Demerara Revolt “tipped the scales of history” in favour of freedom – Pres Ali

Marking two centuries since the 1823 Demerara Revolt, President Dr Irfaan Ali has acknowledged that this anniversary sends a strong reminder of Guyana’s history, built on heroic resistance and the struggle against inhumanity.
He made these remarks at the commemorative ceremony for the Bicentennial Anniversary of the 1823 Demerara Revolt on Friday afternoon.
“A sombre reminder that our nation’s history involved centuries of heroic resistance and rebellion against the atrocities of colonial rule…The callous, cruel, cold-blooded killings of enslaved Africans and subsequent hangings and beheadings that followed the revolt stand as haunting reminders of the depths of inhumanity that confront our African ancestors,” the Head of State voiced.

The 1823 Demerara Rebellion was the first massive slave uprising in Demerara, British Guiana. It broke out on Monday, August 18, 1823, and involved an estimated 11,000 to 12,000 enslaved people from about 55 plantations on the East Coast of Demerara, from Liliendaal to Mahaica. Starting from Plantation Success and trickling down, it was the largest in Guyana’s history.
Defenceless, many innocent African lives were taken by the colonial masters. More than 200 died before the revolt ended, with 72 facing trials and 51 sentenced to death. Some 33 were tragically executed.
This uprising was an attempt by Africans to gain their freedom from an oppressive, authoritarian system that characterised the plantation economy in British Guiana. This year marks the 200th anniversary of this and led to them winning their full emancipation on August 1, 1838.
President Ali added that the history of a free and independent Guyana is built on the sacrifices during the revolt, first from slavery and later, colonial rule.
“The sacrifices of the martyrs of the Demerara Revolt were not in vain. The revolt helped tip the scales of history in favour of freedom. The echoes of the revolt and brutal oppression reached the British Parliament. This triggered reforms which eventually led to first apprenticeship and the formal abolition of slavery. The history of the 1823 Demerara Revolt is now part of our history, who we are as Guyanese and as a nation.”
According to him, the 1823 Monument stands a memorial to those who gave their lives for freedom.
“A grateful nation must never forget those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of freedom. We salute the indomitable spirit of those who dared to lift the forbidden banner of freedom…That freedom was not a privilege that was handed down but it was earned through the blood, sweat and exertion of our ancestors. It is freedom we must never take for granted,” Ali expressed.
Plans for the rebellion began on August 17, 1823 at Plantation Success and was led by Quamina and his son, Jack Gladstone. During the revolt, Quamina called for peace to remain but his pleas fell on deaf ears and the slaves rebelled the following day.
After that day, while the revolt had ended, many of the rebels were hunted and killed. Two hundred of them were beheaded while 16 were lined up to be hanged. Gladstone was sent to St Lucia and Quamina was traced and killed in September, 1823. (G12)