Afro-Guyanese
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Afro Guyanese |
---|
Total population |
30.2% of Guyana's population |
Regions with significant populations |
Guyana (Georgetown) United Kingdom, Canada, United States |
Languages |
Guyanese Creole |
Religions |
Islam and Christianity |
Afro Guyanese are the inhabitants of Guyana of African origin. When planters made land available to East Indians in the late 19th century when they had denied land to the Africans several decades earlier, Afro-Guyanese resentment of other colonial ethnic groups was reinforced. The Afro-Guyanese people's perception of themselves as the true Guyanese derived not only from their long history of residence, but also from a sense of superiority based on their literacy, Christianity, and British colonial values.
By the early twentieth century, the majority of the urban population of the country was African Guyanese. Many Afro Guyanese living in villages had migrated to the towns in search of work. Until the 1930s, Afro Guyanese, especially those of mixed African and European descent, comprised the bulk of the nonwhite professional class. During the 1930s, as the Indian Guyanese began to enter the middle class in large numbers, they began to compete with Afro Guyanese for professional positions.
[edit] Notable Afro Guyanese
- Cuffy Rebel Slave.
- Eon Sinclair Bassist for Bedouin Soundclash.
- Jason David Canadian-American footballer cornerback.
- Eddy Grant British reggae artist.
- Maestro Canadian rapper and actor.
- Forbes Burnham Late Former Guyanese President.
- Sam Hinds Prime Minister.
- Deborah Cox Singer/Songwriter & Actress.
- Sean Patrick Thomas Actor (Save the Last Dance and Barbershop)
- Leona Lewis Singer with an Afro-Guyanese Father
[edit] References
- This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain.
|