Reject every effort at subtle recolonisation — Hamilton Green — Opinion

Reject every effort at subtle recolonisation

September 5, 2026·3 min read

Dear Editor,

Guyanese everywhere and of every age must recognise that the end of the major European civil war, which the media baptised as World War 2, brought new circumstances, and interesting dynamics to the world in which we live. When the great British Statesman, crowned the “British Bull-dog”, Sir Winston Churchill delivered his famous speech at Fulton Missouri, on 5th March , 1946, where he adverted to the term “iron curtain”, this in a sense created conditions for what is regarded as the destructive, all-consuming Cold War. Of interest, Churchill was introduced by no less a person than U.S. President Harry S. Truman. This Cold War which technically ended in the dawn of the 1990s, was extremely destructive, the Vietnam war and Korean war are the best-known consequences of this Cold war.

In all this, small countries in Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean needed to walk a fine line to gain their Independence from their respective imperial powers, and the greatest struggle was to secure benefits from their natural resources beyond the exploitation and dehumanisation of slavery. And most of all to persuade their citizens that political independence was more than an anthem and a seat at the United Nations. The much loftier goal was to be pawns of neither East nor West. This led to the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement, officially founded this very month in1961.^[1] Forbes Burnham was a solid supporter and advocate of the concept of non-alignment, when he got the opportunity in office, he had erected a monument, at Company Path between St George’s Cathedral and Bank of Guyana, to honour the four founders of the non-aligned movement, President Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, Prime Minister Nehru of India, President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and President Gamal Nasser of Egypt.

Out of all this, there existed a tug-of-war between the two goliaths. But thanks to hard work, industry and visionary leadership the People’s Republic of China (PRC) emerged as a force to be reckoned with on the world stage. The PRC grew and developed at an exceedingly fast rate, lead by its Communist Party, challenging the might of the mighty in the field of commence, technology, and industry.

In the Caribbean, including the English-speaking former colonies, their new leaders were reluctant, some would say afraid, to establish relations with the People’s Republic of China, Guyana was no different. I recall when this matter was discussed, senior officials, cabinet members, and the PPP expressed the view that there was no good reason for the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to be the first in the region to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. However, five persons led the charge to have diplomatic relations with China, these persons were Forbes Burnham, Hamilton Green, Ptolemy Reid, Shirley Field-Ridley, and Hubert Jack. And so it was that we established formal diplomatic relations with China, on 27th June , 1972. A busy time for Guyana, as we hosted the first ever CARIFESTA, the brain-child of Burnham, in August – September 1972.^[2]

Today, human instinct of rivalry, jealousy and the urge to dominate continues unabated. These characteristics are evident in Guyana. What mattered then and matters today is the wisdom, inner strength, courage and genuine commitment of our leaders to the welfare of our nation state and all of the people. As we look at the situation in Guyana where some folks are concerned about our relations with China, the people, all the people, should say to our leaders be brave, and make it clear that no external force should dictate to us who we should be friendly with. If we allow this or even the perception of such an attitude, it will be a betrayal of the Golden Arrowhead and the sanctity of our soul. We all love our big brother, but we are all now grown up.

Unfortunately, over the last century we have seen steps by leaders, of sheer stupidity. Why did Adolf Hitler attack Stalingrad in July 1942, exhausting his military, leading to his downfall? Why did the Trojans not perceive a Greek trick when they hauled that suspicious looking horse within there city fortress? Why did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbour in December 1941, drawing the Americans into the war and leading to their defeat?

In Guyana today we must be bold, be wise, and reject every effort at subtle recolonisation. On a personal level, I thank God for my mother who weaned me on the mantra, that I should be fearless and that big bad bullies can be beaten.

Sincerely,
Elder Hamilton Green

References

The Non-Aligned Movement and the Cold War, 1961–1973 — direct.mit.edu ↩
Contemplating ’72: the origins and significance of CARIFESTA - Stabroek News — www.stabroeknews.com ↩

Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech, Fulton, MO

www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org

America’s National Churchill Museum | Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech, Fulton, MO 573-592-5369 (5735925369) # The Sinews of Peace, 1946 > "It is a solemn moment for the American Democracy. For with primacy in power is also joined an awe-inspiring accountability to the future" – Winston Churchill, "The Sinews of Peace" ('Iron Curtain' Speech). ... On March 5, 1946, the presence of Winston Churchill and President Harry Truman turned a college gymnasium in a small Midwestern town into a world stage as Churchill delivered his most famous post- World War II address — "The Sinews of Peace." ... That Churchill and Truman would travel to Fulton, Missouri, is a story of a college president with the boldness to ask for the seemingly impossible; of a Westminster College alumnus with access to the President of the United States; of a President of the United States with the willingness to endorse the invitation; and of a recently defeated British Prime Minister with the shrewdness to recognize an opportunity. ... Listen to the full radio broadcast of the speech with introductions by Westminster President Dr. Franc L. McCluer and U.S. President Harry S. Truman ### "The Sinews of Peace" (Iron Curtain Speech) ... I am glad to come to Westminster College this afternoon, and am complimented that you should give me a degree. The name "Westminster" is somehow familiar to me. I seem to have heard of it before. Indeed, it was at Westminster that I received a very large part of my education in politics, dialectic, rhetoric, and one or two other things. In fact we have both been educated at the same, or similar, or, at any rate, kindred establishments ... The United States stands at this time at the pinnacle of world power. It is a solemn moment for the American Democracy. For with primacy in power is also joined an awe-inspiring accountability to the future. If you look around you, you must feel not only the sense of duty done but also you must feel anxiety lest you fall below the level of achievement. ... This can only be achieved by reaching now, in 1946, a good understanding on all points with Russia under the general authority of the United Nations Organization and by the maintenance of that good understanding through many peaceful years, by the world instrument, supported by the whole strength of the English-speaking world and all its connections. There is the solution which I respectfully offer to you in this Address to which I have given the title "The Sinews of Peace." ... Winston Churchill 5 March 1946 Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri > “Leave the past to history especially as I propose to write that history myself.” Westminster College | 501 Westminster Avenue | Fulton, Missouri 65251-1299 | 573.592.5369

Source

Reject every effort at subtle recolonisation in Kaieteur News, September 5, 2026

The Non-Aligned Movement and the Cold War, 1961–1973

direct.mit.edu · 2016-10-01

The Non-Aligned Movement and the Cold War, 1961–1973 | Journal of Cold War Studies | MIT Press Skip to Main Content Skip Nav Destination Close navigation menu Article navigation Volume 18, Issue 4 Fall 2016 - Next Article - Previous Article - SubscribeOpen External Link Article Contents Abstract Article Navigation October 01 2016 # The Non-Aligned Movement and the Cold War, 1961–1973 Unavailable Lorenz M. Lüthi Lorenz M. Lüthi Lorenz M. Lüthi is an associate professor of the history of international relations at McGill University Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Author and Article Information Lorenz M. Lüthi Lorenz M. Lüthi is an associate professor of the history of international relations at McGill University Online ISSN: 1531-3298 Print ISSN: 1520-3972 Journal of Cold War Studies (2016) 18 (4): 98–147. https://doi.org/10.1162/JCWS_a_00682 ## Abstract The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) tried to transcend the Cold War, but the NAM ended up as one of the Cold War's chief victims. During the movement's first dozen years (1961–1973), four Cold War developments shaped its agenda and political orientation. East Germany's attempt to manipulate it started with the so-called construction of the Berlin Wall less than a month before the first NAM conference in Belgrade. Nuclear disarmament issues imposed themselves the day before that conference, with Nikita Khrushchev's sudden announcement that the USSR would resume nuclear testing. The war in the Middle East in June 1967 brought the NAM close to an association with the Soviet bloc—at least until the Soviet intervention in Czechoslovakia the following year. Finally, the overthrow of Cambodia's Prince Sihanouk in 1970 split the movement over the question of that country's standing. The NAM again moved closer to the Soviet camp once the movement decided in 1972 to award representation both to the exiled Sihanouk, who lived in Communist China and was allied to Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge, and to the Communist insurgents in South Vietnam. Issue Section: Articles You do not currently have access to this content. ## Sign in Don't already have an account? Register ### Client Account You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again. Email address / Username ? Password Could not validate captcha. Please try again. Sign In Reset password Register ### Sign in via your Institution Sign in via your Institution Buy This Article This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only Sign In or Create an Account Close Modal Close Modal

Contemplating ’72: the origins and significance of CARIFESTA - Stabroek News

www.stabroeknews.com · 2008-08-19

Forbes Burnham opening Carifesta ’72 in Georgetown ... That its genesis lay in the vision of Forbes Burnham is a historical fact. It was, too, the product of outstanding visionary contemplation, a truism acknowledged by Gordon Rohlehr, one of the foremost creative intellects of the region during his singularly brilliant address – “Trophy and Catastrophe” – at Turkeyen at the prize-giving ceremony for the 1987 Guyana Prize For Literature. ... What is perhaps equally pertinent about the birth of CARIFESTA was that it coincided with a time of high ideals in a region that had begun to embark on a search for the threads that bound them together. The spirit, the enthusiasm and the energy that informed that search were patently present in the magnificence of the inaugural cultural coming together in August 1972. ... Six years earlier, in 1966, Burnham had articulated his vision to a Writers and Artists Conference held in Georgetown to mark Guyana’s independence. ... Burnham envisaged a cultural festival that would embrace the art forms imported into the Caribbean by the people who came – from far-flung lands with their music, their theatre, their folklore, their dance, their literature and their art. ... By the time the writers and artists met – again in Georgetown – in 1970 the makings of CARIFESTA had already taken shape in discourses among creative people across the region and in the unrelenting enthusiasm for a regional cultural festival that was evident at the levels of both government and people in Guyana, despite the compelling distraction of a challenging political climate. ... The creation of a CARIFESTA Secretariat in Georgetown marked the start of what was to be lavish preparations by Guyana, to play host to the rest of the region. A Caribbean-wide competition yielded an altogether appropriate symbol – a hand, painted brown, grasping the sun in a secure yet delicate embrace, typifying in its symbolism the creative man of the tropics seeking to fulfill a destiny. The image was the work of Billy Ryan Associates of Antigua and was selected from amongst entries submitted by artists from across the region. ... On the opening day of the CARIFESTA ’72 a postage stamp bearing the symbol was released here in Georgetown. ... Twenty seven Caribbean and Latin American countries brought their creative accoutrements to Georgetown in August 1972 to fashion cultural tapestry, a fitting follow-up to the earlier realization of another facet of the history of the Caribbean Archipelago – political independence, In that sense, CARIFESTA was – perhaps above all else – a collective celebration of the removal of the once dominant culture, the colonial culture, and the beginning of a fostering of a culture of our own. CARIFESTA, in that context, was a psychologically liberating festival.