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The 1763 African Slave Revolt in Berbice (1471 hits)

The 1763 Monument in the heart of Georgetown is a fitting tribute to the African slave Cuffy and the history of the proud Afro-Guyanese people. Cuffy lead the 1763 Slave Revolt on 23 February, 1763 from his base at Plantation Lilienburg, along with his deputy Akara. Cuffy's army of African slaves overthrew the Berbice governor van Hoogenheim and Cuffy ruled as the Governor of Berbice.
At the start of the revolt in February 1763, Cuffy and his army attacked and captured plantations Magdalenenburg, Juliana, Mon Repos, Essendam, Lilienburg, Elizabeth and Alexandra, Hollandia and Zeelandia before moving on Fort Nassua. Peerboom was attacked and captured on 3 March 1763 before Cuffy and his men plotted their ultimate battle for Fort Nassau. However, his deputy Akara led unauthorised attacks on Dageraad. General Akara's attacks on Dageraad came at a time when the European reinforcements were already in place and the African slave army sufferred crippling defeats. With the African slave army crippled by the defeats at Dageraad, the European reinforcements for Barbados and elsewhere soon recaptured Berbice.
On 26 May 1966, two hundred years after Cuffy's leadership of the 1763 Berbice African Slave Revolt, Guyana achieved its independence from Britain led by another proud and remarkable Afro-Guyanese Mr Forbes Burnham leader and Cabaca of the Peoples National Congress - PNC.