Voices in Slavery’s Archive: Law, Place and Testimony in British Guiana

02/07/2026

A sneak peak at yesterday’s workshop in London. Write to follow up in a few days.

23/06/2026

The Voices team will be in Manchester on Friday, 3rd July, 2pm-5pm, and running a workshop on the testimonies of enslaved people in the Reports of the Protector of Slaves (1819-1834).

We are keen to reach out to descendant communities based in Manchester and across the UK but recognise that travel costs can be a barrier. While our budget is limited, we would like to consider ways to support participation. If you are interested in attending, please let us know your estimated travel costs, and we will explore what assistance may be possible. You can contact us via email at .

For registration and more details about the workshop, please click on the link below.

The 'Voices' project works closely with descendant communities to understand potential uses of the reports of the 'Protector of Slaves'.

18/06/2026

The news from Ghana this week — a landmark gathering advancing reparatory justice after the recent UN resolution — feels deeply connected to the work we’re doing through Voices in Slavery’s Archive. ( Guardian source: https://sl1nk.com/0c93onb )

Across the Caribbean and the wider African diaspora, communities are calling not only for justice, but for access to the historical records that shaped their ancestors’ lives. Ghana’s leadership in this global conversation reminds us how essential archives are to truth‑telling, repair, and the restoration of dignity.

Our project is working toward the same horizon. By digitising the Reports of the Protectors of Slaves and making the contained testimonies of enslaved people freely available, we hope to remove barriers that have kept these voices out of reach for too long. These records show how enslaved people resisted the system of slavery, defended their families, and asserted their humanity — and they should be accessible to all descendant communities.

As countries like Ghana push for international recognition of historical harm, we’re committed to ensuring that Guyanese communities have the tools, evidence, and stories needed to shape their own narratives of memory, justice, and belonging.
This moment in global reparatory justice is a reminder: archives are not just documents - they are instruments of accountability, healing, and future‑making.

Feedback from the recent workshops we held in Guyana would suggest we are on the right track. Below are photographs from the session in New Amsterdam, Berbice, on 10 June 2026.

We extend our thanks to all who attended for sharing rich family and community histories — including stories that connected directly to some of the testimonies we brought as example cases.

16/06/2026

The workshop at Moray House (9th June 2026, 5pm - 7pm) was arranged theatre-style and had to be facilitated in a different way from the workshop that was held in the morning (same day) at the Walter Rodney National Archives of Guyana.

The contributions from the audience were as rich and equally fascinating. One lady shared that her family were from
Baracara village, located on the Canje River, in the East Berbice-Corentyne Region of Guyana and explained she was a descendant of the maroons. Elders in her family traced their roots to the Akan people of present-day Ghana, with some claiming ancestry to as far back as the Berbice Rebellion of 1763. Baracara's population is relatively small at 350 persons (as of 2018) and only accessible via boat.

Others asked questions, which we hope to be able to answer as the project progresses - Did as many women as men bring complaints to the court of the Protector of Slaves? What was the ratio? Why did enslaved people take cases to the Protector of Slaves given the generally unfavourable outcomes?

As with all our workshops, participants were drawn from a wide range of heritage backgrounds and avidly engaged in group discussions.

We plan having established this relationship with Moray House to set up follow-up zoom events providing updates on the project. Watch this space!

16/06/2026

Guyana News Room's coverage of the project.

“These individual stories, we think, are very precious,” Professor Diana Paton said, as a project seeks to make slavery-era testimonies accessible in Guyana.

16/06/2026

On 9 June 2026, the Voices in Slavery’s Archive team had the privilege of hosting a deeply meaningful and energising workshop at the Walter Rodney National Archives of Guyana. From the moment participants arrived, there was a hum of avid curiosity and engagement.

OPENING CEREMONY

The morning's one-hour opening ceremony began with Guyana's Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a welcome from our host, archivist Nadia Carter Gamal. The project lead, Prof. Diana Paton, introduced the aims of 'Voices in Slavery's Archive' and its commitment to making "all of the twenty six volumes of the Protectors of Slaves records for British Guiana (1819-1834) freely available online in a searchable and usable format". A facsimile copy of these volumes will also be deposited at the Walter Rodney National Archives before the end of 2028.

Participants also heard about the project's collaborative nature, the importance of ensuring these sensitive records are handled with dignity and cultural responsibility, and shaped throughout by the concerns of descendant communities. Guyana's Director of Culture, Tamika Boatswain - who together with Nadia Carter Gamal, played a central role in helping us to promote the workshop - introduced us to Steven Jacobs, Minister within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. His opening remarks endorsed the project and the importance of research into the history of enslavement. This segment was followed by the giving of tokens of our appreciation to Minister Jacobs and to the Walter Rodney National Archives of Guyana. These included Prof. Randy Browne's published books, The Driver's Story (2024) and Surviving Slavery in the British Caribbean (2017) and Linsey McMillan’s PhD thesis on Enslaved Healthcare and Amelioration in Trinidad and British Guiana, 1780-1834.

The opening ceremony was closed by the musical duo, guitarist and song writer, Gavin Mendonca and drummer Marlon 'Chucky' Adams. They sang traditional folk songs as well as Gavin's 'The Berbice Rebellion', a song about Cuffy and 1763 uprising.

Workshop: Part 1 - Piloting Genealogical Research

The first workshop session invited participants to reflect on their own family histories. In pairs, they explored how far back they had been able to trace their ancestry, what stories had been passed down, and what gaps remained. This activity immediately created a warm, trusting atmosphere — people shared openly, listened deeply, and connected across experiences. One participant of Indian heritage noted how wonderful it had been to learn from his African heritage counterparts about their histories and to be able to explore commonalities and differences in a well-facilitated environment.

We then turned to the nineteenth‑century Slave Registers (1817–1834), discussing the “possibilities and complexities” of tracing family or community histories through these records. Participants engaged with remarkable insight, linking names, plantations, and memories, and reflecting on how these sources might support Guyanese families seeking to understand their past.

Workshop: Part 2 - The Reports of the Protector of Slaves

The second half of the workshop focused on selected testimonies from the Reports of the Protector of Slaves (1819-1834). Working in groups, participants read transcripts of original cases and discussed what these testimonies reveal about “the lives, strategies and resilience of enslaved people”. These conversations were powerful and often emotional. Participants reflected on the courage embedded in these testimonies and the everyday acts of resistance they documented.

In the last 15 minutes of the workshop, participants completed a 'Community Questionnaire', which sought their views on a variety of issues including how to prepare individuals and communities for reading and/or hearing about distressing cases. It also asked for the feedback on the importance of the Protector of Slaves records and their hopes, concerns and final thoughts on the project.

Concluding notes: A Community of Insight and Generosity

Throughout the day, participants brought extraordinary knowledge — family stories, village histories, memories passed down through elders, and a profound sense of connection to the land and its past. Their engagement transformed the workshop into a space of collective remembrance and shared interpretation.

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended. Your openness, your thoughtful engagement with the archival material, and your generosity in conversation were truly inspiring. You helped us see the records in new ways and reminded us why this work must be rooted in community knowledge and descendant perspectives.

Your insights will directly shape the next stages of the project, from how we summarise testimonies to how we design an online resource that serves Guyanese communities with care and accountability.

We thank you for your presence, your wisdom, and your trust.

12/06/2026

Workshop in Anna Regina

10/06/2026

06/06/2026

On Sunday, 17th May 2026 three members of the 'Voices' team - Diana Paton, Linsey McMillan and Juanita Cox - held a pilot workshop and drop-in session at the annual Guyana UK Social Development Association (GUSDA) Folk Festival at St Mark's Academy in Mitcham. This session was primarily an opportunity for descendant communities to learn about the project and to contribute their own knowledge and histories.

In the interactive workshop, participants read and discussed a small selection of case studies drawn from the Reports of the Protector of Slaves. We explored what these testimonies revealed about the lives, strategies, and resilience of enslaved people. Participants helped us to shape the work ahead by telling us what they felt was important and should be prioritised when sharing these histories publicly.

As this 3-year project is relatively new - we only started on 1st March 2026 - we also invited individuals to comment on three possible brands for our website. The most popular option was indicated by the volume of yellow stick-it notes and is now in the process of being further developed in line with the feedback we received. To learn more about the project contact us at [email protected]