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1823-2023. Bicentennialof the Demeraraslave rebellion

Guyana Institute of Historical Research | East Coast Demerara (eastseacoastdemerara.blogspot.com)

1. We are on a path of convertingrevenues from the oiland gas sectorto advance oureconomy and make it one of the mostcompetitive globally. Qatarprovides agood example forus to learn from

2. Guyanais leadingon the issue of climate change, globally. We are the firstcountry to deploylargescale carbon on the international market, the first country to sign an end-user agreement with Hess Corporation, and a bilateral agreementon the sale of carbon with the Kingdom of Norway. The forest, which is the second-largest forestcoverglobally, stores 19.5gigatonnes of carbon. So, as we discuss climate change and environmental services, those discussions cannot be without Guyanaas a main player and stakeholder.

3. These non-partisan activities are intended to promote greater environmental health and sustainability. I encourage all Guyanese to come outand supportthese efforts. Simple choices, at the individual level, can have an immense impact.

4. This party is about improving the well-being of people. It is about investing in communities and investing in the lives of people. This is a party you can rely on. This is a party that sticks to its commitment. This is an all-weatherparty. We come in the sunshine and in rain.

5. On this World Environment Day, I urge all Guyanese to act more responsibly in the manner in which they dispose of plastic waste.

1823-2023. Bicentennialof the Demeraraslave rebellion

We all have a duty to keep our environment clean and safe. By acting responsibly we can end plastic pollution.

Each of us can contribute by makinginformed, ethical and responsible choices including:

- reducingplastic usage, especially that of single-use plastics;

- promotinggreaterrecycling;

- ensuringproperwaste disposal;and

- endinglittering.

-Over the past year, I have personally led efforts to enhance our physical environment through national clean-up exercises. These non-partisan activities are intended to promote greater environmentalhealth and sustainability. I encourage all Guyaneseto come outand supportthese efforts. Simple choices, at the individual level, can have an immense impact.

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by Ray Chickrie Dear Editor,

We are in another Mahe Ramazan (Month of Ramadan), and I share with your readers a little bit of our Muslim history. Recognizing the efforts and sacrifices made by past generations to institutionalise Islam in Guyana, amidst a sea of evangelism, since times of slavery to the period of independence, we are gratefulto them.

There is evidence of Anjuman (Jamaats or association) and mosques, and some of these organisations were registered since 1863 in Guyana to address the needs of the Muslim communities. Some formally and some informally. There is evidence that the founding of the Number 78/79 Masjid (Mosque)was in 1863 according to an article to commemorate the Centennial of the Masjid published in the Daily Chronicle of August25, 1963. Yet, there are still some unanswered questions. There isn't conclusive evidence of the first constructed mosque in Guyana. That could have been during the era of slavery or was it the 1863 # 78/79 Mosque orthe PhiladelphiaMosque on the East Bank of the Essequibo which was alleged to have been "built in the 1860s."

In 1999 several Muslims groups, The Central Islamic organisation of Guyana (CIOG), the Guyana Islamic Trust (GIT), the Guyana United Sadr Islamic Anjuman and the Anjuman Hifazatul-E-Islam gathered at Philadelphia, Guyana to “The marked the site where the first masjid (on the South American continent) was built by Guyana’s indentured Muslims in the 1860’s.”

They did howevernote that“with more work and scholarship, future studies can be undertaken to bring more clarity and accuracy in learning more about Guyana’s firstmosques.”Butone thing is certain, since the second wave of Islam in Guyanain 1838, from India, Afghanistan and what is now Pakistan, Muslims have built many mosques and formed severalorganisations to preserve theirhistory and culture.

Subrati, identified as one of the chief founders of the 78 Village Mosque, arrived in Guyanaon board the Syria in May 1869 from the Port of Calcutta, and with his youngerbrother, the 19-year Suhabuth. This is how the brothers nameswerespilled in the 1963article. On his immigration certificate, his name is spelled "Soberauthy." The two brothers were the sons of Rumul, and both were indentured to Eliza and Mary (Skeldon) Plantation. This was alarge sugarplantation in upperCorentyne with astrongMuslim presence. Muslims took up residence close to each otherand sometimes occupied an entire street. The brothers' names would eventually take on several differentspellings on various documents relating to them; “Sohabat, Sohabet, and Shahadat, Subrati.” This was quite common in Guyana. It is impossible to record Urdu, Arabic or Hindi names using an English alphabet and mistakes were common. Further many Hindustani immigrants ended up not carrying their father's surname. For example, if the child was registered as Abdul Gaphur, which is one first name, then that was the one name the child carried, basically, his father's firstname. Cultural barriers, especially language, left us a legacy of people with one name and not inheritingtheir fathers title.

The firstMosque in Guyanacan'tbe the Philadelphia, EastBank Essequibo. The timeline is off. Its founder, Hazrat (Mr) Chand Khan was a teenager when he arrived in British Guiana in November 1866 on board the Atalanta with his parents Hazrat Lall Khan and Woolfat (Ulfaat Begum/Mrs) from Benares when he was 15 years old. Chand and his parents were indentured to Plantation Uitvlugt. While it is alleged that Chand Khan came to Guyanain 1839 on “the Atlantic,” there is no record of such a ship arriving in Guyana that year from India. In fact, several years after 1838 when immigration from India commenced, there was atemporary stop and immigration restarted afterimprovementwas sought to ensure passengerwellbeing. After the initial arrival of the Whitby and Hesperus in 1838, immigration from India resumed in 1845.

According to Archives records, and Mr. Evan Persaud, an authority on Indian immigration to Guyana, the Atalanta arrived 4 times in British Guiana:(1) 13 April 1862; (2) 22 November1866; (3) 21 May 1874; (4) 1 May 1875. The Atalanta 1866: 388 landed of which 386 were allotted to 15 sugar plantations: (1) Meten-Meerzorg;(2) Uitvlugt; (3) Stewartville;(4) AnnaCatherina; (5)

1823-2023. Bicentennialof the Demeraraslave rebellion

( Providence (East Bank Demerara); (9) Houston; (10) Bel Air; (11) Mon Repos; (12) Annandale; (13) Nonpareil;(14) Cove and John;and (15) Wales. Twenty five Hindustanis were allotted to Uitvlugt:19men, 5 women and 1 boy, and among them was young Chand Khan and his family. No one went to Vergenoegen.

This same Chand Khan # 166 from Benares, notHyderabad, was the fatherof Ameeran who was born in Philadelphia, ECE on December14, 1889 to Chand Khan (166/Atalanta/1866) and Mooradun who was an Indian immigrant that came on the Sydenham in 1864. However, the Number78 Mosque, originally built at #79 Village and “founded in 1863” also leaves some discrepancies because Soberauthy (Subrati) and his brother arrived in Guyana in 1869. This leaves some questions, was the 78 Mosque founded about 1870 after the brothers arrival? Or was the process of acquiring the land commenced in 1863 by the other founding members like Khadmi, Shahabuddin, Ishmaeland Wajid Ali?

The Ulema of Guyana spanned from Essequibo, to Demerara and Berbice, and included Al Haj Hazrat Ramjohn (Ramazan), Hazrat Mohammad Ahmad Nasir, among many other wise and intellectual Musalman. In presentingtheirresearch to commemoratethe Centennialof the # 78Mosque in 1963, they said, “Extensive and exhaustive research has revealed that the mosque was built in 1863 by Sohabeth Subrati, fatherof the late Moulvi Ibrahim; Ishmile Shahadeen, Wajid Ally and Khadmi, motherof Messrs, Dookie and Sankar. They “showed keen interestin Islam and it was by theirinstrumentality thatthey have been fortunate to acquire a piece of land and built a small mosque.”

Taken from Daily Chronicle, August25, 1963

The story of Khadmiis of great interest. She comes from apious and humble Muslim family and herfather was also a Majee. She was married to Ramessar, an Indian born Brahmin who converted to Islam to marry her and agreed to raise their children in Islam. They had two sons, Susankar (Maula Baksh) and Dookie (KhodaBaksh). Ramessarmay have been the firstHindustani Goldsmiths in Skeldon in the 1880s afterhe returned from India in 1880. In 1880 Ramessar took his family to India but abruptly returned to Guyana after the family discovered that he had converted to Islam and assimilated with Muslims. On the birth certificate of his grandson, Aminul Ahmad Sankar, Ramessar is recorded as his "grandfather"who was a "Goldsmith from # 79." From Susankar, the name changed to Sankar from this period.

It is worthy to mention thatSankar’s wife, Sakinatul, was the eldestsisterof Kabul(Kabil) Khan, NurKhan, Shehzaadi and Zainab. Zainab Khatoon was married to Ibrahim Majee, a son of Sohabat. Shehzaadi Khatoon was married to Hazrat AbdoolRahaman of 79. The two brothers were NurKhan and Kabil Khan. Kabil Khan's wife, Imaman, was from Tushen. It demonstrates yet another piece of historiography, that from one end of Guyanato the other, Corentyne, to the Essequibo Islands, our families were connected. And I speak of all Muslim Guyana in this context. It's a common habit of the survival of a minority community to do so.

Ghanim Khan, wellknown Guyanacricketer,was one of Kabil's sons. TheirmotherGoolmaniKhatoon, and herinfant child, Sakinatul were kidnapped from Benares, Indiain 1878 and senton board the King Arthur ans were indenturedto Eliza and Mary. Anotherone of Kabil’s sons, Imamuddin was Presidentof the # 78 Jamaat in the 1960s.

Al Haj Ramjohn and Ibrahim Majee

Soberauthy was married to Rahiman, a Hindustani native who migrated to Guyana in 1867 on board the Clarence to Skeldon. Amongtheirchildren were Karim Baksh (1880), Abdul Karim (1882), Ibrahim (1886), Haliman (1888), Shakuran (1890) and all were born at the Number 78 Village. We know that two of his sons, AbdulKarim and Ibrahim were Imams. AbdulKarim died at PeterHall, EBD on November19, 1935.

(Far Left, Ibrahim Majee and to his leftis Haji Ramjohn)

The original site of the 78 Mosque was at Number 79 Village, where Mohammed Ezammudeen, a great grandson of Sohabatlives today. The original mosque was moved from #79 to its current location at # 78 Village.

1823-2023. Bicentennialof the Demeraraslave rebellion

Returningfrom Makkah, the Middle East and India, the masjid was modernised by the gigantic efforts of Al Haj Ramjohn (Ramazan) who garnered supportto build one of the most beautifulmosques in Guyana. He didn't hesitate to go deep into his pockets to finance the expensive project. His home like that of Al Haj Mohammed Ballee (Wallee) hosted Maulanas from Pakistan, Imams, Majees, Ustads, dignitaries, Ambassadors and visitors from Guyana, the Caribbean, Pakistan and elsewhere.

(At# 78 Maulana AbdulAleem Siddiqi, Al Haj Shakoor, and Al Haj Mohammed Ballee, 1950)

Maulana Aleem Siddiqi in 1950 became one of the first illuminary Islamic scholars to visit Number 78 Village and he was hosted by Al Haj Ramazan. The Maulana was accompanied by his Secretary, Hazrat Fazlur Rahaman Ansari, who also stayed with Al Haj Ramazan. Hazrat Fazlur Ansari returned to Guyanain 1967. In 1967 when MaulanaNoorani, son of MaulanaSiddiqi visited Skeldon, he was hosted atthe home of Al Haj Ballee and the entire 78 Anjuman (Community), and Al Haj Ballee was hosted by the Maulana when he visited Karachi. Haji Ballee was an Ustaz of Arabic and Urdu who trained and groomed anumber of Imams who eventually moved to North America. Al Haji Balle also was instrumental in building relationships between the Muslims of Guyanaans Suriname. Haji Ballee, Haji Ramjohn and Sardar Imtiaz Majee were some of our legendary nation builders and they were well known in Suriname at Plantation Waterloo where they also carried out Islamic work.

(Imamoudeen Khan, aformerPresidentof 78 Jammat and MaulanaNoorani, 1967)

A striking piece of information which was notelaborated in the 1963 article was asubheading, “Centenary of Islam, How the first Muslim Came,”and there was asubheading“First Mosque.”Did the elders of 1963 validate already that the Number 78 Village Mosque was the first in Guyana? Then there was another piece of information. In the caption of a picture reads, “No. 78 Village, Upper Corentyne, where stands the oldestMosque in British Guiana, was hosts to thousands on Sunday last at the occasion marking the centenary of Islamic in this country.”

According to Mohammed Ezammudeen, a great grandson of Sohabat, "Sohabeth Subrati'' referenced in the 1963 article, isn’t the name of one person but the names of the two brothers who came from India. And indeed documentations have proven him correct. So who are the children of Soberauthy? Also, I continue to investigate the other founders, Khadmi, Ishmile, Shahabeen, and Wajid Ally. Research continues to bring more light and clarity to the foundingof the 78 Masjid, and I welcome any help from the public.

Since its original construction, the mosque underwentseveralreconstruction phases and modernization. Sadly, the ornate mosque in white and aqua blue/green that was expanded and modernised after Haji Ramjohn after his return from Makkah was reconstructed to erect a mega structure about two decades ago, and which lacks asceticism.

Conclusion

There is no mosque in Philadelphiatoday buta commemoration monument. The 78 Village Mosque still exists today; it has had a continuous history. While there are still some unanswered questions aboutthesemosques, evidencesuggests thatthe 78Village Mosque is likely older than the one founded atPhiladelphia, especially that its founder, Hazrat Chan Khan arrived in Guyanain 1866, not 1839, and was only 15 years old. Evidence exists that the Chief founders of the 78 Village Mosque, Soberauthy, age 22 and his brotherSohabat, age 19 arrived in Guyanain 1866.

Gratitude

I wish to express my deepest gratitude to Ms. Melissa Jones of the Walter Rodney Archives of Guyana, Mr.Alim Ali at Caribbean Muslim, Deen Ameerullah ( GreatGrandson of GoolMohamed Khan, founderof the Queenstown Mosque 1895), Uncle Saleem Ballee, Uncle Emo and so many more people who have shared their knowledge and historical artefacts with me.

[Source: Maurits Hassankhan face book page]

1823-2023. Bicentennialof the Demeraraslave rebellion

GUYANA:Twentyperishedin Mahdiasecondaryschoolblaze – Gov’t

By Staff Editor and DavidPapannah May 22, 2023m – Stabroek News

Eighteen female students of theMahdiaSecondarySchooland one boy were killed afteradormitory blaze started minutes beforemidnightlastnight. The fire reportedly began at11.40pm in the female dormitory. The governmentthis morningprovided the figure forthose killed.

On her Facebook page, EducationMinister Priya Manickchand provided the following update:

“Standing in what remains of the Mahdia Female Dormitory that housed 59 students less than 12 hours ago. 56 girls were present at the time , 3 went home with their families for the weekend. Children housed at the dorms came from the communities of Karisparu, El Paso, Micobie and Chenapao. Today, on this 22nd day of May ,19 students lost their lives, 18 of whom were females all between the ages of 12 to 17, and one boy aged 5, child of the dorm parents, who were tryingto rescue otherchildren at that time.

6 of our girls remain at the Georgetown Public Hospital and 17 at the Mahdia Hospital, where they are beingtreated and cared for, let us pray for their recovery and strength at this time”.

The Governmentof Guyanaissued the followingstatementthis morning:

Statement On Fire At Mahdia Dormitory

It is with great sadness thatwe bring to you a heart-wrenchingupdate on the fire at the dormitory at the Mahdia Secondary school. We have lost many beautifulsouls in that fire. The death toll currently stands at 20, while severalothers received injuries.

Five planes have already taken off to Mahdia to support the regional health officials with additional medical supplies and medivacs. At this moment, seven children are prepared to be medivac to Georgetown.

The Prime Minister is leading a team of cabinet and other officials to Madhia whilst Minister Benn is already on the ground. The president and other officials are supporting efforts at Ogle to receive the critical patients and coordinate an emergency plan of action. A full-scale medical emergency action plan has been launched. We ask that our prayers continue to be with these children, their families, and communities. (End of statement)

The police this morning issued the followingstatement: Police in Region Eight are probing a devastating fire of so-far unknownorigin, which destroyed the Mahdia Secondary School’s Female Dormitory, killing 20 students and injuring several others, some in critical condition.

The tragic incident occurred last night (Sunday, May 21) at about22:50 hrs. Atthe time of the fire, sixty-three (63) femalestudents werereportedly in the dormitory. Reports are that 20 students died in the fire:(14 students died inside the building, five died atthe MahdiaDistrict Hospital, and one died on the way to Georgetown).

According to one of the female students, who managed to escape, she was awakened by screams and upon checking, she saw a fire in the bathroom area, which quickly spread to otherparts of the building.

Commanderof the Region, SeniorSuperintendentKhalid Mandall, alongwith a Police team and members of the GuyanaFire Service and others from the JointServices, are on location as investigations continue. A high-level team of Government officials led by Prime Minister Hon. Mark Philips and including several Ministers are currently in Mahdia as Guyana mourns the heart-rending loss of the students. (End of statement)

Details

Details surroundingthe cause of the fire at this time are yetto be determined. From the information reaching Stabroek News, as the fire ripped through the dormitory severalstudents were trapped inside the building.

Firefighters and public-spirited citizens were on the scene trying to contain the blaze and conduct rescue operations.

News of the tragedy sent shock waves across the nation as many were awakened by calls and alerts on the tragedy.

The Governmentof Guyanain a statementissued at1 am, today said all efforts are beingmade to have a full-scale medical evacuation-supported response.

The statementstatedthatThe Ministry of Health and theJointServices havebeen collaboratingto address the situation. However, the inclement weather and heavy overcast conditions are posing severe challenges to this exercise.

Parkinson John, aresidentwho resides nextdoorto the Region Eightdormitory this morningtold Stabroek News that he assisted in saving at least eight students. According to him, he was the first person to respond to the fire afterbeing alerted by his dogs constantly barking.

“I wentoverin my underwearalone and tried to save them. On the leftside of the buildingthere was only smoke so I rush in and try to getthem to exit. The smoke had them bad butI wrap a cloth around my face and run and grab who I can,” John explained. He stated that he made two trips before he had to pull out of the rescue mission due to the high volume of smoke. He went on to state that if others were brave as him they could have saved more students in a timely manner.

Nonetheless, he stated thatpersons who responded afterhim, assisted in trying to open up the grills for the students to escape.

1823-2023. Bicentennialof the Demeraraslave rebellion

“When I hearthe screams I run to get a piece of wood and try to open the grill but I couldn’tdo it on my own and the other guys help. They pull who they could have out of the building. Some of the kids were badly burnt…” John who spoke with this publication via phone added.

The first responder and local community hero added that the fire service responded approximately 20 minutes afterthe blaze started. By then the building was consumed by the inferno.

In a Facebook Live from Mahdia, resident Kyle Smith said that despite the doors being opened after the alarm was raised, students were trapped. It was related that the grills on the windows would have contributed to students beingtrapped.

Smith in his video stated his wife alerted him to an amber glow in the sky and he later realised it was a fire at the dormitory.

“My wife wake me up and said look how the place looking red red on that one side and it looked so attractive to my eyes. I picked up my phone to take a picture but there and then I realised when people start shoutingfor help and when I look closely there is fire,”he recounted.

He noted that just after his arrival on the scene, he assisted in taking a student to the Ambulance but many others remained trapped.

He noted that from all indications some students were severely burnt. Those who perished in the fire were badly burnt, it was reported and a few students were found on theirbeds.

“There isn’t much the fire service could have done because there is just one truck in Mahdia and the lil waterit had stored up, they use up and itfinishes and the truck gone…about20minutes lateritreturned,” he explained to viewers.

During his live stream, he stated that the roof of the building collapsed and the entire property was engulfed in flames. The rains howeverarrived some minutes laterand helped putoutthe blaze.

Government in their statement added “It is with heavy heart and pain that the Cabinet is being briefed and kept updated on a horrific fire at the dormitory in Mahdia…Our thoughts and prayers are with our children and theirfamilies at this time. We will continue to update as information becomes available.”

Meanwhile, Opposition parliamentarian Natasha Singh-Lewis said her party is deeply saddened by the news of the fire that engulfed the schooldormitory in Mahdia, taking the lives of severalschool children.

“The loss of innocentlives is always a painful and heartbreakingexperience, and this incident has left us all with a heavy heart. As acommunity, we stand in solidarity with the families of the victims, and we offer our sincerestcondolences duringthis difficulttime,” she added.

In the same breath, she used the opportunity to call for a thorough investigation from officials into the cause of the fire and for a detailed reportto be released to the public on whatwentwrong.

“We need to understand how this most horrific and deadly incident occurred and take all necessary measures to preventsuch atragedy from happeningagain in the future,”Lewis-Singh said as she pointed out that it is a sad day for the country.

OlympicAssociationunveilsbustinhonourof Parris;Guyana’s only Olympic medalist

Village Voice May 29, 2023

The Guyana Olympians Association recently unveiled a bust of Guyana’s only Olympic medallist, Mr. Michael ‘Mike’ Parris. Parris competed in the bantamweight (54 kg) division at the 1980 Summer OlympicsinMoscow, Soviet Union, where he earneda bronze medal,holding the coveted title of being Guyana’s first ever and only Olympic medalist. He is also the only pugilist from the English-speaking Caribbean to achieve this feat. The bust, unveiled on May 18th May was crafted by Keith Agard in honour of Parris’ 1980 achievement. It is located on the Merriam’s Mall, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive between Church Street and North Road.