Guyana observes 104th anniversary of Rose Hall Estate Martyrs

The lives lost on March 13, 1913, at Rose Hall Estate, Canje, Berbice, were honoured on Wednesday with a wreath-laying and tribute ceremony attended by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, Region Six Chairman David Armogan and descendants of the slain freedom fighters.

The ceremony was also attended by several Government officials including Agriculture Minister Noel Holder; Tourism Minister Cathy Hughes; Junior Education Minister, Dr Karen Cummings; and Social Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton.

On that faithful day, the 15 martyrs were all shot by colonial Police on the high bridge leading to the Estate, because they protested and refused to work on days for which they were granted leave. Harvesting ended on January 27, 1913, and the Administrative Manager told the immigrant workers that they were to clean their surroundings.

On January 28, the Manager reportedly changed his mind and ordered them to go to work because he had some planting to do. Some were inclined while others were dissuaded from following the orders. Seven men were served summonses to attend court. The Manager asked that they pay for the cost of the summons. The workers agreed to pay it in instalments but the Manager rejected the suggestion. The problem escalated from this point.

Among those gathered was Dr Fred Sookdeo, whose grandfather was one of the 14 men and one woman shot. The dead were Badri, 26; Bholay, 33; Durga, 72; Gafur, 27; Jugai, 30; Juggoo, 37; Hulas, 25; Lalji, 45; Motey Khan, 26; Nibur, 75; Roopan, 25; Sadulla, 23; Sarjoo, 21; Sohan, 33; and the lone female, Gobindei, 32.

The Prime Minister noted that the 15 were not even known by a second name. “The names they had was just a tag on the workers who came to these shores to make a living through hard work and were rewarded with death.”

He noted too that their lives did not go down in vain and they were not the only ones in the sugar industry who made the ultimate sacrifice for the betterment of the sugar industry.

On June 16, 1948, five sugar workers were shot in the back and killed by colonial Police at Enmore as they protested for better working conditions.

In 1872, at Devonshire Castle, along the Essequibo Coast; Non Pareil in 1896; Friends in 1903; Lusignan in 1912; Ruimveldt in 1924; Leonora in 1938 and 1964; were dates and placed where sugar workers were killed for standing up for their rights as workers.

“So in paying tribute today to the Rose Hall Martyrs, we must also proclaim that the sacrifices of all other martyrs, all other victims of colonial plantocracy have not been in vain. The history of bitter sugar goes back some 300 years and is linked to colonial imperialist greed and conquest.”

He said March 16, 2017, marks 253 years since 1764 when over 80 African revolutionaries were condemned to death and were executed in horrible ways. Many were burnt to death on slow fire; some were hanged, and others were ripped apart on the rack. Slavery finally ended in 1838, the same year the first batch of East Indians arrived, Prime Minister Nagamootoo reminded.

Also addressing the gathering were the Regional Chairman, Minister Ramjattan and Dr Fred Sookdeo, whose grandfather was one of the 15 martyred.