Category: HISTORY

The various European nations which had engaged in the search for Guiana, all after its discovery, struggled to make settlements in the land and to possess it. The degree of success which attended the efforts of each was various and not always proportionate to the success which had attended the endeavour of each to discover. No nation had sought more eagerly for Guiana than had Spain; and, alone of the competing nations, Spain had no success in colonizing the discovered land on the southern side of the Orinoco. France too…

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The discovery and colonization of Guyana, or “Guiana” as it was formerly spelled, had its genesis at the beginning of the 16th century in the European search for treasure, rumoured to be bountiful in the New World. While Christopher Columbus had explored sections of then unchartered territories believing he had reached parts of Old World Asia, later explorers realised they were in fact in New World territories. Returning from these journeys, the travellers told stories of strange, advanced civilizations and their immense wealth. Ships returning from these lands were often…

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It is said that the Guianas are considered the first to plant coffee on the continent of South America, with the Dutch introducing it on their Guiana territories before the French and later British. According to some accounts, the Guianas were the first territories in the New World to cultivate and export coffee. George Hanneman Bennett in his book, “An Illustrated History of British Guiana” wrote that coffee was cultivated on the colony since 1721 after it was introduced from what is now Surinam.  Inland and coastland plantations were laid…

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By C. P. De Freitas C. P. De Freitas was a member of the British Commission who, along with a Brazilian Commission, was authorised to survey and demarcate the British Guiana and Brazil boundary. De Freitas and group journeyed up the Essequibo River, reaching places that included the Potaro/Kaieteur and Roraima regions, Ireng River and the Mazaruni region, while meeting local indigenous communities, establishing field stations and surveying areas along the way. The Oct 1943 St Stanislaus College magazine published his writings about the expedition. Here is an excerpt from…

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Deconstructing the Victoria Amazonica (Victoria Regia)  or the Giant water lily In light of the beauty and distinctiveness of the Victoria Amazonica, and its reputation as one of the world’s largest plants – it is said also to have been the inspiration for the architect of the Crystal Palace in London – the flower was adopted as Guyana’s national flower when the country gained its independence. It can also be found on the shield of the country’s coat of arms, and is said to represent the rare and illustrious plant,…

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When Britain declared war against Germany in Sept 1939, many Guianese, including women, volunteered in the war effort. British Guianese men joined the British Caribbean Forces that comprised Caribbean colonial citizens, and served in the Royal Air Force and the British Navy as well. Celebrated Guyanese author ER Braithwaite was among the British Guiana volunteers, and served as fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force. In the colony itself, a voluntary Civil Defence Organisation was established, and locations leased to the U.S. Army. By the time the Americans entered the…

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The most famous slave uprising in Guyana was the Berbice uprising, which began in February 1763. On two plantations on the Canje River in Berbice, African slaves rebelled, taking control of the region. As plantation after plantation fell to the slaves, the European population fled; eventually only half of the Caucasians who had lived in the colony remained. Led by Kofi (now the national hero of Guyana), an Akan man from West Africa, the African freedom fighters came to number about 3000 and threatened European control over Guiana. The rebelling…

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As we today go about our daily chores and routines, so too did the people who came before us in an era vastly different in many ways for our times. Past newspapers and gazettes are some of the earliest records of history that today are all that are left to offer us a glimpse of early Guyana. This week, Sunday Times magazine provides a look at the notices printed in the Essequebo and Demerary Royal Gazette just over 200 years ago that reflect our lives today in some ways, highlight…

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Guyana stamps depicting notable Guyanese sportspersons, poets, musicians and statesmen, entertainers and presidents, among others, are one way we honour our distinguished personalities today.           But before independence from Britain, no local persons were featured on British Guiana stamps; instead, early stamps of local focus featured the colony seal with a ship. In 1898, stamps showing Mt Roraima and Kaieteur Falls were first printed. Later, portraits of British monarchs appeared – first with ships then, by 1931, with local industries, (sugar, rice, timber, bauxite and gold…

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Guyana’s architectural heritage Guyana’s historic architecture is well-known from its well maintained – and not-so-well maintained – wooden buildings such as the Walter Roth Museum, City Hall, Cara Lodge, State House and D’Argan House, to name a few. With the exception of City Hall and State House, all were once private dwellings of the country’s past elite inhabitants. But Guyana’s timber architecture heritage can also be seen in the many smaller and poorer homes in urban and rural areas; albeit less and less – with today’s changing tastes, lack of…

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