Berbicians mainly of East Indian descent will today return to the site where the first batch of indentured labourers from India landed at Highbury, East Bank Berbice, some twelve miles from New Amsterdam, to commemorate the historic event.
On May 5, 1838, one hundred and twenty-eight indentured labourers who arrived on the HMS Whitby and Hesperus landed at Highbury, then a sugar plantation.
And from 1838 to 1917, approximately 240,000 indentured labourers were shipped from India. They came mainly from the Bhojpuri-speaking districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar while some came from the Tamil and Telugu districts of the south.
In March 1988, the East Berbice Indian Immigration Commemoration Committee was established and began planning annual commemorative activities at the site. A portion of the land on which the plantation was located was owned by the Sankar family who donated a plot to be developed into a commemorative site.
The Highbury estate was said to be one of the largest in the then colony, being some two-and-one-half miles in width and some 1,000 rods in length. Over the years the Committee has expanded and improved the site which is now fenced and partially concreted.
Today hundreds of descendants of East Indian indentured labourers will make the 12-mile pilgrimage to the site to commemorate the 166th anniversary of their arrival. The day's programme gets underway at 10 am with prayers and opening remarks by President of the Committee, Magistrate Krishendat Persaud. The feature address will be delivered by President Bharrat Jagdeo. The programme will include a number of cultural performances by individuals and groups from across the region.
According to Committee member, businessman Ramesh Maraj, "a lot of work has been done to prepare the site and the East Bank Berbice access road for this special occasion. We have secured four large tents and several tarpaulins which will cover the entire square while the bush and trench around the site have been cleared."
Up to yesterday repair works were being undertaken on the road as heavy rains continue to take a toll on its earthen surface. The state of the road has been a bone of contention for farmers who live in the area and use it on a daily basis to transport their produce to the New Amsterdam market. Those who live along the 12-mile stretch as far as Highbury may be pleasantly surprised that work is now being done on it to coincide with the commemoration despite the inclement weather.
At the site there are still remains of the wharf where the vessels landed, the sugar factory and the train lines which transported the cane from the fields to the factory. There are also indications of where the manager's house and a small hospital were located.