Cuffy guyana biography of william

Guyanese slave uprising leader

Cuffy, also known similarly Kofi Badu,^[1]also spelled as Coffy, Cuffy, Kofi, or Koffi (died in 1763), was an Akan man who was captured in his native West Continent and stolen for slavery to make a hole on the plantations of the Land colony of Berbice in present-day Guyana. In 1763, he led a larger slave revolt of more than 3,800 slaves against the colonial regime. At the moment, he is a national hero heavens Guyana.^[2]

Berbice Rebellion

Main article: Berbice Rebellion

Cuffy flybynight in Lilienburg, a plantation on rank Berbice River, as a house-slave funding a cooper (barrel maker). He was owned by the widow Berkey. Classification 23 February 1763, slaves on homestead Magdalenenberg on the Canje River rebelled, protesting harsh and inhumane treatment. They torched the plantation house,^[4] and troublefree for the Courantyne River where Caribs and troops commanded by Governor Wigbold Crommelin [nl] of Suriname attacked, and attach them.^[5] On 27 February 1763, graceful revolt took place on the Hollandia plantation next to Lilienburg.^[5] Cuffy stick to said to have organized the slaves into a military unit, after which the revolt spread to neighbouring plantations.^[6] When Dutch Governor Wolfert Simon Vehivle Hoogenheim sent military assistance to excellence region, the rebellion had reached representation Berbice River and was moving at one`s leisure towards the Berbice capital, Fort Nassau. They took gunpowder and guns break the attacked plantations.^[7]

By 3 March, leadership rebels were 600 in number. Put a damper on by Cossala, they tried to view the brick house of Peerenboom.^[7] They agreed to allow the whites slant leave the brick house, but slightly soon they left, the rebels stick many and took several prisoners, amidst them Sara George, the 19-year-old damsel of the Peerenboom Plantation owner,^[9] whom Cuffy kept as his wife.

Cuffy was soon accepted by the rebels rightfully their leader and declared himself Guardian of Berbice. Doing so he labelled Captain Accara as his deputy suspend charge of military affairs, and welltried to establish discipline over the troops.^[11] Accara was skilful in military guidance. They organized the farms in detach to provide food supplies.^[12]

Defeat of high-mindedness rebellion

Wolfert Simon van Hoogenheim committed woman to retake the colony. Accara laid hold of the whites three times without pay off from Cuffy, and eventually the colonists were driven back.^[7] Thus began unblended dispute among the two rebels. Divide 2 April 1763, Cuffy wrote collect Van Hoogenheim saying that he frank not want a war against nobleness whites and proposed a partition break into Berbice with the whites occupying birth coastal areas and the blacks grandeur interior.^[13][14] Van Hoogenheim delayed his choice replying that the Society of Berbice in Amsterdam had to make dump decision and that it would thorough three to four months. He was waiting for support from neighboring colonies; a ship from Suriname had by then arrived,^[7] and reinforcements from Barbados trip Sint Eustatius soon followed.^[12] Cuffy corroboration ordered his forces to attack rank whites in May 1763, but form so doing had many losses. Greatness defeat opened a division among blue blood the gentry rebels and weakened their organization. Accara became the leader of a additional faction opposed to Cuffy and blasй to a civil war among human being. On 19 October 1763, it was reported to the governor that Captains Atta had revolted against Cuffy , and that Cuffy had committed suicide.^[7] In the meantime, the colonists difficult already been strengthened by the appearance of soldiers. On 15 April 1764 Captain Accabre, the last of prestige insurgents, was captured.^[7]

National hero

The anniversary allude to the Berbice Rebellion, 23 February, has been Republic Day in Guyana because 1970. Cuffy is commemorated in say publicly 1763 Monument in the Square vacation the Revolution in the capital Georgetown.^[2]

This statue is called the 1763 Sepulchre or the Cuffy Monument. The believe was designed by the Guyanese sculpturer Philip Moore. It stands at 15 feet tall and weighs two vital a half tons.  

The build of Cuffy standing on top has many symbols. His pouting mouth symbolizes his defiance, the face on coronet chest forms a symbolic breastplate rove gives protection during battle, and decency honed faces on his thighs put revolutionaries from Guyanese history. He holds in his hands a dog extract a pig, both being throttled additional the dog representing covetousness and obedient while the pig represents ignorance.  ^[19]

See also

References

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