Population: 770,000
Area: 215,000 sq km (83,850 sq mi)
Capital city: Georgetown (pop 350,000)
People: 51% East Indian, 43% Afro-Guyanese, 4% Amerindian, 2% European
& Chinese
Language: English, Creole, Hindi and Urdu
Religion: 57% Christian, 33% Hindu, 9% Muslim
Government: Democracy
Prime Minister: Samuel Hinds
President: Bharrat JagdeoGDP: US$1.8 billion
GDP per head: US$2500
Inflation: 15.5%
Major industries: Sugar, bauxite, alumina, gold, rice, timber and shrimp
Major trading partners: UK, USA, Canada, France and Japan
The Golden Arrowhead
Guyana's National Flag has FIVE symbolic colors: GREEN represents the agricultural
and forested nature of Guyana, WHITE symbolizes the rivers and water potential
of the country, a GOLDEN arrow represents Guyana's mineral wealth, BLACK portrays
the endurance that will sustain the forward thrust of the Guyanese people and
RED represents the zeal and dynamic nature of nation-building which lies before
the young and independent Guyana.
One People, One Nation, One Destiny
So reads the banner displayed proudly at the base of Guyana's COAT OF ARMS.
The design consists of an Amerindian head-dress symbolizing the indigenous people
of the country, two diamonds at the sides of the head-dress representing mining
industry, a helmet (monarchial insignia), two jaguars holding a pick axe, sugar
cane and a stalk of rice (symbolizing Guyana's sugar and rice industries), a
shield decorated with the National Flower (Victoria Regia Lily), three blue
wavy lines representing the waters of Guyana and the National Bird (Canje Pheasant).
Guyana, a country of exceptional natural beauty, is a crossroad between the
Caribbean and South America. Its Atlantic coastline stretches for over 450 miles,
but the country dwells deep into the interior of the continent, where lush national
forests and great rivers can be found. Guyana derives its name from an Amerindian
word meaning "land of many waters."
The aboriginal inhabitants of the Guyanese coast were Carib Indians who had
driven the peaceful Arawak north and westwards into the Antilles. European settlement
didn't occur until 1615, when the Dutch West Indian Company erected a fort and
depot on the lower Essequibo River. Sugar quickly became the main crop, and
the fields were worked by mostly African slaves. While the coast remained firmly
under Dutch control, the English were establishing sugar and tobacco plantations
west of the Suriname River. To this early date the first regional conflicts
between the two countries can be traced. In 1834, slavery was abolished forcing
many plantations to close or look for another source of labor. The British solved
the problem by importing workers from India. From 1846-1917, almost 250,000
laborers entered Guyana, dramatically transforming the country's demographic
balance and laying the basis for persistent ethnic tensions.
Guyana achieved independence in 1966 and four years later became a cooperative republic within the Commonwealth. The sugar industry was nationalized and the country's economic base diversified through production of rice and bauxite. However, Guyana's economy was in almost permanent recession up until 1990 as it slid out of mainstream engagement with the rest of the world and experienced the exodus of much of its educated class. In 1992, elections installed the US-educated dentist Dr Cheddi Jagan as president. An aging Marxist, Dr Jagan was in danger of seeming an anachronism, but instead he led well Guyana's economic recovery. Dr Jagan's wife Janet became president of Guyana in 1997, amid protests. In summer 1999, Jagan retired from the presidency and named Bharrat Jagdeo as her successor. In March 2001, Jagdeo was reelected president, but demonstrations and occasional violence - and fires that were possibly politically sparked - have shaken Georgetown and other areas since.
Severe drought and political turmoil contributed to Guyana's negative growth
of -1.8% for 1998 following six straight years of growth of 5% or better. Growth
came back to a positive 1.8% in 1999 and 3% in 2000. Underlying growth factors
have included expansion in the key agricultural and mining sectors, a more favorable
atmosphere for business initiative, a more realistic exchange rate, a moderate
inflation rate, and continued support by international organizations. President
JAGDEO, the former finance minister, is taking steps to reform the economy,
including drafting an investment code and restructuring the inefficient and
unresponsive public sector. Problems include a shortage of skilled labor and
a deficient infrastructure.
During the period of Colonial rule, there was much more similarity, in a cultural
sense, between Guyana (then British Guiana), Suriname (then Dutch Guiana) and
French Guiana (which still bears the name and is part of France) than to the
rest of South America, which was and still is predominantly Spanish in culture.
The population is a little over 700,000 and composed of very different ethnic
groups.The Native South American Indians (Amerindian) Tribes were the original
inhabitants. Slavery brought numerous Black Africans to The Caribbean and to
Guyana's shores. The practice of Indenture ship brought East Indians, who still
speak Urdu, Hindi, and Tamil dialects. Chinese, Portuguese and a few other White
Europeans, mostly from Great Britain, round out the population diversity.
These various ethnic groups have remained somewhat distinct, but the lines are
continuously being blurred. Each group brings to the table its own style of
life and culture, but an extremely strong nationalistic pride has forged and
bound them into "One People, One Nation, One Destiny", which is the
National Motto.
Today Guyana is a Charter Member of The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and the
lifestyle of the inhabitants is completely Caribbean in nature and distinctly
separate from the cultures of South America. Culturally and politically this
nation is a part of the Caribbean. The diversity of its population reflects
in the variety of lifestyle, influenced by each distinct ethnic group.
Languages
A total of 14 different languages and dialects are spoken here. English is
the Official Language. Guyanese is the Language of the people and is the most
widely spoken. Guyanese and citizens of other Caribbean countries are often
mistaken for each other due to the tone and lilting flow of their speech!
Style of Dress: Clothing reflects current fashions around the world, with designer
gear being highly popular. Some clothing unique to Guyana is the Shirt-Jac,
a combination of a shirt and suit jacket which is decorated heavily with embroidery.
It is a practical invention born in response to the yearlong 80 degree average
temperature that we experience here. Western dress is pretty much the standard
fare.
Food
If the Language didn't convince you, then the food most definitely will!! It is Caribbean to the maximum. Strong influences of African, East Indian, Chinese and Amerindian cuisine dominate. Guyanese cooking reflects all of these intertwined with each other in a heavenly blend of spices tastes and scintillating taste.
Music
Guyanese Music covers the range from Caribbean, to African, East Indian and
American popular music. Reggae, Calypso, East Indian, Rhythm and Blues, Folk
Songs, Jazz, Blues, and Comfah music (very rhythmic music played at occult séances)
are among the sounds you will hear in Guyana.
Border Disputes
All of the area west of the Essequibo River is claimed by Venezuela; Suriname
claims area between New (Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Kutari rivers.
In the pre-1899 period, the British Government, which ruled Guyana then, claimed
ownership of the entire basins of the Essequibo River, including those of its
main tributaries, the Mazaruni and Cuyuni. Venezuela, which had claimed almost
the entire area west of the Essequibo River, was awarded the upper Cuyuni basin
by the international Arbitral Tribunal which made a "full, perfect and
final" settlement to the border dispute in 1899.An official border, with
the full participation of the Venezuelan Government, was surveyed and drawn
shortly after. However, in 1962, Venezuela declared that it no longer recognized
the 1899 Award, and re-stated its claim to Guyanese territory west of the Essequibo
River. Since then, a controversy has dragged on and has now reached a stage
where the Secretary General of the UN is in the lengthy process of finding a
practical solution to the existing issue.
From time to time, the Government of Suriname has made claims to New River
triangle, an area of about 6000 square miles (about 15,600 square kilometers)
of Guyana's territory located on the south-eastern corner of the country. Suriname
has also claimed the entire Courantyne River as its territory, and this itself
has caused some controversy. Recently, Suriname has also laid claim to a section
of Guyana's territorial sea.
A quote from Guyana's president Bharrat Jagdeo in a statement on June 8, 2000
explains well the country's position on the matter:
". . . I wish to reiterate that Guyana has always viewed as important the
development of harmonious, peaceful and productive relations with our neighbors.
Let me underscore the need for friendly relations between Guyana and Suriname
which should be conducted on the basis of understanding and mutual respect within
the context of the rules and principles of international law. However, I would
like to assure the citizens of Guyana that my Government will not accept any
threats or, or the resort to, the use of force by any external actor against
this nation state. My Government stands firm on the maintenance of Guyana's
sovereignty and will take whatever action necessary to preserve and protect
its territorial integrity".
Bascom, Harold
Works:
Apata
In 1959, the year Queen Elizabeth of England visited the country, newspapers in British Guiana reported a manhunt taking place deep within the forest. Apata is an imaginative reconstruction of the life of the man at its center, a charismatic young Guianese whose hopes of a brilliant future are frustrated by the color of his skin. Despite his obvious abilities, he cannot complete his education, and is forced instead to take up ignominious work for Glenn, a white homosexual trader. Trapped by a system of prejudices, and deeply humiliated, Apata is pushed into a cycle of crime that leads to the life of a fugitive, and a grisly demise.
Harold Bascom's Apata is the story of victims and outcasts everywhere, a gripping adventure that confronts a confusing and hurtful period when different cultures collided.
Carter, Martin
Works:
Poesías Escogidas. Selected Poems. Salvador Ortiz-Carboneres, trans. David Dabydeen. 1999
Monar, Rooplall
Works:
Backdam People.1987.
Janjhat.1989.
High House and Radio.1992.
Estate People.1994.
Melville, Pauline
Works:
Shape-Shifter.1990.
The Ventriloquist's Tale.1997.
The Migration of Ghosts.1998.
Visas: Visitors from most countries, except the Commonwealth Caribbean,
require a visa.
Health risks: Malaria is endemic in the interior; some risk of cholera,
dengue fever and typhoid.
The best time to visit Guyana may be at the end of either rainy season, in late January or late August, when the discharge of water over Kaieteur Falls is greatest. Some locals recommend mid-October to mid-May, which may be wet, but not as hot. If you want to travel overland to the interior, come during the dry seasons.
Minibuses and collective taxis link Georgetown and most towns on the coastal belt. Guyana's road network, apart from a paved two-lane stretch from the capital to Linden, is poor and deters all but the hardiest of cyclists. With almost 1000km (620mi) of navigable river, Guyana has ferry services galore. Car hire is available in Georgetown and taxis are a must if crossing the city at night.