On 20 August 2018, Guyana held a public ceremony for Demerara Martyrs’ Day at the 1823 Revolt Monument on Atlantic Avenue. President David Granger described the deaths of enslaved Africans during the revolt and urged future generations to remember their resistance. The observance makes August a period of linked public remembrance: emancipation on 1 August and the revolt’s martyrs on 20 August. State commemoration can preserve histories of enslaved people’s action, while the language used in official ceremonies also shapes how that history enters national identity.
On 16 June 1977, Guyana unveiled the Enmore Martyrs’ Monument on the twenty-ninth anniversary of the police killings. Prime Minister Forbes Burnham unveiled the monument, designed by Guyanese artist...
On 17 December 1992, Afro-centric Guyanese founded the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) to nurture African culture and support a prosperous African community. ACDA’s work connects...
On 11 March 2014, CARICOM heads of government endorsed a ten-point plan for reparatory justice, later framed as the Caribbean Reparatory Justice Programme. The programme called for a full formal...
On 20 May 2016, Guyana hosted a national event in the CARICOM International Youth Reparations Relay and Rally at Independence Park in Georgetown. President David Granger voiced support for calls for...
On 1 August 2018, Guyana marked the 180th anniversary of emancipation. President David Granger used the occasion to urge “economic emancipation,” while celebrations in communities such as No. 53/Union...
👉 Guyana observes Demerara Martyrs’ Day for the 1823 revolt
Current
20 August 2018
On 20 August 2018, Guyana held a public ceremony for Demerara Martyrs’ Day at the 1823 Revolt Monument on Atlantic Avenue. President David Granger described the deaths of enslaved Africans during...
On 8 September 2019, a groundbreaking ceremony marked plans for a new 1823 Demerara Slave Revolt monument at Independence Park (Parade Ground), Georgetown. The proposed location was the site of...
On 18 August 2023, Guyana marked 200 years since the Demerara Revolt began. The commemorations included public and scholarly events, while President Mohamed Irfaan Ali urged Guyanese to protect...
On 24 August 2023, President Mohamed Irfaan Ali said an apology by descendants of plantation owner John Gladstone should be accompanied by compensation and reparative justice. Ali connected the...
On 25 August 2023, Charles Gladstone delivered a public apology at the University of Guyana on behalf of descendants of John Gladstone, whose plantations relied on enslaved Africans and indentured...
On 18 March 2024, the Bank of Guyana announced the release of a G$200 commemorative coin marking the 200th anniversary of the Demerara Revolt. The coin carried the uprising into the country’s monetary...
