Marlon Sansculotte - GSA student: 'I don't feel we are emancipated... They should say rather that we have been physically emancipated since individuals are still suffering under certain pressures. Most of these in my view are politically related. What we need is black empowerment to make us stronger apart from standing up for our rights. About 35% of the persons in prison are possibly innocent and are there mainly as a result of ignorance or circumstance so how could there be claims that we as a nation have been fully emancipated when we are still having our minds dominated by other forces?'

Elvis Jackson - GSA student: 'I see emancipation as enabling persons to teach more love to each other. Everyone will benefit if we all come together once there is the ability of sidestepping petty differences.Political differences are causing a lot of uneasiness in society. It is only by getting rid of the politicians who are causing much strife, along with an equal distribution of wealth in the country, that all the peoples will be truly emancipated.'

Sheik Dinool - vendor: 'Emancipation day for me is good. It is a way of reflecting on the suffering of our forefathers who made a lot of sacrifices to ensure that we enjoy a better life. Thus once we continue to fight among ourselves we will not make any progress since our forefathers never fought each other, rather they resided in unity directing their attention to confronting the colonial masters... It is my hope that our political leaders could take a leaf out of our forefathers' book which charted a history of struggle that left us a legacy that we need to follow... Thus while the early purchasers of villages concentrated on developing the land, they did not seek to encourage their children to do the same. Although emancipation has been achieved physically it still exists mentally and it is not being helped by the situation. The two parties need to get together to help secure mental emancipation.'

Carla Drakes - housewife: 'I think emancipation is about black children knowing their roots to help them to know what allowed [the events of the past] to occur. This apart they need urgently to identify their cultures since it would help to develop a sense of pride in something that is typically ours. Other groups don't understand our culture, causing a degree of ignorance to be attached to it. What is needed is people coming together to learn more about themselves. More especially black youths need to engage in more activities to stimulate their education on the path of their forefathers.'

Michael Harper - Pastor: 'A lot of the culture has been lost over the years especially the children's games that used to be a hit in the old days. We need a revitalisation of the lost art forms as a means of helping persons to see how things were developed over the years. If we forget the past, we will only focus on what we see now, and not allow the children especially to benefit from the knowledge of the past. We have to get persons to reintroduce these things just like is the case with the foods and other things. We need ideas to be developed to enable preservation of our rich culture. Guyanese don't like to look back on roots, hence culture is lost leading to less creativity in the minds to give a pattern of development from the bottom to the top. Emancipation plays an important role to believers in Christ. Not only on the physical but also on the spiritual level.'

Melissa `Safiya' Varswyk - ACDA member: 'Emancipation is the time for looking back on how our ancestors fought for us to be free and on that note try to use this freedom to express what an African Guyanese is expected to do today. It also gives me that strength to know that once my foreparents could have successfully fought for what they believe in, I can do the same and make all my hopes and aspirations become a reality. I also believe that we are still being afflicted by mental slavery due in the main to our own parents binding us and taking away the ability to learn culture. They forgot their traditions including the need to pass them on to the younger members of society. We are destroying ourselves as we become more eurocentric, which leads to us continuing to suffer mental slavery. We take on their culture whom we stated we were enslaved under. We have to work towards getting back to our roots with parents playing a critical role in edifying their children.'

Vonetta April - ACDA member: 'Emancipation from my outlook is not a waste of time since it helps me to remember what my foreparents went through to get freedom. On the issue of freedom while I consider myself physically free I am still mentally a slave since I do not know where we came from and was not interested in knowing. This attitude was determined by how we were brought up in an environment which was against promoting the implanting of knowledge as to where we came from, etc. My decision to engage in ideology classes at the African Cultural Development Association (ACDA), has helped to develop my mind on several issues relating to culture and heritage and this could be of help to others. The sessions involve lectures and facilitation which allows all persons to freely express themselves and disagree with things.'