As Guyanese join the international community in observance of Black History Month, we may be reminded of one of the most defining periods of our history; a period known as The Village Movement.
The Village Movement is the name given to the period beginning just after the abolition of slavery in 1838. It is the time in our history when freed slaves bought the plantations on which they were previously kept in bondage and converted those plantations into free villages. The Movement spanned about nine years.
Experts say that Guyana as we know it, was born during that time. Experts say, too, that The Village Movement not only provided a place for former slaves to live, but also established a Guyanese African identity.
Noted historian and former president of Guyana, Brigadier David Granger says that Emancipation paved the way for “The Village Movement,” which was more than about Africans leaving the White-owned plantation, but about Africans developing an identity for themselves.”
The former President said, “The Village Movement wasn’t just a physical movement, but a reassembly of the family. Built on four pillars: 1) was the family, they wanted homes; 2) they wanted to build their own farms; 3) they wanted to build their own churches; and 4) they wanted to build schools.”
The Movement started on November 7, 1839, Plantation Northbrook, now named Victoria village, was purchased by eighty-three free men and women from five plantations; Ann’s Grove, Dochfour, Enmore, Hope and Paradise. The down payment was $6,000; the total price was $10,000.
Following the purchase of Victoria, by 1840, four communal villages were established in West Coast Berbice. Golden Grove, 500 acres, was purchased by 14 labourers for $1,716; St. John, 252 acres, was purchased by 46 labourers for $5,000; East half of Perseverance, 250 acres, was purchased by 109 labourers for $2,000 and Lichfield, 500 acres, was purchased by one labourer, Cudjoe McPherson for $3,000.
After a pause, a second phase of purchases began in 1842. During that time, Plaisance was purchased by 65 labourers for $39,000 and Ithaca was bought by 45 labourers for $15,000. And so the purchases continued until it tapered off around 1848.
Experts have underscored the fact that the movement had strong spiritual and educational components. Once a plantation was purchased, one of the first acts by the former slaves was the construction of a church and a school in the new village. Dwelling cottages were built around those institutions of spirituality and education.
Historians have repeatedly emphasised that The Village Movement is the major process that established modern-day Guyana; it shaped our country’s population distribution and made a major contribution to our national cultural identity. Further, it gave Africans in particular a sense of purpose and reminded them that they can do anything to which they set their collective will.
As the world celebrates Black History Month, it is worth reminding ourselves of the resilience of the former slaves who, through determination and force of will, reclaimed the humanity that the system of slavery had taken away. And in the process of reclaiming that humanity they shaped the future of a country. It is worth reminding ourselves, too, that what was accomplished once can be done again.
