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Guyana
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Guyana is the only nation in South America where English is the official language as a result of its being a British colony for many years. The first Europeans to take an interest in Guyana were the Dutch, who displaced many of the Indians (Caribs and Arawaks) to build sugarcane plantations, worked by slaves from Africa. The British took over and during the 19th and early 20th centuries brought in indentured workers from India, Portugal and China. Today the Guyanese call their country "the land of six peoples" (native, African, British, Indian, Chinese and Portuguese) and their cuisine reflects a variety of culinary traditions. Most people live in the coastal lowlands and grow rice and sugar cane, but a few natives descended from the Arawak and Carib peoples live inland. The "every day" cooking of most of the population does not vary much, using local fish, rice, coconuts, bananas, cassava yams, greens and salt meat, but there are still some interesting possibilities.
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Guyana, along with Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil, is one of the four non-Hispanic nations in South America. Guyana's culture is very similar to that of the English-speaking Caribbean, to the extent that Guyana is included and accepted as a Caribbean nation and is a founder member of the Caricom (Caribbean Community) economic bloc and ... the home of the Bloc's Headquarters, the CARICOM Secretariat. Its geographical location, its sparsely populated rain forest regions, and its substantial Amerindian population differentiate it from English-speaking Caribbean countries. Its blend of Indo-Guyanese (East Indian) and Afro-Guyanese (African) cultures gives it similarities to Trinidad and distinguishes it from other parts of the Americas. Guyana shares similar interests with the islands in the West Indies, such as food, festive events, music, sports, etc. Guyana plays international cricket as a part of the West Indies cricket team, and the Guyana team plays first class cricket against other nations of the Caribbean.
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Guyana has a fair number of expatriates. Persons who are not Guyanese have to get a work permit after employment is confirmed. Caribbean citizens might have some exemptions under the CSME scheme. There are a number of volunteer organisations like Peace Corps, VSO and CESO working in Guyana. Some people have come on short stints to volunteer with churches, and other non-governmental organisations. The host organisations will apply for the necessary travel permits.
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Guyana has a population of 758,619 (1991 estimate). About 50 percent of the people are of East Indian descent, and about 30 percent are of black African descent. Five percent are Native Amerindians, and about 10 percent are of mixed background. Others include Chinese and Europeans. About 90 percent of the mostly rural population lives along the coast. About 42 percent are Christians, 34 percent are Hindus, and 9 percent are Muslims.
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Guyana is often referred to as the land of six peoples, reflecting the multi-ethnic composition of its population. The largest ethnic group is the East Indians (about 5l percent), descendants of indentured laborers from India, followed by the Africans (38 percent). The other ethnic groups are the Chinese, the Europeans (mostly Portuguese) and the Amerindians. The Portuguese came as indentured laborers from Madeira, the Azores and the Cape Verdes. During the colonial era, they were regarded as a separate group from the other Europeans (mainly British), no doubt because of their origins as indentured laborers. This practice underlines the notion of six peoples.
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Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. This ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health.
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