The Berbice Slave Rebellion

Coffij Statue in the Square of Revolution in Georgetown, Guyana

In this celebration month of Black history, as we honour our heroes and icons of the past, I am reminded of the seldom-told story of the Berbice Slave Rebellion and its intrepid leader Coffij/Koffi/ “Cuffy.” Never heard of either? Here is another overlooked page of Black history.

Berbice was a Dutch colony, eventually comprising part of my native country of Guyana. In the 1750s, over one hundred and thirty plantations operated on the sweat and suffering of enslaved Africans, producing coffee, cacao, cotton and sugar. Relentless violence, physical and sexual abuse as well as overwork made servitude unbearable. And, in the early 1760s, disease, hunger and starvation pushed the enslaved to the breaking point. Then in February 1763 Coffij, an Akan man, led a revolt against the Dutch colonists, burning plantations and killing the oppressors.

I recently read a stirring work by Professor Marjoleine Kars:  Blood on the River, a book that tells the history of this, the first prolonged rebellion of enslaved Africans in the Americas. The Berbice rebellion occurred well before the 1791 Haitian revolution when subjugated Africans rose up against the colonial regime and became the first Black Republic in the western hemisphere. I knew the story of the Berbice revolt, but the details and first hand accounts conveyed by Professor Kars brought the event and people involved to life.

Sources for the book were obtained from the National Archives in The Hague, Netherlands, and included documentation from both the insurgents and the colonial forces and planters. For over a year the Dutch were forced into an enclave at the Berbice river's mouth. Coffij became, in effect, governor of a freed territory upriver. Correspondence between Governor Coffij and the Dutch Governor Van Hoogenheim, inform and enliven the book. Interviews carried out with Africans who participated in the revolt were recorded at the time and used by the author to provide the reader with vivid personal descriptions of the turmoil and desperation of those who lived through the event and its aftermath. 

Coffij was a freedom lover but also a pragmatist interested in making self-rule work. As the fighting went on, he presented a solution to the Dutch Governor whereby both former slaves and settlers could coexist side by side in Berbice. The insurgents outnumbered the colonists about 5 to 1 but unlike the Dutch, Coffij lacked allies and material support in bordering colonies, not to mention the colonial army of the Netherlands. The Dutch Governor never intended to negotiate with Coffij in good faith, but kept up appearances and stalled while waiting for reinforcements to appear. Ultimately, with the arrival of additional military forces, the insurgents lost their fight for freedom.

As a result of his defeat, Coffij felt public disgrace and shame. To preserve his honour, he committed suicide. In today’s world, this would be considered a self-destructive act. But politically motivated suicide was common in some precolonial West African kingdoms, especially among rulers who lost the confidence of their adherents as Coffij did. Consider this act in contrast to today’s self serving politicians who put their ambitions and careers ahead of their constituents. Coffij is indeed a hero – Guyana’s hero.

In 2013, I began a journey of discovery of my own heritage. DNA analysis pointed me to Sierre Leone and the Central African Republic. As I read the excerpts in Kars’s account, I couldn’t help but wonder if my ancestors were rebellious and joined any of the revolts. Had I lived then, I probably would have joined them. Failing that, we can honor their courage and strength in this month of remembrance.

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Originally published by The Caribbean Camera February, 2024