Professor Thompson speaks of horrors of slavery and desire for freedom - during lecture on 1763 Berbice Slave Revolt
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, performing the duties of President, this evening attended the second of a three-part commemorative lecture series in observance of the 250th anniversary of the 1763 Berbice Slave Revolt at the Umana Yana. The lecture was delivered by Professor Emeritus, Dr. Alvin Thompson.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman and Presidential Advisor on Governance, Gail Teixeira among the attendees of the lecture by Professor Emeritus, Dr. Alvin Thomas at the Umana Yana.
A Guyanese by birth, Dr. Thompson is an internationally reputed historian and is the recipient of several prestigious awards for his many publications and academic work. He is at present Professor Emeritus at the University of the West Indies, where he started as a lecturer in 1972.
In his very emotional presentation, Professor Thompson spoke of the horrors of slavery and the deep-seated desire for freedom that has led people, both geographically and historically, to revolt against oppression. In the case of Berbice, the material and social conditions under which the enslaved people laboured exacerbated this situation.
He also spoke of the inalienable rights of all human beings and the need for Guyanese to objectify the struggles of the past in their national consciousness.
Professor Emeritus, Dr. Alvin Thomas giving the lecture on the 1763 Berbice Uprising at the Umana Yana
Some of Dr Thompson’s works include: Confronting Slavery: breaking through the corridors of silence, Colonialism and underdevelopment in Guyana-1580-1803, Brethren of the Bush: a study of runaways and bush-negroes in Guyana- 1750-1814; Some problems of slave desertion in Guyana- 1750-1814, Unprofitable servants: crown slaves in Berbice, Guyana- 1803- 1831, and Aspects of Dutch Administration in Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice.
Tomorrow, the Ministry will be launching a book that was written on the 1763 revolt. Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony said that a special exhibition will also be staged at the National Museum.
This exhibition will subsequently be taken across the country to give citizens an opportunity to be a part of the observances in commemoration of this historic milestone.
The Ministry has contacted UNESCO Paris, and has garnered their support for the hosting of an exhibition on slavery later this year. This exhibition was first put together in 2008 by the Liverpool Museum but was later dismantled and handed over to UNESCO.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony delivering remarks at the lecture on the 1763 Berbice Uprising at Umana Yana
“This will give us a broader perspective on the whole issue of slavery and how dehumanising it was,” Minister Anthony said.
The Culture Ministry will be doing a lot of work on the 1763 monument site, including mapping and placing of historical markers. Additionally, the Ministry is working with the Bank of Guyana and the Guyana Post Office (GPO) Corporation to launch a commemorative coin and stamp.
The final part of this lecture series will be held on February 28 titled ‘United in anger, united in war: gender and slavery in Caribbean History’ and will be done by Professor Verene Shepherd.
The first was delivered by Professor Hilary Beckles of Barbados titled “Britain’s Black Debt: reparations owed the Caribbean for Slavery and Indigenous Genocide’. In his presentation Dr. Beckles examined the damage done and wealth created through slavery over the years, particularly by Imperial Britain.
The Mona Campus, University of the West Indies Researcher issued a call for Caricom to begin efforts aimed at seeking some form of reparation from Western countries for slavery. He pointed out that reparation is not about persons getting handouts, but about repairing historical damage and how to find a way forward.