The Enmore Martyrs’ Monument was unveiled on June 16, 1977, almost 30 years after the tragedy, to honour the deaths of five labourers killed by colonial police while protesting the social conditions on the East Coast plantations in 1948.
Designed by Guyanese artist Dennis Williams, the monument stands raised on a concrete base six feet high with five repetitive verticals each adorned with brass symbols reminiscent of cutlasses and inscribed with the names of the five martyrs. There is also a plaque designed by another Guyanese, Stanley Greaves.
The five heroic sugar workers, Rambarran, Pooran, Lallabagee, Surajballi and Harry, were killed during a massive working class protest against the social and economic conditions on the East Coast sugar estates.
The incident started April 22, 1948 with approximately 1200 labourers drawn from plantations Enmore, Non Pariel, Lusignan, Mon Repos, La Bonne Intention, Vryheids Lust and Ogle.
At first, estate authorities were not particularly troubled by the strike action as they had grown accustomed to such protests actions. They simply recruited scabs from as far away as Rose Hall on the Canje Creek, in Berbice and from the Essequibo Coast who performed the duties of the striking cane cutters.
But because production continued to be erratic, the Sugar Producers’ Association adopted new draconian measures to force the striking workers back to the fields. The workers remained defiant and the strike dragged on. On June 5, 1948, the striking workers staged a massive street demonstration in Georgetown.
The evening of June 15, 1948, saw a flurry of activity as the striking workers were determined to bring the issues to a head. Both estate management and the police were just as determined to see the end of the strike, and on June 16 the police opened fire on the workers, killing five and injuring several others.
The martyrdom of the five was recognized at the Continental Conference of the national affiliates of the World Peace Council, which met in Bogota, Columbia during June 4-7, 1976. (National Trust of Guyana)
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