Guyana stands at the cusp of its history this August with a series of commemorative events for the Bicentenary of the 1823 Demerara Uprising, testament to the courage and fortitude of nearly 12,000 enslaved peoples during a pivotal point in slave history.
Visitors will be able to view the National Museum of Guyana’s exhibition paying homage to the Demerara Uprising, which will be inaugurated on 25 August 2023 by His Excellency President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali. This landmark exhibition will be enhanced by Council for World Mission (CWM)’s digitalised materials from its archives at School of Oriental Studies (SOAS), London. CWM had responded to the Guyana Reparations Committee and Guyana government’s request, and offered valuable materials that were previously unavailable in Guyana.
The exhibition, deemed an educational, historical and cultural contribution of the Guyana government, will receive news coverage from the well-established BBC and The Economist. It brings to light untold stories of CWM/LMS missionaries who denounced the oppression of plantation owners and were supportive of the resistance efforts and its aftermath.
An intellectual exploration of this significant milestone of the bicentenary will be extended with the International Reparations Conference at University of Guyana on 26 August. Organised by University of Guyana and Guyana Reparations Committee, local and regional scholars will delve into the legacies of slavery and its far-reaching impact.
Guyana Congregational Union (GCU), a CWM member church has taken the meaningful step of producing a video to honour the sacrifices of Quamina and those who struggled for emancipation in the 1823 Uprising. In turn, the Guyana Reparations Committee is assiduously exploring sharing it on Guyana television, preserving the legacies of these heroes for future generations.