By Ryhaan Shah
A letter written by Mahatma Gandhi in reply to one sent by American religious elder Milton Franz in 1926 refers to Jesus as “one of the great teachers of mankind”. Gandhi’s brief letter goes on to say to Franz who was apparently hoping to convince Gandhi of the “truth” of Christianity that religious unity cannot be had by “a mechanical subscription to a common creed but by all respecting the creed of each”.
The letter is part of the Raab Collection, a US historical document dealership, and it is up for sale. A statement issued by the dealer describes Gandhi’s letter as espousing the universality of all religions and the acceptance of differences in faiths.
Gandhi’s letter has lessons for us in Guyana as we work towards finding a harmonious commonality that acknowledges and respects every race, ethnicity, religion, and culture within the whole of our Guyanese citizenship and identity.
To only acknowledge diversity would be as troubling as only supporting oneness and there is both sense and sensitivity in Gandhi’s stated belief that lasting unity derives not from everyone being forced to subscribe to one creed or value but by everyone respecting each other’s beliefs and traditions as valuable.
This takes on even more importance in post-colonial societies emerging from the oppression that sought to refashion the subjects to a common identity which was but the reflected image of the master.
While author Wilson Harris is often quoted for speaking of the limitations that race or cultural identity places on the human being and experience, his additional comment is just as often ignored: “I am not suggesting that racial admixture is a solution to the world’s grave problems. I am suggesting, however, that a freedom of diverse parts in nature to blend into variant universals should be open in fiction and art.”
However, much writers and artists embrace that freedom in experimental works, it should be noted that the phenomenal success of the movie “Black Panther” has given rise to much pride in African communities in Africa and the African Diaspora for celebrating the particularities that define African culture. It is the uniqueness that being African brings to commonly held human values that gives the movie its powerful message and its own defined space within the whole of what is largely a white Hollywood film industry.
Though mythical, it tells a uniquely African story through strong performances by African actors and it is a proud moment that a few of the cast members originated from Guyana and the Caribbean. The movie’s success will hopefully create a shift in Hollywood culture and should secure the future of film-making that places Africans at the very heart of their own story-telling.
The confidence and assuredness of the movie’s characters translate into confident and assured communities who value the specifics that make them unique – dress, customs, beliefs, etc – and confident people are more likely to accept the respective ethnic and cultural aspects that make other groups as unique within the universality of our shared humanity.
Here in Guyana no one would ever consider, for instance, begrudging the First Nation communities the support that each group needs to ensure the survival of their respective language and customs.
For Indians here, the retention of so many cultural values and rituals after nearly two centuries away from India is in itself remarkable. But we have also allowed space for new normal – dress and language, for instance – that make us citizens of Guyana and the West.
Nothing is static. We are all always evolving to fit new circumstances, but that newness should still find grounding in our respective roots if we are all to continue as a secure and self-assured nation of peoples.
The idea of unity as oneness is seductive as an easy solution for a country such as ours which continues to be wracked by racial and cultural tensions. The glib rhetoric of “all awe is one family” continues to underline even official statements on race relations. But when calypso becomes cultural policy it detracts from meaningful work to ease tensions, erase suspicions and build a truly cohesive community of peoples based on everyone respecting the culture of each, that Gandhian creed.
It is not unity as oneness so much as the unison of various communities of people working together as one for our mutual good that will assure a bright future for our country. In our quest for an all-encompassing identity we stand in danger of losing the unique aspects of humanity present in each of us.
A country that uses the Mahatma’s wisdom as a guide can hardly go wrong.
