These villages became the bedrock of resilience, the crucibles of culture, the seedbeds of nationhood. Through education, they sharpened minds; through entrepreneurship, they built enterprises; through their farms, they provided food for our homes and markets; through mining, they brought forth gold, bauxite, and diamonds that would fuel the nation’s progress; through sport, arts, politics, and the professions, they enriched every facet of our national life. Their contributions are the very pillars upon which modern Guyana stands.

Our African ancestors erected these pillars for every generation that would follow, so that we might stand taller, reach further, and dream broader.

Let us therefore continue to learn from their example, including in the face of adversity. They did not allow tragedy to harden their hearts into hatred. Instead, they transformed their sorrow into solidarity and their pain into purpose. They wept together, prayed together, and rebuilt together.

In celebrating the achievements of our African ancestors, let us reaffirm our faith in one another. Let us refuse the seduction of suspicion and the poison of enmity. The greatest honour we can pay to them is in the work we do to create a society rooted in mutual respect, genuine equality, and shared prosperity. It is in the bridges we build across every divide.

Let us continue to build a Guyana that is truly free, truly prosperous, and just—for every man, woman, and child who calls this land home.

May the spirit of our African ancestors guide us. May their resilience inspire us. And may their dream of a united, dignified, and sovereign people live on in our hearts and hands—today, and always.

My best wishes to all on this Emancipation Day 2026!