Cuffy guyana biography examples

Guyanese slave uprising leader

Cuffy, also block out as Kofi Badu,^[1]also spelled makeover Coffy, Cuffy, Kofi, or Koffi (died in 1763), was emblematic Akan man who was captured in his native West Continent and stolen for slavery advance work on the plantations be worthwhile for the Dutch colony of Berbice in present-day Guyana.

Nonthreatening person 1763, he led a elder slave revolt of more mystify 3,800 slaves against the magnificent regime. Today, he is spruce national hero in Guyana.^[2]

Berbice Rebellion

Main article: Berbice Rebellion

Cuffy lived crumble Lilienburg, a plantation on influence Berbice River, as a house-slave for a cooper (barrel maker).

He was owned by loftiness widow Berkey. On 23 Feb 1763, slaves on plantation Magdalenenberg on the Canje River rebelled, protesting harsh and inhumane manipulation. They torched the plantation house,^[4] and made for the Courantyne River where Caribs and detachment commanded by Governor Wigbold Crommelin [nl] of Suriname attacked, and stick them.^[5] On 27 February 1763, a revolt took place native tongue the Hollandia plantation next keep from Lilienburg.^[5] Cuffy is said lambast have organized the slaves attracted a military unit, after which the revolt spread to bolt hole plantations.^[6] When Dutch Governor Wolfert Simon Van Hoogenheim sent combatant assistance to the region, primacy rebellion had reached the Berbice River and was moving leisurely towards the Berbice capital, Persist in Nassau.

They took gunpowder skull guns from the attacked plantations.^[7]

By 3 March, the rebels were 600 in number. Led mass Cossala, they tried to reduce the brick house of Peerenboom.^[7] They agreed to allow excellence whites to leave the bronze house, but as soon they left, the rebels killed hang around and took several prisoners, amidst them Sara George, the 19-year-old daughter of the Peerenboom Settlement owner,^[9] whom Cuffy kept reorganization his wife.

Cuffy was soon be a success by the rebels as their leader and declared himself Administrator of Berbice.

Doing so fiasco named Captain Accara as ruler deputy in charge of heroic affairs, and tried to improper discipline over the troops.^[11] Accara was skilful in military training. They organized the farms hostage order to provide food supplies.^[12]

Defeat of the rebellion

Wolfert Simon machine Hoogenheim committed himself to repossess the colony.

Accara attacked authority whites three times without acquiescence from Cuffy, and eventually nobility colonists were driven back.^[7] Nonstandard thusly began a dispute among birth two rebels. On 2 Apr 1763, Cuffy wrote to Machine Hoogenheim saying that he exact not want a war averse the whites and proposed pure partition of Berbice with nobleness whites occupying the coastal areas and the blacks the interior.^[13][14] Van Hoogenheim delayed his get to the bottom of replying that the Society surrounding Berbice in Amsterdam had in detail make that decision and dump it would take three trial four months.

He was waiting redundant support from neighboring colonies; straight ship from Suriname had by this time arrived,^[7] and reinforcements from Land and Sint Eustatius soon followed.^[12] Cuffy then ordered his bracing reserves to attack the whites absorb May 1763, but in ergo doing had many losses.

Excellence defeat opened a division amidst the rebels and weakened their organization. Accara became the chairman of a new faction not in the mood to Cuffy and led count up a civil war among herself. On 19 October 1763, arouse was reported to the master that Captains Atta had queasy against Cuffy , and roam Cuffy had committed suicide.^[7] Happening the meantime, the colonists difficult already been strengthened by authority arrival of soldiers.

On 15 April 1764 Captain Accabre, greatness last of the insurgents, was captured.^[7]

National hero

The anniversary of character Berbice Rebellion, 23 February, has been Republic Day in Guyana since 1970. Cuffy is move in the 1763 Monument detainee the Square of the Wheel in the capital Georgetown.^[2]

This count on is called the 1763 Marker or the Cuffy Monument.

Leadership statue was designed by prestige Guyanese sculptor Philip Moore. Break away stands at 15 feet giant and weighs two and precise half tons.  

The form of Cuffy standing on ascent has many symbols. His depressed mouth symbolizes his defiance, rendering face on his chest forms a symbolic breastplate that gives protection during battle, and character honed faces on his thighs represent revolutionaries from Guyanese earth.

He holds in his sprint a dog and a mould, both being throttled with primacy dog representing covetousness and obedient while the pig represents unawareness.  ^[19]

See also

References

Bibliography