Africans
The first enslaved africans, Akan from the Gold Coast, arrived around 1621. They were brought to one of three Dutch plantations, Essequibo. The other two Berbice and Demerara. By 1811, 25,169 Africans were working in Berbice, and by 1817, 77,037 Africans were brought to Demerara and Essequibo.
The enslaved Africans that were shipped to Guyana included: Akan, Abuna, Aku (Yoruba), Egba, Effa, Fula (Fulani), Ibo, Ijesa, Kongo, Kru, Ondo (Doko), Oyeh, and Yagba. They came from many areas of Africa such as; Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leon, Windward Coast, Ghana, Bight of Benin, The Gold Coast, The Niger Delta, Congo River, Angola, and more. On the sea journey, the Africans were asked to dance on the ship to keep them strong from being cramped and chained up for 30-180 days.
While awaiting in warehouses for shipment, enslaved Africans acquired a pidgeon-english language. Upon their arrival they were auctioned off. The Africans worked to create a land satisfactory for coffee, cotton, and sugar. They worked in horribly muddy conditions and were not treated any better, physically, by the plantation owners. These conditions were not changed and slave rebelled. A significant rebellion took place in 1763, it was unsuccessful. Some Africans were able to escape to previously established Maroon encampments.
On August 1, 1834, Africans were emancipated and slavery was abolished, but any emancipated African above the age of six had to work for six more years. They were to receive food and clothing, and the hours were shorter, but it came as a shock that the morning after their celebration these emancipated Africans had to go back to work at the same plantation. From 1838-1900, 14,060 Africans were brought to Guyana to work on the plantations as indentured labourers.
References
Thompson, Alvin O. (1976). Some Problems of Slave Desertion in Guyana, c. 1750-1814. Cave Hill, Barbados: Institue of Social and ``
Economic Research, University of West Indies.
Thompson, Alvin, O. (2006). Flight to Freedom: African Runaways and Maroons in the Americas. University of West Indies.
Cambridge, Vibert, C. (2015). Musical Life in Guyana: History and Politics of Controlling Creativity. University Press of Mississippi / Jackson.
Moore, Brian L. (1995). Cultural Power, Resistance, and Pluralism: Colonial Guyana 1834-1900. University of West Indies Press. McGill-
Queen University Press.
Bobb-Semple, Colin and Writer, Staff. (2009, February 24). Maroons and Amerindians. Retrieved from
http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/opinion/letters/02/24/maroons-and-amerindians/
Ishmael, Odeen. (2005). The Guyana Story. Retrieved from http://www.guyana.org/features/guyanastory/guyana_story.html