1763 Monument (Georgetown, Guyana)

1763 Monument (Georgetown, Guyana)

Subject (Topic)
Guyana--Georgetown
Public art
Public sculpture
Resistance
Slave insurrections--Canje River (Guyana)
Slavery--Guyana
Slavery--The Netherlands
Transatlantic slave trade

Subject (Name)
Cuffy (Coffy, Kofi Badu), d. 1763

Subject (Object Type)
Commemorative sculpture

Unveiled three days before the tenth anniversary of Guyanese Independence, the work celebrates the Guyanese anti-colonial struggle, resistance to slavery, and eventual emancipation. It is dedicated to the memory of Cuffy (Kofi Badu), an Akan man sold into slavery who led a revolt in 1763 against the Dutch owners of the Magdalenburg plantation on the Canje River in Berbice (now part of Guyana). Although the uprising was ultimately unsuccessful, Cuffy’s rebellion anticipated the eventual end of slavery in Guyana. The sculpture stands atop a tall, tiered pedestal resembling a staircase. At the summit is a bold and commanding figure of Cuffy standing in a powerful, upright pose, with his feet planted firmly apart. He holds a pig in one hand and a dog in the other— symbols of greed and ignorance. His facial expression is defiant and determined, marked by a pouting mouth. The base of the monument prominently displays the number 1763, along with a bronze plaque bearing stylized bas-relief human figures in dynamic poses.

Moore, Philip Alphonso, 1921-2012

Photograph: Wikimedia Commons

May 23, 1976

National Trust of Guyana; Morris Singer Foundry; Dr. David Klautky (structural engineer); Albert Rodrigues (architect)

National Trust of Guyana, 94 Carmichael Street, North Cummingsburg, Georgetown, Guyana

JPEG

English

Visual Arts-Sculpture

D'Urban Park, Square of the Revolution, Vlissengen Road, Georgetown, Guyana

Signage:
1763 Monument
National Trust of Guyana
Safeguarding and Promoting Our Heritage

Located at the eastern end of Brickdam on Vlissengen Road, D’Urban Park, is the 1763 Monument, a National Monument. This structure was built at a cost of $38,000.00 to commemorate the 1763 rebellion also known as the “Great Rebellion” that occurred on plantation Magdelenenburg in Berbice, Region six. The plantation was located on the upper Canje River and was owned by Madam Vernesobre. 

The uprising that started on February 23, 1763, was considered the first true attempt by slaves to fight for their freedom in an organized fashion, started. During the revolt, a household slave named Cuffy from plantation Lilienburg quickly assumed a leading role in the rebellion and organized a number of riots against plantations owners. The uprising lasted for more than a year before the Dutch were able to overcome the slaves. 

For Guyana’s 10th Independence anniversary, a call was made to have a monument erected to commemorate the rebellion. Advertisements were placed in the local newspapers calling for designs and Mr. Phillip Alphonso Moore’s concept of the monument was selected. The structure was unveiled by President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham on May 23, 1976. 

The monument was casted in sections at the Morris Singer Foundry in Basingstoke, England, with the assistance of structural engineer Dr. David Klautky and was assembled through welding. On site, it stands 4.6 metres (15 feet) high and weighs 2267 kilograms (2 ½ tons) and rests on a plinth 5.5 metres (18 feet) high which was designed by architect Albert Rodrigues. Some features of the monument include shield like face on the chest that represents a spiritual guard against enemies and map of Guyana carved on the back representing the peoples of Guyana.

180 in. (457.2 cm)

Bronze

National Trust of Guyana. "1763 Monument." December 17, 2021. Accessed February 16, 2025. https://ntg.gov.gy/monument/1763-monument/.

Conduru, Roberto. "Transnational Counter-monuments: Anti-Slavery and Pro-Freedom Memorials." ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, July 30, 2021. Accessed January 28, 2026. https://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/transnational-counter-monuments/.

Renée Ater

Sculpture

180 in. (457.2 cm)