President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has called on Guyanese to honour the sacrifices of their African ancestors by recommitting to unity, equality and shared prosperity as the nation observes Emancipation Day 2026.
In his Emancipation Day message, the president paid tribute to the “resistance, resolve, resourcefulness and resilience” of African ancestors who endured the horrors of the transatlantic trade in captive Africans and slavery, while never surrendering their dignity or desire for freedom.
The president said that following emancipation, African Guyanese transformed their circumstances through the village movement, education, entrepreneurship, agriculture, mining, sports, the arts and public service, laying the foundation for modern Guyana.
“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,” President Ali stated.
He encouraged all Guyanese to continue building “a Guyana that is truly free, truly prosperous, and just for every man, woman, and child,” while calling on the nation to let the sacrifices of its ancestors inspire renewed commitment to peace, freedom and national unity.