Respecting each other's religions
Editorial
One of the many challenges that multi-ethnic societies like Guyana face is acculturating each and every group to the customs, beliefs and religions of all the others. It is only through this painstaking journey of discovery and understanding that we can ever begin to fully understand each other and appreciate why distinctive groups are the way they are. It is only through this process that we can break down barriers between groups and deconstruct faulty preconceived notions and prejudices born of ignorance and disinterest in the lives of others. It is only in this way that a genuine respect for each other as equal citizens with different identities can be nurtured and the only pathway to grappling with the mostly subsurface racial tension. Immersing one's self in the rudiments of the lives of each distinctive group is the only way in which we can really know each other and this is increasingly being seen in multi-ethnic societies as a means of lessening the scope for racial tension to escalate during potential flash-points such as elections and other ethnically-sensitive issues. Ideally this detailed learning of the lives of all those in this rich mosaic that is Guyana should have its foundation in our schools and be honed through a lifetime of learning at the workplace, in community interactions, temples/churches/mosques etc. A lot of damage can be done to ethnic relations in the way that we respond or not respond to each other's religions. Moreover, sometimes the responses show how little we know about each other, how little we are willing to learn and how insensitive we can be. A case in point is the furore caused by the scheduling of an event at Parika billed as the Miss Deepavali Pageant Fashion Show and Dance on October 26 organised by Body & Plastic Promotion and Miceman & Piggy. Flyers for the event depict women in various states of undress and lewd poses and advertises the "most x-rated girls" and a Banks Beer Happy Hour. Ordinarily, shows of this kind would pass without a murmur. The difference this time is it is being held on a sacred day in the Hindu calendar, Deepavali - The festival of lights and moreover the promoters have imported the term Deepavali in the advertising of this `wine down' event when no possibility of a nexus exists. The staging of the dance has been condemned by a number of Hindu organisations including the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha and the Radha Krishna Mandir. The dance is grossly insensitive and defiles what will be a very important day for Hindus. It is akin to running off this event on Good Friday or Eid-ul-Fitr. Do the promoters know anything at all about Deepavali? This dance should definitely not be held on October 26. Key dates on the calendars of the main religions should be borne in mind when these events are scheduled and this unfortunate collision of a dance with an important religious celebration could provide the opening for a national advisory group on matters of this type. We all have to show greater sensitivity and respect to each other's religions, customs and beliefs. Unfortunate remarks about two Rastafarians in the Mohamed Shafeek death case demonstrated how carefree even high officials could be in referring to people of other religious persuasions. With more education and a determined willingness for cross-ethnic and cross-cultural learning there can be great strides in easing the inter-group tensions that arise periodically. It would certainly eliminate irritants like the coinciding of the dance and Deepavali.
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