Search roots for justice

“We need to go back to our roots to find the thread of justice, self-determination, assistance and self-confidence that our forefathers used to guide them through slavery and indentureship to the emancipation of body and spirit.”

Alleging that our freedoms, democracy, and the rule of law are under threat, she said we need to now find strength in our beginnings.

“Today it is fitting that we celebrate our inheritance and pass on our legacy, and that we honour our ancestors, even as we pass their values to our children.”

These values, she explained, were constant and eternal. “They speak of sacrifice, of endurance, of solidarity, of resistance then as now and in the future.” She said our diverse peoples have become one people and share common values and one vision and one destiny.

“We therefore face the future with the confidence of having conquered the obstacles of the past, and that certainty of surmounting the challenges of the present. May the spirit of emancipation endure in us all and may God bless our nation.”