Berbice Rebellion Coin
*The Berbice Rebellion began on this date in 1763. This was a year-long slave rebellion in Guyana that lasted into 1764.
The Dutch colony of Berbice was owned by four Amsterdam merchants who founded the Society of Berbice as a public company listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. The colony was unsuccessful compared to other colonies because it only paid a 4% dividend to the stockholders. In 1762, the population of Berbice included 3,833 enslaved Blacks, 244 enslaved indigenous people, and 346 whites. The Seven Years' War caused a reduction in supplies to the colony, resulting in hunger among the slaves. In late 1762, a disease had broken out in the fort, and many soldiers had died.
In July 1762, the plantation owner, Goed Fortuin, left, and slaves raided the plantation and hid upriver. Indigenous soldiers (especially "Carib" and Arawak) were crucial to the Dutch effort to retake Berbice, as their scouting prevented the formation of Maroon communities. The soldiers, despite aid from indigenous allies, were unable to recapture the island until the rebels left due to a lack of food. An enslaved Ghanaian named Cuffy from West Africa led the revolt of more than 2,500 against the colony. After acquiring firearms, the rebels attacked plantations. They gained an advantage after taking the house of Peerboom.
They told the whites inside that they could leave, but the rebels killed many as they did and took several prisoners, including the wife of a plantation owner, whom Cuffy kept as his wife. After several months, a dispute between Cuffy and Akra led to a war. Akara's faction won, and Cuffy killed himself. As the first major slave revolt in South America, it is seen as a significant event in Guyana's anti-colonial struggles. When Guyana became a republic in 1970, the state declared February 23 as a day to commemorate the start of the Berbice slave revolt.
Cuffy is Guyana's national hero. In 1976, a bronze monument was erected in the Square of the Revolutions in Georgetown's capital.
