Cuffy (person)
Encyclopedia
Cuffy, or Kofi was an Akan
person who was captured in his native West Africa
and sold into slavery
to work in the plantations of the Dutch colony
of Berbice
in present-day Guyana
. He became famous because in 1763 he led a revolt of more than 2,500 slaves against the colony regime. He is also a national hero in Guyana.
(barrel maker). An uprising broke out at Madgalenenburg plantation, upper Canje River, on February 1763 and moved on to neighbouring plantations attacking owners. When Governor Van Hogenheim sent military assistance to the region, the rebellion had reached the Berbice River
and was moving steadily towards the Berbice capital, Fort Nassau
. They got gunpower and guns from the attacked plantations.
By 3 March the rebels were 500 in number led by Cosala
tried to take the brick house of Peerboom. They agreed to allow the whites to leave the brick house, but as soon they left, the rebels killed many and took several prisoners, among them the wife of the Bearestyn Plantation owner whom Coffy kept as his wife.
Coffy was soon accepted by the rebels as their leader and declared himself Governor of Berbice. Doing so he named Akara as his deputy and tried to establish discipline over the troops. Accabre was skillful in military discipline. They organized the farms in order to provide food supplies.
in Guyana since 1970. Cuffy is commemorated in the 1763 Monument in the Square of the Revolution in the capital Georgetown
.
Akan people
The Akan people are an ethnic group found predominately in Ghana and The Ivory Coast. Akans are the majority in both of these countries and overall have a population of over 20 million people.The Akan speak Kwa languages-Origin and ethnogenesis:...
person who was captured in his native West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
and sold into slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
to work in the plantations of the Dutch colony
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
of Berbice
Berbice
Berbice is a region along the Berbice River in Guyana, which was between 1627 and 1815 a colony of the Netherlands. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom in the latter year, it was merged with Essequibo and Demerara to form the colony of British Guiana in 1831...
in present-day Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
. He became famous because in 1763 he led a revolt of more than 2,500 slaves against the colony regime. He is also a national hero in Guyana.
The Berbice Slave Uprising
Coffy lived in Lilienburg, a plantation on the Canjie River as a house-slave for a cooperCooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
(barrel maker). An uprising broke out at Madgalenenburg plantation, upper Canje River, on February 1763 and moved on to neighbouring plantations attacking owners. When Governor Van Hogenheim sent military assistance to the region, the rebellion had reached the Berbice River
Berbice River
The Berbice River, located in eastern Guyana, rises in the highlands of the Rupununi region. The Berbice flows northward for 370 miles through dense forests to the coastal plain...
and was moving steadily towards the Berbice capital, Fort Nassau
Fort Nassau
The name Fort Nassau was used by the Dutch in the 17th century for several fortifications, mostly trading stations, named for the House of Orange-Nassau...
. They got gunpower and guns from the attacked plantations.
By 3 March the rebels were 500 in number led by Cosala
Cosalá
thumb|right|Vista aérea de Cosalá, en Sinaloa.Cosalá is a city and its surrounding municipality in the Mexicanstate of Sinaloa. It stands at.The municipality reported 17 269 inhabitants in the 2000 census.-Overview:...
tried to take the brick house of Peerboom. They agreed to allow the whites to leave the brick house, but as soon they left, the rebels killed many and took several prisoners, among them the wife of the Bearestyn Plantation owner whom Coffy kept as his wife.
Coffy was soon accepted by the rebels as their leader and declared himself Governor of Berbice. Doing so he named Akara as his deputy and tried to establish discipline over the troops. Accabre was skillful in military discipline. They organized the farms in order to provide food supplies.
Decadency of the rebellion
Van Hoogenheim committed himself to retake the colony. Akara attacked the whites three times without permission from Cuffy, but they were driven back. Thus began a dispute among the two rebels. On 2 April 1763 Cuffy wrote to Van Hoogenheim saying that he did not want a war against the whites and proposed a partition of Berbice with the whites occupying the coastal areas and the blacks the interior. Van Hoogenheim delayed his decision waiting for support from neighboring colonies. Cuffy then ordered his forces to attack the whites on 13 May 1763, but in so doing had many losses. The defeat opened a division among the rebels and weakened their organization. Akara became the leader of a new faction opposed to Cuffy and lead to a civil war among themselves. When Akara won, Cuffy killed himself.National hero
The anniversary of the Cuffy slave rebellion, 23 February, has been Republic DayRepublic Day
Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics.-1 January in the Republic of Slovakia:This was the day of creation of the Republic of Slovakia. A national holiday since 1993...
in Guyana since 1970. Cuffy is commemorated in the 1763 Monument in the Square of the Revolution in the capital Georgetown
Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
.