The History of Guyana with Melissa, West Indian Diplomacy

Melissa Goolcharran Ramnauth, Editor-in-Chief of West Indian Diplomacy, shares her knowledge of the history of Guyana on this episode of the podcast.

From the early Indigenous peoples to the colonial power struggles between the Dutch and the British, Hema and Melissa dive into key historical moments in Guyanese history: the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade taking enslaved African people to Guyana to work on plantations, the abolition of slavery leading to indentured labourers from India, China and Portugal, to modern history including the declaration of independence from the Crown, and why the United States interfered in the early elections between the two main political parties.

Melissa’s passion for researching the history of Guyana comes through in all of her work, including her petition to digitize the records of enslaved Africans and Indian indentured servants in Guyana.

Resources

CARICOM

Gladstone Coolies

Coolie Woman by Gaitura Bahadur

The Last Ship: Repatriation from British Guiana to India, Nalini Mohabir

Historical Database Suriname and the Caribbean

How to find Indian Indentured Ancestors that went to Guyana and Trinidad

Connect with Melissa

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