THE USUALLY silent voice of a revolting slaves has been amplified in a series of unique letters being exhibited at The Dutch National Archives.

If Your Excellency wants war, the Negroes are willing to do so

Kofi

In February of 1763, enslaved people in the Dutch colony of Berbice, west of Suriname, revolted.

Kofi from Africa, became the leader of the movement, the first organised slave revolt on the American continent, and soon entered into negotiations with Wolfert Simon van Hoogenheim, the governor of Berbice.

Kofi’s correspondence with the Dutch administrator which demonstrate a willingness to go to war, has been preserved in the collection of the National Archives.

This collection is unique, because the voices of enslaved people usually did not end up in archives.

Known as Cuffy, he wrote: “We will give Your Excellency half of Berbice, and all the negroes will retreat high up the rivers, but don’t think they will remain slaves. The negroes that Your Excellency has on his ships – they can remain slaves.”

Bought as a child in west Africa, Kofi’s journey to Berbice, which now forms part of Guyana, saw him grow up and become part of the group of around 70 men and women on one plantation who overpowered their captors.

Kofi and his small army managed to convince other plantations nearby to do the same thing until numbers swelled to around 3000.

But an ongoing fight wasn’t what the new leader wanted as is highlighted in the correspondence with van Hoogenheim.

“We will give Your Excellency half of Berbice, and all the negroes will retreat high up the rivers, but don’t think they will remain slaves. The negroes that Your Excellency has on his ships – they can remain slaves.”

Having successfiully run the coloniolists out, Kofi, who would go on to appoint himself as governor wrote: “Cuffy, Governor of the Negroes of Berbice, and Captain Akara send greetings and inform Your Excellency that they are not seeking war.

“But if Your Excellency wants war, the Negroes are willing to do so.”

He added: “The Governor of Berbice asks Your Excellency to come and speak to him; Do not be afraid. But if you don’t come, we’ll fight on until there is no Christian left in Berbice.”

The correspondence and the plight of the Berbice slaves has rarely been represented in this light.

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