Guyana in Pictures by Charles F. Gritzner is a handy monograph about a fledging nation. It tells of a country that’s 83,000 square miles with a population of 800,000. It describes the home of its six peoples – Indians, Africans, Europeans, Chinese, Amerindians, and Mixed. About 100 pictures adorn the book’s pages of Guyanese farmers, industries, buildings, school children, and flora and fauna.
The text recalls the history of this land that was once settled by the Spanish, French, Dutch, and English. It shows how eventually the British came to control the entire country and united the cities of Georgetown and New Amsterdam. Slavery was part of this country’s history. African slaves were brought first by the Dutch to work on the plantations. It was the British who eventually suspended the slave trade. But slavery was replaced by indentured servants. Originally these were Portuguese and Chinese, until huge numbers of East Indians replaced them.
With the abolition of slavery in the 1834 Afro-Guyanese that made up some 30 percent of the population found jobs in professions and trades in Georgetown. Many of the East Indians that constituted 50 percent of the population became residents in the rural areas of the country and continued to work on the sugar and rice plantations. English is the native language, although Guyanese speak “talkie talkie” or Creolese. A large segment of the population is Christian – mainly Anglican. But many of the Europeans and Portuguese are Roman Catholics. East Indians are Hindus, and Moslems. Some peak Hindi and Urdu among other Indian languages.
Local foods reflect the many countries of Guyanese origin. Hindus are famous for their Indian cuisine e.g., curried dishes. Africans are known for their Afro-Guyanese meals e.g., cook up, and metemgee. Chinese dishes consist of noodles e.g., low mein. Amerindians are known for their pepperpot. And there are also some European influences of roast beef and puddings. Local arts are representational. Many depictions show cultural renditions of West Indian and European music by steel band. Sculpture depicts images of locals during the days of slavery, especially popular slave revolts. ( )