ERC: Guyana’s Story Cannot Be Told Without African Heritage

The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) joins the global community and citizens across Guyana  in observing the United Nations (UN) International Day for People of African Descent. The  observance provides an opportunity to recognize the rich heritage, resilience and remarkable  contributions of people of African descent, while reflecting on the important role of African  Guyanese in shaping our history, culture and national identity.

The story of Guyana cannot be told without acknowledging the experiences and contributions of  our African brothers and sisters and their descendants. Enslaved Africans endured the brutal  system of chattel slavery, the denial of fundamental human rights and freedoms, while their labour,  helped build the foundations of the plantation economy and the infrastructure of the country.

Their  history is also one of courage and resistance, from the 1763 Berbice Rebellion led by Cuffy to the  1823 Demerara Revolt. Following Emancipation in 1838, formerly enslaved Africans  demonstrated remarkable determination and enterprise through the Village Movement, acquiring  land and establishing communities that became an important part of Guyana’s social and economic  development.