By Clifford Stanley
Descendants of former slave Cudjoe McPherson and residents of Lichfield Village in Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice) on Saturday held a celebratory ceremony to mark the anniversary of the purchase of the village by their ancestor 180 years ago.
The celebration was held in the compound of the primary school next to the historic St Judes Anglican Church.
The event, spiced with cultural presentations and was chaired by Cudjoe’s descendant Attorney at Law Darren Wade.
On the formal side, speakers included Guest speaker Mr Vincent Alexander, village historian Cecil Semple , prominent resident Mr Edington Tappin (DSM) Parish Priest Rev Amsterdam and a youthful descendant Ms Monifa D’Aguiar.
A special guest at the occasion was the village centenarian Mr. J B Layne who is 104 years old and counting.
JB as he is fondly called was as sprightly as ever and walked from his home in another part of the village to the venue to be part of the ceremony.
Other prominent descendants who participated included Veteran Trades Unionist Lincoln Lewis and former Member of Parliament Ms. Jennifer Wade.
The former enslaved Cudjoe McPherson purchased the village of Lichfield in 1839 and Kingelly in 1851.
The transport for Lichfield was passed in 1840.
Alexander told the audience that he saw the occasion as a celebration not only of the achievements of former enslaved Cudjoe McPherson but as a celebration of the fore-parents of people of African origins and what they had done to elevate their descendants this far.
He said: “In a short period of four years Cudjoe McPherson saved enough money to buy Lichfield and then Kingelly. What Cudjoe MCPherson did was not magic. He had the knowledge to get this done.”
“So that is the heritage of the former slave. We people of African origin have to know, have to understand what our heritage is and what potential there is within us for us to demand recognition; for us to pursue development and for us to demand justice,” he said.
“We have traditions that we can use as we attempt to ensure that we preserve the positives of our heritage and that we also incorporate the positives of the world.”
He said: “ We need to understand as a people who we are and what we have done and to be able to stand up to those who would want to say otherwise and that is how we will get our recognition; that is how we will get justice and that is how we will get development.”
Mr Cecil Semple gave a lively history of the village including the history of the St Jude’s Anglican Church and the provided numerous anecdotes on the lives of past male and female residents of the village who he described as men and women of “no mean order.”
He said that he is to this date proud to introduce himself as a resident of Lichfield: The capital village of civilized West Coast Berbice.
He urged the youths present, as he said, aged up to 50, to take up the mantle of leadership on at least one challenge ie: to construct a community center as a meeting place for the village.
The ceremony included the laying of wreaths in honor of ancestors and unveiling of a plaque honoring Cudjoe McPherson at his burial site which was done by Mr Lincoln Lewis and another McPherson descendant Sister Alice Linton.
The last such celebration was held on November 14th 2015 for the 175th anniversary of the purchase of the village. (END).
