queen elizabeth visits guyana

People, History and Culture of Guyana

Guyana is a land of six races, so we have lots of stories to tell. This blog features stories and articles related to the people, history and cultures of Guyana, South America

Queen Elizabeth II – a Glorious Part of Guyana’s History (Redirected)

This article has been migrated to: Queen Elizabeth II – a Glorious Part of Guyana’s History on the Guyana, South America official website.

Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II, was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on 21st of April, 1926 in Mayfair, London, England at 02:40 hours (GMT), while Guyana was still a British colony and was called British Guiana . She ascended the throne of the British Monarchy on the 6th of February, 1952 after the death of her father, King George VI. Her coronation ceremony took place on June 2, 1953 and was the first televised coronation ceremony in history. Queen Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years until her death on September 8, 2022 after which her son, Prince Charles, became King.

In the early 1950s, fueled by greed and the lure of money, a handful of Guyanese politicians started to persecute the British Empire, fighting for Guyana’s Independence and the end of colonial rule. The two chief ringleaders in the crime were Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham and Dr. Cheddi Jagan. Their freedom fighting activities included burning cane fields, smear campaigns against the British, name calling, and instigating public unrest. And the end result of their actions included racial division, violent clashes between the two major ethnic groups, poverty, international isolation, economic stagnation, starvation, and mass migration. Yet, Burnham and Jagan are hailed as great heroes, sons of the soil, and fathers of the nation for purely racist reasons.

Related: St. Ignatius Secondary School Arts Student Paints Incredible Portrait of Elizabeth 11

I’ll talk more about this later. For now, let’s come back to the topic of the Queen. On the 21st of December, 2007, Queen Elizabeth II broke her great grandmother’s record and became the longest lived British Monarch. On the 9th of September, 2015, she became the longest reigning female Monarch in the world.

On February 4th, 1966, at the start of her Caribbean tour, Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by her husband, Prince Phillip, became the first reigning monarch to visit British Guiana in its 152 years under the British Flag. The then opposition People’s Progressive Party called on its supporters to boycott the Queen’s visit. However, the appeal seem to have fallen on deaf ears as the entire gamut of society turned up to give the Queen an overwhelmingly warm welcome.

On the first day of the 1966 visit, the Royal couple went to the Durban Park Race Track in Georgetown to see the running of the Queen’s trophy. That day, the Queen presented the winning trophy to “Maid of Joy” which was owned by Miss Claudette Joseph of Trinidad.

During this visit, she opened the Queen Elizabeth II National Park in Georgetown – which was later renamed Guyana National Park.

Accompanied again by her husband, Prince Phillip, Queen Elizabeth paid her second and final visit to Guyana in February, 1994. This time around however, the Queen received a warm welcome from the People’s Progressive Party, which had assumed office since 1992. The photo below shows how cozy the then leader of the PPP/C, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, had gotten with the Royal family. There were no calls for boycott this time around. As the saying goes, “all’s well that ends well.”

The Queen spent the first morning of her 1994 visit touring the Amerindian settlement of Santa Mission. There, she exchanged gifts with the locals, attended a church service, and visited a school and handicraft center. The Queen ended her 4-day visit on Tuesday, 22nd of February, 2022 by laying a wreath for Guyanese soldiers who had died fighting for Britain during the Second World War. That day, hundreds of Guyanese struggled to get a look at the queen at the ceremony at the Commonwealth War Memorial.

At the ripe old age of 96, Elizabeth II reportedly fell ill on September 8, 2022 and was placed under medical supervision at Balmoral Castle. According to a statement from Buckingham Palace, “ Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision. The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral. ”

Queen Elizabeth II died the same day at 15:10 hours BST. The cause of her death was recorded as “old age.” On the 19th of September, 2022, having lived a long, meaningful, and glorious life on earth, she was laid to rest at the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

People, History, and Culture Sitemap

Related posts:.

You may also like

Guyana is Geographically South America, but Culturally Caribbean (Redirected)

I agree with this post. The writer got the facts accurately indeed. Politicians will be critical of course but the writer “hit the nail squarely on the head”. Completely different from what many Guyanese unaware of these truths have been told and read.

Thank you Malcolm. We appreciate your comment.

It is disgusting that the writer would labeled the local leaders as ringleaders in crime. What crime? Fighting to liberate their people from the claws of a wicked system is a crime? What about the crimes of SLAVERY and COLONIALISM against humanity committed by her family then she? The writer went on to described the action (s) by our leaders as fueled by greed. What were the British Empire action throughout history? The British Empire actions were characterized by enslavement, colonialism, murder, rape, theft etc. They are probably one of the most, if not the most EVIL EMPIRE ever existed. …  Read more »

• Advertise with us!
• Classifieds

Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana Riding on the Crest of Truth

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, who last visited Guyana 28 years ago, dies

Posted by: Denis Chabrol in News Thursday, 8 September 2022, 13:38 0

Last Updated on Thursday, 8 September 2022, 14:17 by Denis Chabrol

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to Timberhead, Guyana in 1994.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, who last visited Guyana in 1994, died on Thursday.

She was 96 years old. The Queen reigned for 70 years.

The Queen last visited this former British colony in  February 1994. Then, she had visited several places of interest including Santa Mission and Timberhead.

The Queen had also addressed a special sitting of the National Assembly during that visit.

She had been accompanied by her now late husband Primce Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh,

During her Caribbean tour, she had also visited Dominica, Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas.

The Queen is also the Head of the Commonwealth, an organisation of former British colonies. She missed the recently-held Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Kigali, Rwanda.

It was in the run-up to her visit to Guyana that the then government had been convinced to return the Queen Victoria statue to the forecourt of the Highvisit in Georgetown.  During the Forbes Burnham administration it had been removed and dumped aback the Botanical Gardens.

Prior to 1994, Queen Elizabeth II had visited Guyana in 1966.

Below is a full BBC report on the passing of the Queen.

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.

Her family gathered at her Scottish estate after concerns grew about her health earlier on Thursday.

The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous social change.

With her death, her eldest son Charles, the former Prince of Wales, will lead the country in mourning as the new King and head of state for 14 Commonwealth realms.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.

“The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

All the Queen’s children travelled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen, after doctors placed the Queen under medical supervision.

Click to Share This Article:

• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)

A history of the Royal Family on tour in the Caribbean

Next month, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are thought to be embarking on their first royal tour in two years, visiting the Caribbean. It will be the first time that the couple have visited many of the Commonwealth nations there, having previously been to Australia and New Zealand, as well as the US and Canada. The trip is part of a planned charm offensive during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee year, with the young and charismatic duo set to showcase their unique brand of modern royalty. 

The Caribbean has always been an important destination for royal tours. Indeed, the Queen is currently still head of state in 15 countries around the world, half of which are in the Caribbean, so it is unsurprising it is such an important destination for the Royal Family. 

Her Majesty's first visit was in her Coronation year, 1953, highlighting just how important she regards these nations as being. In that year, she travelled first to Bermuda and then to Jamaica. She did not return until February 1966, when she took on a more all-encompassing tour of Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, British Guiana, Dominica, Antigua and Turks and Caicos. She made the trip again in 1975, taking in Bermuda, the Bahamas and Barbados, returning once more in 1977. She visited twice more in the 1980s, and once in the 1990s, with her last trip being in 2009 to Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda. 

Since then, she has handed the baton of royal travel on to the next generation, including her son, Prince Charles, and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, who have visited several times together in 2017 and 2019. The heir to the throne's last trip was just last December, when he bore witness to Barbados becoming a republic. 

Prince Harry, pre-Megxit, was also dispatched to the Caribbean. He undertook a tour to Jamaica in 2012, famously racing Usain Bolt, and in 2016, undertook a two-week, seven-country trip in honour of the Queen's 90th birthday (where he met with Rihanna in Barbados). 

Scroll down for a visual history of the Royal Family's tours to the Caribbean to date.

Queen Elizabeth II socialising with people during her visit in Bermuda, 1953.

Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth in Jamaica, 1953. 

Crowd waiting for the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in Jamaica, 1953. 

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh leave the House of Assembly in Hamilton, Bermuda, during a six-month tour of the Commonwealth nations, November 1953. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth II at a reception given by Forbes Burnham (1925 - 1985), the Prime Minister of Guyana, in Georgetown, British Guyana, during a royal tour of the Caribbean, 7th February 1966. Prince Philip is at centre, left, while Burnham and his wife Viola are at centre, right.  

Queen Elizabeth II arrives in Saint Kitts during a royal tour of the Caribbean, February 1966. 

Prime Minister of Guyana, Forbes Burnham and his wife Viola (left) with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip (right) in Georgetown, British Guyana,  1966.

Queen Elizabeth ll and the Duke of Edinburgh drive among the crowds during the Royal Tour in the Bahamas in 1977.

Queen Elizabeth ll picks up a mango as she tours a market in the British Virgin Islands in October of 1977. 

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh arriving in the Bahamas, 1985. 

Prince Charles visiting a refuge for abandoned children in Trinidad, 2008.

The Duchess of Cornwall, Prime Minister Patrick Manning, Prince Charles and Hazel Manning pose for a photograph at the Prime Minister's residence on the first day of a three day tour of Trinidad and Tobago in 2008.

The Duchess of Cornwall and the Prince of Wales play the steel pans at The University of the West Indies St Augustine Campus on the second day of a three day tour of Trinidad and Tobago in 2008.

The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles visit the Volcano Observatory at Soufrie Volcano in Little Bay, Montserrat, 2008.

Prince Harry races Usain Bolt at the Usain Bolt Track at the University of the West Indies in 2012.

Prince Harry visits the Sir McChesney George High School during the third day of his tour of the Caribbean in 2016. 

Prince Harry arrives for the unveiling of the dedication to The Queen's Commonwealth Canopy and Arbour Day Fair at Queen Victoria Park Botanical Gardens on the third day of an official visit to St John's, Antigua and Barbuda in 2016.

Prince Harry and Rihanna attend a Golden Anniversary Spectacular Mega Concert at the Kensington Oval Cricket Ground in Bridgetown, Barbados on day 10 of an official visit to the Caribbean in 2016.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall attend a reception at Government House in Nevis, St Kitts, in 2019. 

Prince Charles with Resa Layne, Barbados Head of Protocol, at a reception hosted by the President, in Bridgetown, Barbados, in 2021.

• Arts & Entertainment
• Crime & Security
• International
• 4 minutes 4 change
• Chronicles of a Chronic Guyana Chronicler
• Frederick Kissoon
• Its in Our Nature
• LCDS in perspective
• Oil, Gas & You
• Talking Culture
• The Science of COVID-19
• Beyond the Runway
• Big Little Voice
• Consumer Concern
• Dentist Advises
• Lead Stories
• Fables of a Wondering Mind
• Focus On The Village
• Psychologist
• The Write Mind
• Youth Perspective

• |  September 18, 2022
• By Staff Reporter
• -  September 18, 2022

THE life and service of the late Queen Elizabeth II, was, on Saturday, honoured by the Diocese of Guyana, during a commemorative service held at the St George’s Cathedral. The religious body was joined by senior government officials, the people of the United Kingdom and people of the British Commonwealth in mourning the loss of Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II, while serving as the monarch of the United Kingdom (UK), also served as the Head of State for some 13 countries, Head of the Commonwealth, and Head of the Anglican Church worldwide and bore the title “Defender of the Faith.”

Prime Minister of Guyana, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, during his address at the service, expressed sympathy to the Royal family and said that Queen would be remembered for her kindness, warmth, and unity. The British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller, said that for many persons, the late Queen had been their only monarch for all their lives.

“In fact, it was just a few months ago that the British High Commission here in Georgetown was celebrating these 70 years, the Platinum Jubilee. This really is the end of an era,” she said. High Commissioner Miller went on to say: “The Queen once said that “grief is the price we pay for love” and I believe our grief today reflects the love and respect for this incredible woman.”

She added that one of the recurring themes in the messages of condolence she received has been an appreciation for the Queen’s life-long unwavering commitment to public service. “At the age of just 21, she committed her life to public service – whether her life be short or long. And it was long. At the age of 96, just two days before she passed away, we all saw her public service as she met the UK’s new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, asking her to form a government,” Miller said. said.

High Commissioner Miller added: “During her reign, she travelled all over the world [to] over 120 different countries and conducted 290 state visits… but, she had a particular passion for the Commonwealth. She visited Guyana twice, first in 1966, just before Independence and then as part of tour of the Commonwealth in 1994 when she visited this beautiful Cathedral.”

She said that on Saturday, they mourned the loss of their Queen, a woman of integrity and grace, a woman dedicated to public service, a woman who loved the Commonwealth, and a Queen who was loved by people all around the world. “As we mourn, we remember today her family. Her children including His Majesty King Charles III who has lost his mother, and the rest of the royal family who have lost their grandma and great grandma,” Miller said.

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More from this author

• | 2024-08-24

Mailing Address

Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown, Guyana.

General Numbers

(592) 226-3243-9

[email protected] (Editorial) (Advertising Department) [email protected] or [email protected]

E-Papers Daily

Business supplement.

🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed!

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!

Get us in your inbox

Sign up to our newsletter for the latest and greatest from your city and beyond

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

Awesome, you're subscribed!

The best things in life are free.

Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush).

Déjà vu! We already have this email. Try another?

• Things to Do
• Food & Drink
• Arts & Culture
• Time Out Market
• Coca-Cola Foodmarks
• Los Angeles

Here’s every country Queen Elizabeth II visited in her 70-year reign

From Algeria to Zimbabwe, the Queen visited at least 117 different countries

Queen Elizabeth II, who died earlier today , was probably the best-travelled monarch in history. In her 70 years as UK monarch, Her Maj apparently travelled to at least 117 different countries – and covered over a million miles, according to The Telegraph .

The Queen travelled for loads of reasons, from ceremonial openings to official state visits, but she got around so much primarily because she was head of state for the Commonwealth: a political association of countries that were largely conquered by Britain back when it was an imperial power. RECOMMENDED: How the world is paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

In fact, Elizabeth II wasn’t just the Queen of the United Kingdom: during her time on the throne, she reigned over a total of 32 sovereign countries. Having started her reign in the final years of the British Empire, she ruled over a number of former British colonies as they became independent sovereign states. Many, but not all, later cut ties with the monarchy and became republics.

Queen Elizabeth II reigned, at various points, over Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Ceylon (later Sri Lanka), Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Sierra Leone, the Solomon Islands, South Africa, Tanganyika (later Tanzania), Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda and, of course, the UK . She was also proclaimed as queen by Rhodesia, the predecessor to Zimbabwe.

By the time of her death, she was still the queen of 15 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and the UK. She was the Queen of Barbados until November 2021, when the Caribbean nation became a republic.

As you’d expect, the Queen visited all of these places – and plenty more – during her 70-year reign. Here is a full list of all the countries and states the Queen travelled to during her reign, and the dates when she visited.

Algeria (1980)

Antigua and Barbuda (1966, 1977, 1985)

Australia (1953, 1963, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2011)

Austria (1969)

Bahamas (1966, 1977, 1985, 1994)

Bahrain (1979)

Bangladesh (1983)

Barbados (1966, 1977, 1985, 1989)

Belgium (1966, 1993, 1998, 2007)

Belize (1985, 1994)

Bermuda (1953, 1975, 1983, 1994, 2009)

Botswana (1979)

Brazil  (1968)

British Virgin Islands (1966, 1977)

Brunei (1998)

Canada (1957, 1959, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2010)

Cayman Islands (1983, 1994)

Chile (1968)

China (1986)

Cook Islands (1974)

Cyprus (1961, 1983, 1984, 1993)

Czech Republic (1996)

Denmark (1957, 1979)

Dominica (1966, 1985, 1994)

Estonia (2006)

Ethiopia (1965)

Fiji (1953, 1963, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1982)

Finland (1976, 1994)

France (1957, 1972, 1992, 1994, 2004, 2014)

Gambia (1961)

Germany (1990, 1992, 2004, 2015)

Ghana (1961, 1999)

Grenada (1966, 1985)

Guyana (1966, 1994)

Hungary (1993)

Iceland (1990)

India (1961, 1983, 1997)

Indonesia (1974)

Iran (1961)

Ireland (2011)

Italy (1961, 1980, 2000, 2014)

Jamaica (1953, 1966, 1975, 1983, 1994, 2002)

Japan (1975)

Jordan (1984)

Kenya (1952, 1972, 1983, 1991)

Kiribati (1982)

Kuwait (1979)

Latvia (2006)

Liberia (1961)

Libya (1954)

Lithuania (2006)

Luxembourg (1976)

Malawi (1979)

Malaysia (1972, 1989, 1998)

Maldives (1972)

Malta (1954, 1967, 1992, 2005, 2015)

Mauritius (1972)

Mexico (1975, 1983)

Morocco (1980)

Mozambique (1999)

Namibia (1991)

Nauru (1982)

Nepal (1961, 1986)

Netherlands (1958, 1988, 2007)

New Zealand (1953, 1963, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1995, 2002)

Nigeria (1956, 2003)

Norway (1955, 1981, 2001)

Oman (1979, 2010)

Pakistan (1961, 1997)

Panama (1953)

Papua New Guinea (1974, 1977, 1982)

Poland (1996)

Portugal (1957, 1985)

Qatar (1979)

Russia (1994)

Saint Kitts and Nevis (1985)

Saint Lucia (1966, 1985)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1966, 1985)

Samoa (1977)

Saudi Arabia (1979)

Seychelles (1972)

Sierra Leone (1961)

Singapore (1972, 1989)

Solomon Islands (1982)

South Africa (1995, 1999)

South Korea (1999)

Slovakia (2008)

Slovenia (2008)

Spain (1988)

Sri Lanka (1954, 1981)

Sudan (1965)

Sweden (1956, 1983)

Switzerland (1980)

Tanzania (1979)

Thailand (1972, 1996)

Tonga (1953, 1970, 1977)

Trinidad & Tobago (1966, 1985, 2009)

Tunisia (1980)

Turkey (1971, 2008)

Turks and Caicos Islands (1966)

Tuvalu (1982)

Uganda (1954, 2007)

UAE (1979, 2010)

USA (1957, 1976, 1983, 1991, 2007)

Vatican City (1961, 1980, 2000, 2014)

West Germany (1965, 1978, 1987)

Yugoslavia (1972)

Zambia (1979)

Zimbabwe (1991)

What will happen now that the Queen has died?

Will there be a UK bank holiday to mark the death of the Queen?

Everything you need to know about the Queen’s funeral

A military procession for the Queen is planned next week in London

Unusual things that will happen in London after the Queen’s death

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

Discover Time Out original video

• Press office
• Investor relations
• Work for Time Out
• Editorial guidelines
• Privacy notice
• Do not sell my information
• Cookie policy
• Accessibility statement
• Terms of use
• Modern slavery statement
• Manage cookies
• Advertising

Time Out Worldwide

• All Time Out Locations
• North America
• South America
• South Pacific

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Newsletters
• Destinations
• Central & South America

Georgetown, Guyana: Planning Your Trip

Astrid was the Senior Special Projects Editor at TripSavvy.

Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, is almost fairytale-like in appearance thanks to tree-lined streets and quaint Dutch colonial and Victorian architecture stemming from its days as a Dutch and an English colony. Georgetown lies below the high-tide level, protected by a seawall with a series of canals crisscrossing the city. When rains are heavy, flooding is a risk.

Located on the mouth of the Demerara River fronting the Atlantic Ocean, Georgetown, originally called Stabroek, was an ideal location for a European presence in the Caribbean. Rich in timber, bauxite, gold, and diamonds, the land supported sugar cane plantations and enriched the colonial governments. The Spanish, Dutch, French, and English all had their eyes on this region, and each struggled to possess it for years.

The Dutch initially gained the upper hand and established Stabroek on the lines of a tidy, Dutch city. The British occupied the Dutch colony in 1812 during the Napoleonic Wars and renamed the capital and largest city Georgetown in honor of George III. This was convenient for the British who were also fighting what they termed the “American War,” known in the US as the War of 1812.

British Guiana, as it was then called, was the center of border conflicts with its neighbors, Venezuela and Suriname. These conflicts continue, making it difficult to travel between these countries without first passing through another.

Planning Your Trip

Best Time to Visit: The best time to visit Georgetown is in May through July, when the rainy season subsides and makes way towards winter.

Language: English. While Guyana is the only South American country to have English as its official language—a byproduct of British colonization—most Guyanese speak Guyanese Creole as their first language. However, getting around using only English is very feasible.

Currency: Guyanese Dollar

Getting Around: Guyana has limited public bus service that is frequent and affordable. Taxis are the most common form of transportation across the country; a price for the ride can be negotiated with your driver before you get in the car.

Travel Tip: Kaieteur Falls in Kaieteur National Park is the world's widest single-drop waterfall, and one of the most remote waterfalls in the world, completely surrounded by lush, pristine rainforest. Visitors who wish to reach the falls will need to hire a tour company that will charter a plane to the beginning of a trekking point that accesses the falls. 

Things to Do

There are plenty of places to see in Georgetown as well as in the surrounding interior of the country. During your stay, keep your eyes peeled for the unique features of the local architecture, such as the lowered shutters with window boxes and the combination of Dutch and English touches.

• St. George's Cathedral : This cathedral is reputed to be one of the world's tallest wooden buildings, with a spire that rises over 132 feet.
• The Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology : Housed in an elegant wooden building, this museum displays an interesting collection of artifacts and relics of Amerindian culture.
• Umana Yana : Erected by the Wai Wai people of Guyana and northern Brazil for the Foreign Ministers' Conference in August 1972, this palm-thatched structure is now an honored attraction. Umana Yana is an Amerindian word meaning "meeting place of the people."
• Liberation Monument : This monument, located on the Umana Yana grounds, is dedicated to the struggle for freedom everywhere.
• The Botanic Gardens : Scattered with Victorian bridges and pavillions, you're sure to find many types of amazing tropical flora here, including the huge lily pads of the Victoria Regia Lily, Guyana's national flower, first discovered in the Berbice River and named for Queen Victoria.
• Parliament Building : Built in 1833, this is where Guyana's emancipated slaves purchased their own land for the first time. Parliament still meets here; the building was visited by Queen Elizabeth during her state visit in February 1994.
• Old Stabroek Market : This historic cast-iron building with a striking clock tower is home to the largest market in the city, featuring lines of stalls filled with food, clothing, jewelry and handmade goods.

What to Eat and Drink

Guyanese cuisine is a melting pot of Caribbean, Indian, South American and Chinese influences. Curry is a popular dish, as well as metamgee , a meal comprised of dumplings that are made from corn flour, plantains, yams, cassava and eddos root, which are then cooked in coconut milk and flavored with grated coconut.

Locally grown fruit in Guyana include bananas, guava, papaya and cherries. You will typically find root vegetables like cassava and sweet potato as the base of many meals. The national dish of Guyana is pepperpot, a slow-cooked meat stew that is often served at Christmas and other holidays.

Where to Stay

The most developed area of the country, plenty of hotel and hostels can be found in Georgetown. Some great options include the Rainforest B&B , a cozy bed and breakfast featuring a veranda overlooking a lush garden, the modern Kings Hotel & Residence , located downtown, and the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel , overlooking the Demerara River.

Culture and Customs

Despite being in South America, the culture of Guyana feels very Caribbean. The country, which gained independence in 1966, shares a culture that is similar to that of the West Indies, particularly in the coastal areas. There is significant Indian influence in the country due to 65 to 70 percent of Guyanese being of Indian descent, the descendants of plantation laborers brought over during British colonialism. Indian holidays like Diwali and Holi are celebrated here, and dishes such as curry and roti are staples of the country's cuisine. Also similar to India, cricket is one of Guyana's most popular sports.

Money Saving Tips

• Tap water in Guyana is not safe to drink, so make sure to stock up on bottled water in bulk when you first arrive.
• Due to a lack of tourism infrastructure, Georgetown is much less expensive than traveling to the interior of the country, much of which is only accessible by small planes.
• Entry to most museums in Georgetown, such as the Guyana National Museum and the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, is free.

Related Articles

More related articles.

Guyanese Online

The Royal Visit of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip to British Guiana in 1966.

The royal visit of her majesty, queen elizabeth ii and prince phillip to british guiana in 1966..

Queen Elizabeth II has just celebrated the 60th year as a monarch.  Here we show a short film of her visit to British Guiana in early 1966: 

DESCRIPTION:

This item is shot in Technicolor.   British Guiana (Guyana).Various shots of the Orinduik Falls in British Guiana. Several shots of large sugar plantation with men working on it. Several long shots of a village, Dogs, chicken, monkeys etc.Several shots of Georgetown, the capital of British Guiana. Royal yacht Britannia in harbour.

Close up shot of Royal Standard. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, arriving on shore and are greeted by the Governor Sir Richard Luyt and wife. Press taking photographs. Several dignitaries presented to the Queen. Queen and Duke driving in the open car through crowded streets, people cheering loudly.

Queen and Prince Philip waving from the balcony of Parliament building. Mass crowd cheering.Queen and Prince Philip unveil portraits of themselves in legislative chamber, dignitaries looking on. Queen and Prince Philip driving in the open car to Promenade Gardens, large crowd cheering.

Various shots of the Queen meeting various dignitaries and their wives at the party at Promenade Gardens.

Train arriving to station in the village of Plaisance, large crowd cheering. Queen, Duke and Prime Minster leaving the train. Calypso band playing. Queen and Duke leaving on the train, they wave, crowd waving and cheering.

— Post #1089

Share this:

Subject: FW: ROYAL TOUR to BG IN 1966

Long ago, but the video brings back fond memories. I was at the Ministry of Information then. I managed the Press Relations Programme for the visit since there were some 40 British press, TV and radio personnel who came. The Press Centre was set up at Bishops High School. I took the British Press to a visit to Lethem. I was presented, among others, to Her Majesty and Prince Philip at a Press Reception on board the Royal Yacht. And had a great time at the wharf when the Royal Party departed. Peter

This video was the best bit of information that Guyanese Online has provided and spoke volumes. Look at the beautiful and clean Georgetown, the railway, the gardens and the happy faces of our people. I totally enjoyed it. This video was the closing chapter of a great Guyana where the respect for life and quality would spiral down in such a shocking way. The two architects of the tragedy were mentioned and shown. The talk of “Jagan’s PPP and the video of the lurking Forbes Burnham” were ominous and just on the horizon which spelled doomed for this story of “Once Upon A Time in British Guiana”

I met the queen when I way 6 yrs old at Yakusari near school I am Nathaniel Jacob. I wish if someone can send me that photo was a group of my class mates.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

• 8,375,822 hits

Search Blog Entries

Free email subscription.

Enter your email address to follow and get all blog entries

Email Address:

Sign me up!

• *GUYANESE ONLINE – INTRODUCTION
• GUYANESE AUTHORS: Published Books Featured in Guyanese Online
• Dmitri Allicock – Oh Beautiful Guyana Blog – sponsored by Guyanese Online
• Peter Halder Blog – sponsored by Guyanese Online
• RECIPES From Guyana and the Caribbean - From Guyana Outpost archive
• GUYANA and CARIBBEAN RECIPES - New Listings now available
• Fruits of Trinidad and Tobago - and Guyana
• Old Jet Magazines - from 1950 onwards - updated
• British Guiana Colonists - Historical database of residents
• Letter: Tribute to my father David Horace Sookram - by Prof. David Dabydeen
• Apollo Legends Singing at the Apollo Hall of Fame - Parts 1 and 2
• New York City: Little Guyana / Liberty Avenue  Co-naming Ceremony - By Dr. Dhanpaul Narine
• Queen’s College people - commentary
• Education: Queens Gateway Tops the Grade! - By: Dr. Dhanpaul Narine

Recent Posts

• GUYANA: MARTIN CARTER– Carter’s Poetry of the “Negative Yes”
• BOOK: Big Ole Home By De Sea – By Neena Maiya
• GUYANA: Madhia Fire: Letter to the Editor from Eusi Kwayana
• GUYANA: NEW YORK: Queen’s College- Annual Night of Film – Sunday June 18. 2018
• GUYANA: The Sage of Buxton—a special tribute to Baba Eusi Kwayana 
• GUYANA: NINETEEN perished in Mahdia secondary school blaze – Gov’t
• GUYANA: Mississauga Monarch Lions Club – Anniversary Brunch – June 1. 2023
• GUYANA: 132 CARMICHAEL STREET — WEEKENDS
• GUYANA: OIL: ENERGY MAGAZINE – Q1 2023 EDITION
• GUYANA: Baramita: GOLF FOR GUYANA – August 27, 2023 —- save the date!
• GUYANA 57th Independence Gala Dinner – May 27. 2023
• Guyana Association of Georgia – Annual Welcome Party – May 26. 2023
• Working People’s Art Class 1948-1961 – May 16. 2023 – 4PM GMT – ZOOM Presentation
• SANKOFA Pilgrimage to Barbados Set for May 6-13 2024
• BOOK: Aftermath of Empire: The Novels of Roy Heath
• GUYANA: DAVE MARTINS: THE MAKING OF THE MUSIC – video interview
• GUYANA: Flooding in Guyana gets worse
• GUYANA: CARIBANA Dance: August 6. 2023 – Toronto
• GUYANA: Short Story: THE LOTTERY TICKETS – By Royden V. Chan. 1995
• Guyana SPEAKS – Guyanese Food as a Unifying Force -30th April at 3.30pm – Zoom

Recent Comments

• Fitzroy Collins on British Guiana – British Empire Exhibition, Wembley -1924
• nat1938 on Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Rules on No Confidence Vote and GECOM Chairman
• Dennis Albert on GUYANA: Port of Vreed en Hoop Project – opposite Georgetown – Video
• wally on GUYANA: Port of Vreed en Hoop Project – opposite Georgetown – Video
• Dennis Albert on Anti-Money Laundering Bill…hike in foreign currency rates feared
• Dennis Albert on GUYANA: The Guyanese Diaspora: A clarion call for meaningful engagement – By Lear Matthews
• wally on GUYANA: Flooding in Guyana gets worse
• Dr. Shaniza Haniff on GUYANA: The Guyanese Diaspora: A clarion call for meaningful engagement – By Lear Matthews
• wally on GUYANA: NINETEEN perished in Mahdia secondary school blaze – Gov’t
• Bob Gopie on GUYANA: NINETEEN perished in Mahdia secondary school blaze – Gov’t

Monthly Blog Posts

Affiliated partner links.

• Randall Butisingh's Blog

Caribbean News Links

• Barbados – Nation News
• Jamaica Gleaner
• Trinidad Express

Cricket Websites

• Cricket Web Links – Cricinfo
• West Indies Cricket Board

Guyana - History

• BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION WEMBLEY 1924
• The Great Fire of 1945 – Georgetown

Guyana - Other Links

• Guyana Telephone Directory
• PLACE NAMES ALONG GUYANA’S ROADS

Guyana Government

• GOINVEST Website

Guyana News Links

• Guyana Chronicle
• Kaieteur News
• Stabroek News

Other News Links

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

Receive great stories from around the world directly in your inbox.

Stay up to date about Global Voices and our mission. See our Privacy Policy for details. Newsletter powered by Mailchimp ( Privacy Policy  and  Terms ).

• bahasa Indonesia

See all those languages up there? We translate Global Voices stories to make the world's citizen media available to everyone.

• Middle East
• Human Rights
• Digital Activism
• All topics »

The Caribbean responds to Queen Elizabeth II's complicated legacy

Translations

Queen Elizabeth II during her 80th birthday celebrations at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England. Photo by Michael Gwyther-Jones on Flickr, CC BY 2.0 .

After 70 years, London Bridge has fallen down: Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch ever to occupy the British throne, passed away on September 8 at her beloved Balmoral Castle in Scotland, not long after her doctors revealed they were “concerned” for her health. She was 96 years old.

The queen had celebrated her platinum jubilee earlier this year. As part of the celebrations, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and his wife Catherine, embarked upon a Caribbean tour and were met with some resistance over lingering issues related to colonisation . In Belize, for instance, the Q’eqchi Maya community organised protests over indigenous land rights, while in Jamaica, people were calling for an apology from the British royal family for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.

The question of reparations was also top of mind. In 2015, former British prime minister David Cameron refused to entertain any discussion around reparations, advising Jamaicans to “get over slavery.” Instead, he pledged to build a new prison on the island, which only added insult to injury. During the queen's jubilee tour, however, Prince William stopped just short of an apology.

Such a fraught history has left many in the region attempting to achieve a fine balance between acknowledging a life dedicated to duty and service, and wrestling with a legacy that inflicted its share of pain and struggle.

On a thread in the history-focused Facebook group Angelo Bissessarsingh ‘s Virtual Museum of Trinidad and Tobago, members remembered Elizabeth II as carrying herself “with dignity and grace,” doing “a lot for the country and the Commonwealth,” and fulfilling her duties as queen “to the very end.”

Just two days before she died, the queen carried out what would be her final constitutional duty, formally appointing the 15th prime minister of her long reign. Trinidadian Mark Edghill paid tribute on Facebook:

May she Rest Peacefully now after honoring her vow to give her whole life to serving as the Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Committed to duty, tradition and protocols. A symbol and pilar of strength and stability across the globe. Transcending decades of cultural changes, development and technological advancement. Truly the end of an era!

Regional governments acknowledged the queen's passing in a myriad of ways :

Today, the President of Barbados, Her Excellency The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason, offered condolences on behalf of the Government and the people of Barbados, to His Majesty King Charles III, on the passing of The Sovereign, Her Majesty The Queen. https://t.co/J7Cing0asC — Mia Amor Mottley (@miaamormottley) September 8, 2022

The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago examined the queen's “deep legacy through the history of Trinidad and Tobago’s currency,” while in Jamaica — where the queen was head of state — a national day of mourning was declared for September 18, with the admonition that no celebratory events should take place.

From Guyana, author Ruel Johnson put it plainly :

In 1954, two years after Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne, a young poet, himself just a year younger than the then 27-year-old monarch, was thrown into a jail for protesting the rule of the British Empire over the tiny South American colonial territory he was born into, British Guiana. The picture [accompanying Johnson's post] shows that poet, Martin Carter (glasses), being detained along with Cheddi Jagan who was at the time leading the fight for independence from Her Majesty's Empire. That movement would be met with violence from the Crown's government, the deployment of British troops to the tiny place that we know today as Guyana. Of that era, Carter would write: ‘This is the dark time, my love, All round the land brown beetles crawl about. The shining sun is hidden in the sky Red flowers bend their heads in awful sorrow. This is the dark time, my love, It is the season of oppression, dark metal, and tears. It is the festival of guns, the carnival of misery. Everywhere the faces of men are strained and anxious. Who comes walking in the dark night time? Whose boot of steel tramps down the slender grass? It is the man of death, my love, the strange invader Watching you sleep and aiming at your dream.’ Know your history. You have been fed a carefully curated image of cups of tea and crumpets and curtsies and corgis when what exists was built upon blood and injustice.

Guyana-born historian, Professor Richard Drayton, who spent much of his life in Barbados — the most recent Caribbean territory to become a republic — compared Elizabeth II with American singer Chuck Berry and Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro , “three lives which marked the late 20th-century world in very different ways”:

All three were themselves boundary stones of an age in which an anti-Democratic, racist world order, that world of empire and Jim Crow, of cap doffing and acceptance of status inequality which had endured for centuries was suddenly turned upside down. I was born in what was then still a British colony and throughout my primary school days the light blue covered exercise books all had her coronation portrait on the cover. We all used to draw 👓 on her, black out the odd tooth to make an inky gap in the royal mouth, and sometimes add a moustache. These acts of defacement were not anti-monarchical in impulse, but certainly were minor acts of rebellion against the many kinds of authority of which we somehow knew she was an anchor. This is what will be suppressed in this season of compulsory mass emotions, however benign and well-meaning E2 was as a flesh and blood person, of which neither you nor I have concrete knowledge, the Queen’s other body, the official one, symbolised absolute un-democratic right derived from status not contract. She outlived Chuck and Fidel, but she was a guardian of the past, they ambassadors from the future.

Noting that “the corporate-state media engines will seek to manipulate these mass emotions, this cloud of industrially-produced sentimentality about the past, to shape the present and control the future,” Drayton warned :

Against this witchcraft you need to wield your apotropaic charms: whenever they mention Liz, fuse her with Fidel and Chuck, they will be her psychopomps, escorting her to freedom. 😂 Set her free to wear fatigues, smoke cigars, and duck walk into eternity.

Trinbagonian LGBTQ+ activist Jason Jones , who is based in the UK, summed up the flood of reactions this way:

So… a landmark moment in our lives. Loss. Hate. Frustration. Admiration. Fire. We are all twisted in our ideas of mourning & respect.

Despite it all, Trinbagonian Dionne Ligoure maintained :

Say wha all yuh want she was DUTIFUL to the end.

Regional radio personality Wayne LeBlanc, meanwhile, noted :

The BBC will now take all broadcast Networks to School as coverage of Passing of QE 11 begins 🖤

Queen Elizabeth II will lie in rest for 24 hours at Edinburgh's St. Giles’ Cathedral, where members of the public will be allowed to pay their respects. Her body will then be flown to London, where she will lie in state ahead of her funeral, which is expected to take place in about 10 days’ time at Westminster Abbey in London.

[ Editor's Note (September 10, 2022, 3:54 PM AST): An earlier version of this article referred to a letter written by “members of the UNC.” The article has been amended to remove this erroneous reference. ]

• Trinidad & Tobago
• Citizen Media
• Women & Gender

Support our work

Global Voices stands out as one of the earliest and strongest examples of how media committed to building community and defending human rights can positively influence how people experience events happening beyond their own communities and national borders.

Please consider making a donation to help us continue this work.

Recent Caribbean Stories

The passing of an iconic Guyanese singer sparks patriotic feelings, as border dispute with Venezuela drags on

After the SID4 conference in Antigua & Barbuda, ‘small islands’ fight to maintain ‘special case’ status at the UN

Why is most scholastic research never read by those it most benefits — and can we change it?

Recent stories.

Ecuador's conflicts of power: Was there an ‘attempted coup d'état’ or ‘political gender violence'?

From revolution to exile: The journey of Iranian activist Nasrin Bassiri

Hong Kong’s neon glow dims, symbolising the end of an era

Start the conversation.

Authors, please log in »

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

Subscribe to comments on this post via email

• All comments are reviewed by a moderator . Do not submit your comment more than once or it may be identified as spam.
• Please treat others with respect . Comments containing hate speech, obscenity, and personal attacks will not be approved.
• What Is Global Voices?
• Partner with Global Voices
• Translation Services

Global Voices is supported by the efforts of our volunteer contributors, foundations, donors and mission-related services. For more information please read our Fundraising Ethics Policy .

Special thanks to our many sponsors and funders .

Please support our important work:

-->