The land of six peoples - AFRICANS
Afro-Guyanese are refered to as "Africans" or sometimes as "Creoles".
They have their roots in the modern day African countries of Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroun.
Unlike the other groups who went to Guyana they did not arrive by choice but were taken as slaves by Dutch and British traders.
The majority of African slaves were followers of various Animist beliefs such as Obeah which they retained in the Caribbean despite adopting Christianity, smaller numbers were also Muslims.
They were made up of various tribes and linguistic groups but were united by their shared beliefs and culture.
The first Africans arrived in Guyana in 1640 on Dutch slave ships bound for the Dutch sugar plantations in Essequibo.
Many anti-slavery campaigners known as Abolitionists such as William Wilberforce and Sir Thomas Buxton called for the complete emancipation of slaves.
Although slavery was finally abolished in 1834 many had to continue to work on the sugar plantations under the Apprentice scheme which ended in 1838.
Africans then began to make use of their newly found freedom and many left the plantations for the towns and cities where they still form the majority of the population today.
Others got together and pooled their monies and then purchased former plantations and turned them into villages which are today found along the coast, mostly in Demerara.
Written by Jonathan Budhram
To learn more about your African Heritage/History and to start your research, try the following links:
Also see the sources page for links related to the Genealogical research of Africans.African Heritage in Guyana
The African Holocaust
African slavery
Trans-atlantic Slave Trade Database
