Related: Cuffy Statue or the 1763 Monument on the Guyana, South America official website.
First Published: 19th of February, 2019 by Patrick Carpen.
Last updated: December 15, 2022 at 17:37 pmThe Cuffy Statue, also called the 1763 Monument, is a national monument of Guyana that was erected in honor of rebel slave “Cuffy.” Variations of the spelling include Coffy, Kofi, and Koffi.
The location where the monument has been erected is called “The Square of the Revolution.”
Cuffy led a rebellion against his Dutch colonial masters around the year 1763. He took control of the county of Berbice for one year. However, things took a deadly turn after a disagreement with a fellow rebel named Akara.
Akara and Cuffy had both led the uprising against the Dutch. However, the uprising later twisted into a power struggle between Akara and Cuffy. Akara led troops against Cuffy’s forces and defeated them. There are conflicting reports as to how Cuffy met his death. Some say that he was executed by the Dutch plantation owners. Others say that when Cuffy saw that he was at the point of being defeated, he killed himself.
Neighboring European military powers soon moved in and crushed the remaining rebel forces.
Today, Cuffy is named as a national hero of Guyana, South America for having led a much needed resistance against his imperialist oppressors. The national holiday, Republic Day, is observed on the 23rd of February every year – the anniversary of the 1763 Slave Rebellion.
Read More: People, History, and Culture of Guyana
