Activity Discussion
Host Moray House Trust
Date Tuesday 24th November 2020
Time 5.00 PM Guyana time
This was a discussion between Professor Marjoleine Kars (author of the recently published Blood on the River: a chronicle of mutiny and freedom on the Wild Coast) and Dwayne Benjamin (Senior Lecturer, History, University of Guyana).
Professor Kars’ account draws on material found in 900 interrogation transcripts of those involved – a rare opportunity to hear the voices of the enslaved alongside the enslavers.
PODCASTS
Slave rebellions [edited extract from Professor Winston McGowan’s 2005 Walter Rodney Lecture, Slave Rebellions at Sea and on Land: A comparative perspective.
Professor McGowan provides an overview and discusses the frequency of rebellions and the most common reasons for them]
Download file | Duration: 14:08
Governing [talks about Coffij, Accara, the importance of the Amina ‘nation’, the planning of the rebellion and the fate of the Bombas (estate-appointed leaders of work-crews). Edited extracts from Blood on the River by Marjoleine Kars]
Download file | Duration: 12:13
The Beginning of the Uprising [testimony from the slaves, Coffi’s role as leader and the communication links among plantations. Edited extracts from Ineke Velzing’s MA thesis, as published in Stabroek News in February 2013.]
Download file | Duration: 9:20
Ruling [describes the sophistication of the rebel government: Coffij’s role as Governor, Accara’s role as Captain of military affairs, the role of the Bombas (estate-appointed leaders), the appointment of lords, the role of women. Edited extracts from Blood on the River by Marjoleine Kars.]
Download file | Duration: 07:37
Objectives of Rebellion [edited extract from Professor Winston McGowan’s 2005 Walter Rodney Lecture, Slave Rebellions at Sea and on Land: A comparative perspective.
Professor McGowan identifies three types of rebellion; reformist, escapist and revolutionary.]
Download file | Duration: 04:30