The Africans arrive in Essequibo

The date of the first arrival of African slaves to Novo Zeelandia (later called Essequibo, British Guiana) is not exactly known, but some historians believe the Dutch were the first to bring West African slaves to work on the expanding plantations during 1658. These early Dutch plantations were mainly on the Essequibo coast. In 1665, Essequibo was taken by the British and then by the French, and regained by the Dutch in 1666. In 1831, the British were able to unite Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice to be called British Guiana under one government. During the trip from Africa, the slaves were usually chained and placed in cramped quarters. Once the slaves arrive at various coastal ports, they were assembled and auctioned off to the various plantation owners. These owners would conduct a detailed inspection by subjecting the individuals to an almost naked body check-up. Complete families were on the auction block and usually there was no desire to keep family units and frienships together. This practice also enabled the "divide and rule" practice that minimized threats associated with rebellion. The diverse groups that were now on each plantation necessitated a common language between the owners and the slaves, and so language forms such as Creole-Dutch and later Creole-English emerged on the plantations. Religions and beliefs from the motherland were also forbidden and Christian missionaries were introduced on the plantations to preach a Christian message. Once settled into the work environment, Africans were stratified into various categories of work such as field workers, sugar factory workers, and skilled artisans such as carpenters, masons, etc. Slave homes were made of earth and thatched roofs, standard clothing was provided, and a kitchen garden supplemented food and sustenance received from their daily meals. The work hours were from sunrise to 8:00pm with a one-hour break at midday. Flogging and other forms of punishment were a common occurrence. Conditions on these plantations were brutal and the owners collaborated with the Amerindians to help re-capture any runaway slaves. The situation came to a head on 23rd February 1763 with the Berbice uprising lead by Cuffy, Atta, Accara and Accabre. The Demerara Revolution of 1823 lead by Quamina Gladstone from Success Plantation was also another milestone on the road to the emancipation of the African slaves. On 1st August 1834, slavery was abolished in British Guiana and the plantation owners received compensation for the loss of slave labour. Afterwards, the British used "new Africans" from Africa as immigrants to work on the sugar plantations, and some freed slaves from other countries such as the USA were also allowed to migrate to British Guiana to work as immigrants. In addition, other groups of people such as the Portuguese, East Indians and Chinese were brought to the British Guiana plantations to supplement the workforce. The images show scenes from the initial African experience in Essequibo.

Image 01 - Africans boarding the slave ships forcefully (undated).

Image 02 - African male being physically examined to determine health condition (undated).

Image 03 - Auction of the Africans in progress (undated).

Image 04 - Branding Africans to establish ownership (undated).

Image 05 - Africans who came to British Guiana as immigrants post-emancipation (1870).

Sources

[Image 01] - Atlantic Black Star, undated.
[Image 02] - Atlantic Black Star, undated.
[Image 03] - Atlantic Black Star, undated.
[Image 04] - Unknown.
[Image 05] - UK National Archives, 1870.


Bibliography

• Facts about slavery in Guyana, Atlanta Black Star.