Cuffy (person)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. (help, get involved!)
This article has been tagged since February 2007.

Cuffy, or Kofi, was an Akan slave in the Dutch colony of Berbice in present-day Guyana, who in 1763 led a revolt of more than 2,500 slaves. They held most of Berbice for ten months, but divisions among the rebels and attacks by the Dutch led to the collapse of the rebellion, and Cuffy committed suicide soon after.

Towards the end of the Berbice Slave Uprising Cuffy disagreed violently with Akara, one of the leaders of the rebellion. Akara was demoted and made to work in the gang. Akara later joined Atta against Cuffy. Later still, he cooperated with the Dutch, taking part in the successful assault on Accabre which ended the rebellion.

The anniversary of the Cuffy slave rebellion, February 23, has been Republic Day in Guyana since 1970.