Bits and Pieces from Guyanese History: Seven Cases

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. 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.