Can you remember Vanceram, when Guyana made stoneware?

In 1982, Vanceram Tableware Factory, a limited liability company owned by the Women’s Revolutionary Socialist Movement (WRSM) launched the ambitious venture of manufacturing and selling stoneware, using Guyana’s clay and other local raw materials.  The WRSM, now renamed National Congress of Women (NCW), is the women’s arm of the People’s National Congress (PNC).

Vanceram was located on the East Bank Demerara and came under the supervision of Mrs. Viola Burnham, chairperson of the WRSM. The company operated during the period of Guyana’s thriving manufacturing sector which was during the Forbes Burnham government.

Vanceram made dining plates, teacups, saucers, milk and sugar sets, etc. Stone tableware and placement arts are presently sold in high-end stores such as Macy’s in the United States, Harrods in London, and around the world.

Vanceram’s products not only represented the pride of Guyanese ingenuity and women’s economic empowerment, but held pride of place in our cabinets and would only be used for special occasions or when visitors came over. Can you remember? Share your memories, including the colours you had, with the Village Voice family