East Coast Demerara : A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Presidential Candidate Brigadier (ret) David Granger participated in the start of a week of activities to commemorate the 188th anniversary of the 1823 Demerara Massacre over the weekend.
The series of activities was organised by the PARBAMEL (Paradise Village-Bachelor’s Adventure-Melanie Damishana) Community Development Youth Group. It commemorates the massacre of over 200 enslaved Africans on 20th August 1823 at Pln. Bachelor’s Adventure during the course of the Demerara Revolt.
Brigadier Granger, in his address to the community, related how, according to Professor Winston McGowan, the Revolt that erupted on the East Coast of Demerara on 18th August 1823 was “numerically the most massive slave rebellion in Guyanese history and one of the largest slave revolts in the entire history of the Americas.” It was estimated that about 11,000 to 12,000 enslaved Africans from about 55 plantations between Liliendaal and Mahaica participated in the Revolt.
Granger called on the young people to look towards achieving a better life in the future but implored them not to forget the lessons of the past – particularly the supreme sacrifice of their forefathers in 1
823. The Villagers, at their own expense, erected a Monument to the Demerara Martyrs which stands in front of the Community Centre.
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