Justice and Reparations
Thank you for pausing for a moment of silence on June 13, 2023, at 8:00 p.m., as we reflected and remembered Walter Anthony Rodney (1942-1980). We are grateful for your continued support and solidarity.
Please connect with us on social media, return to our website, and send us your personal reflections on Dr. Walter Rodney.
— The Rodney Family and the Walter Rodney Foundation
In his short life, Dr. Walter Rodney authored more than 10 books and 50 academic articles including A History of the Guyanese Working People (1881-1905) and Guyanese Sugar Plantations in the Late 19th Century. In 1972, Dr. Rodney published his most recognized work, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. His speeches have been documented in works such as The Groundings with My Brothers, Walter Rodney Speaks, People’s Power No Dictator, and One Hundred Years of Development in Africa. Two other works have been published posthumously including The Russian Revolution and Decolonial Marxism. Dr. Rodney remains a person of international stature with awards, monuments, programs, scholarships, and events continuing to be made in his name and honor.
Dr. Walter Anthony Rodney, was 38 years old when he was assassinated on June 13, 1980. He was a co-leader in the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) which organized to challenge the government on its policies and practices that oppressed working people in Guyana. Dr. Rodney was at the forefront of change in Guyana - his message was a new trajectory, aligning and uniting the people of Guyana regardless of race, class, gender, religion, or political ideology.
Dr. Rodney had sourced a walkie-talkie in order for party members to communicate with each other since they were constantly under political attack and physical threat. Unbeknown to Dr. Rodney, the state instructed Gregory Smith, an electronics expert with the Guyana Defense Force (GDF), to outfit the walkie-talkie with a bomb. The bomb that the government placed in the walkie-talkie was detonated and instantly killed Walter Rodney at 8:00 p.m on June 13, 1980. Donald Rodney, who was driving the car, escaped the blast with numerous injuries.
The government propaganda was that Dr. Rodney was going to use the bomb concealed in the walkie-talkie to blow up the Georgetown prison to free prisoners who would then join Dr. Rodney and the WPA in “acts of sabotage”. The Government stated that the bomb went off accidentally but since Walter and Donald Rodney were responsible for the bomb, they were also responsible for their own death and injuries - it was “death by misadventure”.
The Rodney Family and Donald Rodney (living eyewitness and victim of the explosion) opposed this narrative for over 40 years, insisting that Dr. Walter Rodney was killed because he was a direct threat to the existence of the Burnham regime.
A breakthrough was made in 2014 with the appointment of a Presidential Commission of Inquiry (COI) by President Donald Ramotar. The COI was prematurely terminated by the Granger administration when it took power in 2016.
Notwithstanding, the Commissioner’s issued their 2016 COI Report which concluded that Dr. Walter Rodney’s murder was a “conspiracy and collaboration in the killing of Dr. Walter Rodney by, between or among the State officials, the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) and Gregory Smith.” It was “a State-organized assassination with the knowledge of Prime Minister [Forbes] Burnham,” and “an act of violence for political purposes.”
Then, on April 13, 2021, the Guyana Court of Appeal set aside Donald Rodney’s conviction and prison sentence for unlawful possession of explosives, noting that his constitutional rights had been breached as there was no evidence against him at trial, and for other deficiencies, in light of the nearly 40 years it had taken for the appeal to be heard.
On June 10, 2021, the Government of Guyana admitted to a far-reaching state conspiracy that lasted decades. The Government of Guyana admitted that its then PNC government assassinated Dr. Walter Rodney, and also admitted that it had falsely charged and convicted Donald Rodney. The announcement was made by Attorney General Anil Nandlall, on behalf of President of Guyana, His Excellency Irfaan Ali. The government accepted the findings of the 2016 COI Report, issued a formal apology to the Rodney Family, and made a number of commitments to correct the historical record.
Updates
Death Certificate
The official record of Dr. Walter Rodney’s death has been amended by the Registrar General of the Guyana General Register Office to read “Professor” and not unemployed. The family has been provided with a digital copy, with a formal presentation to be made at an agreed time.
Dr. Rodney’s original death certificate has been amended by the Registrar General of the Guyana General Register Office as to his cause of death, which has been changed from “Shock and Haemorrhage, Multiple Injuries to Abdomen & Leg due to explosion” to “Shock and Haemorrhage, Multiple Injuries with Mangling and Disruption of body due to Assassination.” The Rodney Family has been provided with a digital copy of the amended death certificate with a formal presentation to be made at an agreed time.
The Walter Rodney Chair
The Walter Rodney Chair at the University of Guyana has been reestablished, and some funding has been allocated. The family is working with Vice Chancellor Xi of the University of Guyana, and efforts are underway to establish appropriate search criteria and select a suitable Chair.
Commission of Inquiry Records
The records from the 2016 Presidential Commission of Inquiry have been secured by the Ministry of Legal Affairs. The Walter Rodney National Archives will work collaboratively with the Walter Rodney Foundation and the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library in Atlanta, Georgia, which houses the Walter Rodney Papers and Special Collection to digitize the records.
Gravesite and Memorial
The Walter Rodney Gravesite and Memorial in Georgetown, Guyana have officially become national monuments under the National Trust Act. This includes Dr. Rodney’s tomb/resting place in the Le Repentir Cemetery and the Walter Rodney Memorial on Hadfield Street. The transition of formal responsibility to the Guyana National Trust was effective on June 4, 2022. A plaque with this poem written by his elder daughter Kanini Rodney-Phillips is a part of the memorial.
The Judicial Record
The flawed Inquest conducted by the Hoyte administration eight (8) years after Dr. Rodney’s assassination that issued a verdict that Dr. Rodney died by “accident or misadventure” is being set aside and removed as false. This matter has been referred to the Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Guyana Judiciary for resolution.
His Scholarship
To mitigate against the loss of Dr. Rodney’s scholarship to Guyana and to secure his rightful legacy as a national icon, his children’s books Kofi Baadu: Out of Africa and Lakshmi: Out of India have been reproduced by the Rodney Family and the Walter Rodney Foundation (WRF) and digital scans have been provided to the Ministry of Education. The books have been placed on the national syllabus and will be distributed to primary and secondary school children, starting in the 2023-2024 academic year.
Copies of Dr. Rodney’s other works published by Verso Press, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, The Groundings with My Brothers, The Russian Revolution, and Decolonial Marxism, have been donated by the Rodney Family and WRF through Verso Press, and are being made available to the University of Guyana, as well as to national libraries.
Other works will be made available in due course. These include A History of the Guyanese Working People, Guyanese Sugar Plantations in the Late Nineteenth Century, and a Guyana-specific compilation of Rodney’s works.
Donald Rodney & The Family
Donald Rodney has a pending international claim against the Government of Guyana in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and local claims against the National Insurance Scheme and Ministry of Public Works.
The Rodney Family and Donald Rodney have made their request for reparations/compensation known to the Government of Guyana.