Book launched on Berbice Uprising 1763 – suitable for Caribbean classrooms
The Berbice Uprising 1763, a 135- page publication which has been in the making for many years was this evening launched amidst commendation that it is an outstanding piece for work.
Minister of Culture Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony said he welcomed the book and noted that the intended audience would find it very useful. “It is very easy to read and that’s something that has been missing in a lot of text books.” He said that a decision has been made, with the printer Caribbean Press, to have the book available at the National Library and schools with some being made available to Austin’s Book Store in Georgetown.
The Publication- ‘The Berbice Uprising 1763’
The book, the Minister said, will be added to the list of the Guyana Classics which now number 38.
Professor Emeritus Dr Alvin Thompson in giving a brief review of the book said that though many other books were written on the subject of the Caribbean’s first slave revolt, none were designed specifically as classroom texts. He described the publication as, “a workable book for the layman who wanted to know what happened in Berbice and the implications for slavery further afield”.
Author of ‘The Berbice Uprising 1763’ Anna Benjamin (who penned the book under her maiden name ) shakes Minister of Culture Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony’s hand after presenting him a copy of her book
The professor, who hails from the History and Philosophy Department of the University of the West Indies, hailed the book as, “an outstanding and significant work as it is based on careful research from published and unpublished sources, a work that deserves a place on book shelves and in schools.”
Patrons at the launch of ‘The Berbice Uprising 1763’ waiting to purchase the publication
Author Anna Benjamin, who published the book under her maiden name A.J. Mc R Cameron said it was commissioned 20 years ago by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) as a school text for students studying the Resistance and Revolt theme on the CXC History Examination syllabus. It was never published by the Council owing to a lack of funding.
A section of the gathering that included members of the Diplomatic Corps and Foreign Affairs Minister (ag) Robeson Benn at the launch of the ‘The Berbice Uprising 1763’
Tailored as the material has been for classroom purposes, full citations of sources have not been included except in the case of the documentary extracts, as well as in those instances where modern secondary sources have been relied upon – namely, Ineke Velzing and Monica Schuler.
She thanked Ian Mc Donald and Professor David Dabydeen for assisting her to finally get her work published along with the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport for its support.