The process of rediscovery and recovery of the historical abundance of Guyana’s past continues in various forms and fora without a significant and broad public education component.
There is the additional problem of the condition of historical repositories.
We know in the case of the newspaper archives a significant portion is inaccessible due to destruction by fire, negligence, and inertia over time. The condition of the formal national archives led Walter Rodney to note in February 1980: “I have done historical research in the archives of Guyana but I am sure they must rate as the most poorly kept archives in the world.”
But all is not lost. Now that the general Guyana ‘archive’ is supplemented, for better or for worse, by social media and easier access to certain types of historical material and data one would think there would be a thirst for a more varied examination of the past given the wonderful diversity of the nation’s past.
The snippets showcased in this article are seven short clips, diverse in topic and year, and sampled from primary source Guyanese newspapers. A few have been cut as the originals are too large to carry in full. They represent bits and pieces from sports, politics, and social life in general. The content of these associations between past and present in the chosen pieces, whether distinctive or fleeting, speak for themselves.
BLACK VS WHITE
(Letter in Daily Chronicle, November 2, 1887)
Sir, I desire to draw attention to the manner in which the seating accommodation on Good Success Stelling is controlled by the police officers. There being no sign which indicated any distinction of colour, I took my seat, intending to purchase a 1st class ticket from the purser for Capoey, when a policemen informed me that the first class seats were made for white men and that he had orders to keep negroes out. I am, Sir, a Negro, and would like to know the difference between the white and black, and in what colour man was created. Also whether the white men were entitled to go to hell or heaven without undergoing the pain of death as the negroes do.
I am sir,
CW Gomes
Good Success, Wakenaam
DEATH OF A CENTENARIAN: WAS A SLAVE IN 1831
(Daily Argosy, May 8, 1913)
On Monday afternoon the body of Rebecca Cockfield, an old woman who was 112 years old, was interred at the cemetery at Buxton. The woman was born at Pln Enterprise on the 5th of May 1801. When she was twenty years old she was employed as a slave on the estate and she served for 19 years, being 39 years when slavery was abolished. About three years later, herself and brother were baptized at Mahaica Scottish Church by the Rev Everson. The deceased woman had 19 children – ten sons and 9 daughters, but she outlived twelve of them. She has 48 grandchildren and 28 great grands. She was a devout Roman Catholic and she kept her faith to her death bed. The funeral rites were performed by Rev Father Warren, of the RC church, at Friendship. Her husband Cain Cockfield, the owner of Pln Unity, died many years ago.
(An extract from Daily Argosy, August 8, 1913)
Among the immigrants who left the colony by the Chenab last week were two notorious characters, Maula Bux, the ‘failed RA’ who played a prominent part in the Rose Hall troubles, and Ramchand, ex-soldier, Brahmin and ringleader in the troubles in Diamond last year.
The former (Bux) according to his own account, is the son of the Rev. Joshua Jacob, a native clergyman of the Church of England, and Maula Bux’s real name is Gibson Jacob. Having failed to take a degree in college he ran away from home and met a recruiter in the service of our agent in Calcutta and was persuaded to emigrate under an assumed Mahommedan name. At Rose Hall he was found to be utterly incapable of doing field work, and light work in the factory and odd jobs of an easy nature had to be found for him. Notwithstanding the consideration shewn him by the authorities on the estate he at an early age constituted himself the friend and counsellor of his countrymen and an exponent of the law relating to them. There seems to be little doubt that the malcontents at Rose Hall were largely influenced by this man’s advice and it is likely that there would not have occurred such disastrous results had they not listened to him. He was removed from Rose Hall after serving three and a half months only and as no other employer would be found willing to take him under indenture, he was kept at the Immigration Depot at the expense of Rose Hall until the departure of the Chenab.
The other man (Ramchand) was of a different type: tall, well built and intelligent looking. The trouble with him was not that he could not do agricultural work – although it was not the sort he had been accustomed to – but because he was quarrelsome and insubordinate. He was first at Wales where he quarreled with the other indentured coolies and had to be transferred to Diamond. Here he was the leader in all the strikes that occurred on that estate last year and it was not until he and three others were transferred that matters quieted down. He was sent to Rose Hall but he speedily made things so unpleasant for the authorities that they asked for his removal. In his case also no other employer of indentured labour could be found willing to receive him and in consequence he had to be sent back to India.
(An extract from Daily Argosy, December 2, 1917)
A fairly large crowd turned up on the GCC ground at Bourda yesterday afternoon to witness the introduction of baseball, the national game of the United States of America, in the colony. Arranged in aid of the Red Cross Fund the match was between teams representing Demerara Bauxite Company and the Case (sic) Coast Protection Corporation…in spite of the sodden condition of the ground as a result of the recent heavy downpours of rain, it was decided not to postpone the game, but that only seven innings be played instead of the customary nine. After some exciting play the game ended in a win for the Bauxite team by 14 runs to 5…At any rate there were many exciting incidents in the game which is by no means unattractive, and the grotesque mask like shield worn by the catcher (the man behind the striker, or the wicketkeeper in cricket) for the protection of his face, and the gloved men in the food were indeed novel sights for those whose first experience it was of a game of baseball from the spectators’ point of view…
CALL FOR PARDON FOR MARCUS GARVEY FROM BRITISH GUIANA
(Daily Argosy, May 9, 1925)
In keeping with a request from the Universal Negro Improvement Association of the United States on behalf of Mrs A G Garvey to Mr J Sargeant, the president of the local branch of the movement, a mass meeting of the followers of Marcus Garvey was held at Bourda Green last night for the purpose of passing resolution asking for the pardon of Marcus Garvey who is serving a term of five years imprisonment for fraudulent use of the mails. Mr FC Archer presided and it was decided that the following telegram be despatched to President Coolidge and the Hon John Sargeant, Attorney General:- “Three thousand Negroes greet you and pray you grant petition for pardon for Marcus Garvey.”
(An extract from Daily Argosy, October 5, 1930)
‘Trade is dull, as a matter of fact there is hardly any traffic to make money’, said the proprietor of an East Bank bus to a representative of the Daily Argosy during the week… when speaking of the prospects of the bus trade on the East Bank Demerara. This statement is difficult to reconcile with the fact that the bus trade on the East Bank had increased and is still increasing, judging from the large number of buses operating in this district. At present as far as far as can be gathered there are over a dozen buses operating on the East bank…and all carry quaint names which tickles one’s risibility and at the same time arouses considerable interest. Dividing them into two groups of ‘small’ and ‘large’, their names are Beauty, Busy Maid, Little Wonder, Michigan kid, People’s Idol, Pathfinder, and Venus- all small buses; and Flying Bird, Super Six, Family’s Pride, Golden West, Mysterious Four, Mexican G Flyer, Magnificent Four, Traveller’s Pride, and Wireless – all big buses. In addition to these there are two new buses Don Bradman and Golden Eagle which have just been put on the East bank road…
It is amusing to see to see the ‘scramble for passengers’ made by them in pursuit of their business. So keen is the competition that after the single fare from Georgetown to Grove and vice versa was generally reduced from 24 and 16 cents to 12 cents it was further reduced to 8 cents and even 6 cents…On the road bus drivers and conductors were practically a law unto themselves in the matter of speeding and ‘exploiting’ passengers until after a few serious accidents and disclosures the Police began to apply the Law rigorously. At one time it was a common practice of chauffeurs ‘to touch 25’and more miles per hour, the car or bus hurtling through the villages at such an alarming rate that the Village Councils and local authorities decided to put a stop to the mad career of these vehicles by limiting their speed through the villages to the rate of 15 miles per hour. The policeman on duty in the rural district was a bug-bear to chauffeurs in general and busmen in particular for they reasoned that although their vehicles had a registered number of passengers to carry they could very well make up for gasoline, tyre wear, ‘frecks’ etc. by carrying an overload if it had not been for the prying ‘PC” and when they adopted the ruse of passing him at a tremendous speed and pretending to be deaf to the shrill sound of his whistle ordering them to stop the Police began to set traps and to ‘rope in’ the culprits for speeding – the charge before the Magistrate was usually stated to be ’driving in a manner which was dangerous to the public.’ One chauffeur was so smart in outwitting the Police in this respect that he came to be known as the ‘Midnight Man’, his exploits being somewhat similar to a character in a popular serial film shown at the theatre at the time…
On some occasions bus men insisted in soliciting their fares shorty after a passenger joined the bus, or at a convenient point decided upon by the driver, with the result that before passengers reached their destination the bus broke down, and return of the fare was refused and passengers were ‘robbed’ by having to walk the balance of their journey.
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MR HUBERT CRITCHLOW OFFERED APPOINTMENT AS CRICKET PRO. IN AUSTRALIA
(Daily Chronicle, August 21, 1930)
According to a letter received from him by a friend a few days ago, Mr H Critchlow, Secretary-Treasurer of the British Guiana Labour Union and well-known local cricketer, has been offered an attractive appointment as a cricket “pro” of a prominent club in Australia.
The offer is said to have resulted from the fact that a few days before the commencement of the fourth Anglo-Australian Test match on July 25, at Manchester, Mr Critchlow had the opportunity of bowling at the nets to the “master” Hobbs and also at a few of the “big” Australian batsmen, and they were all so impressed with his slow googlie-like “stuff” – off-break, swerve in and out swings, and that they expressed surprise as to why a bowler of his class should be kept so quiet in the West Indies. The offer was made soon afterwards. But, Mr Critchlow, in his letter states: ‘I don’t think I can accept the offer.’…
It might be recalled that Mr Critchlow, who has been playing first class cricket for a number of years, first for the now defunct Churchmen’s Union CC and latterly for the MSC, has always been regarded as a very promising all-rounder who would certainly have won his way into Intercolonial if not International cricket but for the fact that the duties of his office prevented him from paying much attention to the game.
Nigel Westmaas is an Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Hamilton College in the United States.
