REDD Letter Days: Entrenching Political Racialization and State Patronage through the Norway-Guyana REDD-Plus Agreement

Abstract

Political racialization has shaped the route to political power in Guyana from the mid-1950s, cementing ethnic insecurity and patronage politics. The 22-year rule of the East Indian-dominated party is threatened by disaffection with corruption and by emigration of its ethnic base. A so-called REDD agreement with Norway in 2009 provides international legitimation and funding to win over indigenous Amerindian voters. REDD illustrates how dispensation of international aid, without robust checks and balances, can maintain and extend entrenched power. The Government enlists the discourse of REDD to advance its project of maintaining networks of power and privilege.

Keywords: Political Racialization, State Patronage, REDD, Guyana, Indigenous Amerindians