By Francis Quamina Farrier

IT would be safe to say that the majority of Guyanese are aware that the town of Linden in Region 10 is named for President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, whose 100th birth anniversary will be celebrated next month – February 20, 2023. A much smaller number of Guyanese are aware that the border town of Lethem in Region 9 is named for a former British Governor of British Guiana; Sir Gordon Lethem. Of course, almost everyone knows that the village of Victoria, East Coast Demerara, in Region 4, is named for Queen Victoria of England. However, just a very small number of Guyanese know who is the “George” for whom Georgetown is named. That might be understandable since the teaching of history in the country’s schools is not as robust as it could be, according to some history enthusiasts.

Lots of the country’s history in classrooms covers a portion of slavery and indentureship. Critics advance the theory that although the Cuffy-lead revolution in 1763, and later the 1823 revolution, which was led by Quamina and his son, Jack Gladstone, principally on the lower East Coast of Demerara, never goes deep enough. For example, it is hardly ever mentioned that Cuffy had been generous enough to offer the Dutch slave owners, the lower portions of the colony of Berbice, which is adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. The wisdom of Cuffy in that negotiation was for the freed former enslaved Africans to occupy the upper inland regions, which are fertile and perfect for agriculture. Those inland areas are also well above sea level and not prone to floods. The self-proclaimed ‘Governor’ Cuffy of Berbice was of royal stock in Ghana, Africa, before he was kidnapped and taken across the Atlantic Ocean to Berbice in South America, where he was then put into slavery.

King George lll’s reign in England commenced in 1760, just three years before ‘Governor’ Cuffy was, at the time, literally in control of the Berbice slave revolution of 1763. It must be noted that while Cuffy was enslaved in Berbice, under the Dutch, King George lll was reigning over many British territories worldwide. In fact, the reign of George lll was for 60 years from 1760 to 1820 – one of the longest by a British monarch.

Although King George lll suffered from mental health issues and was referred to as “The Mad King” he studied science and was also active in farming – so much so, that he was referred to as “Farmer George.” It is known that the city of Georgetown, which is named for him, is called, “The Garden City.” Another of his achievements was, in 1761, when he purchased what is now known as “Buckingham Palace.” King George lll also had a large library which contained 65,000 books. Citizens of Georgetown could also be proud to know that the man for whom the city is named reigned for 60 years.