The Guianas: South America's Weirdest Countries?

At the top of South America are three small territories. Until about ten years ago, not a single road connected them to the outside world. They are some of the world’s least talked about places and yet all three have interesting stories to tell. Stories of sugar and slavery, calypso and cults. In this series of videos I’m going to tell the story, of the Guianas...

Books
- John Gimlette, Wild Coast: Travels on South America's Untamed Edge, 2011
- John Hemming, Tree of Rivers: The Story of the Amazon, 2008
- Charles C. Mann, 1491: The Americas Before Columbus, 2005
- Charles C. Mann, 1493: How the Ecological Collision of Europe and the Americas Gave Rise to the Modern World, 2011
- McNeill, J. R, Mosquito Empires; Ecology and War in the Greater Carribbean, 2010
- English colonies in Guiana and on the Amazon, 1604-1668, James A. Williamson, 1923

Articles
- The Economist
- Tim Merrill, ed. Guyana: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1992.
- ‘A New History of the First Peoples in the Americas’, Adam Rutherford The Atlantic, 2017
- ‘Genome-wide Ancestry and Demographic History of African-Descendant Maroon Communities from French Guiana and Suriname’, Fortes-Lima et al, Am J Hum Genet. 2017
- FREIRE, José R. Bessa. “Da ‘fala boa’ ao português na Amazônia brasileira”. Amerindia. Revue d’Ethnolinguistique Amerindienne, Paris, 1983, 8, pp. 39-83
- ‘MI5 files reveal details of 1953 coup that overthrew British Guiana's leaders’, Associated Press, The Guardian, 2011
- Richard Price, ‘Maroons in Guyane: Getting the Numbers Right’, Brill, 7th December 2018
- Scott B. MacDonald, ‘Has anything changed since French Guiana’s 2017 social upheaval?’, April 20, 2021
- ‘A Path to Prosperity for Oil-Rich Guyana’, Harvard International review, 27 September, 2023
- ‘Venezuelans to vote in referendum over large swathe of territory under dispute with Guyana’, AP, December 3rd 2023

00:00 Intro
00:56 Overview
04:47 Kaieteur Falls
08:24 A People's History of the Guianas
14:25 The Transatlantic Slave Trade
18:10 Arrivals from India
19: Conclusion

[Lost_in_Context]

A note on the map outlines in this video. I have used outlines that I first took from a map showing all of 'the Guianas', which include the Spanish and Portuguese ones. These, I now realise, don't recognise the disputed nature of some of the borders, particularly that Suriname has with some of its neighbours. That map may have been out of date. I don't believe this invalidates any of the information in this particular video but in the next videos in this series (on Guyana, and later on Suriname and Guyane) I'm going to make some adjustments to reflect that some of these borders are contested. Needless to say that I don't take a position on these disputes themselves, but I probably could have drawn these borders in a way that shows more accurately that some parts of these borders are not settled. Sorry. My apologies for any offence caused.

[Lepretrn]

thought this was going to be a no-budget no-effort wikipedia recite video, then this dude actually GOES there and puts out something genuinely unique and informative

[lucysphotosfromar]

I am so thankful to people like Alex who now post their great adventures and video work on YouTube. When I was about 12 in the 1950's I remember my mom taking me to see films like
this at the Santa Monica Playhouse Theater.
It was twenty five years ago when in order to see shows like this we had to see a
series being offered in our local newspaper and pay to enter a small community hall or theater in order to see what was advertised as a travel documentary. I often bought a VHS copy just
to support the filmmakers for their future travels.


Now at 79, I can watch them all day or night at home on my large computer screen, WHAT A TREAT!
There have always been travelers who wanted to record and share their adventures with those of us who stay closer to home. I AM SO THANKFUL TO THEM ALL.

[LucilleJones]

I am from Suriname. I seldom comment on videos that I watch in the afternoon. But THIS is It. You clearly did your homework well. You are telling the story so calm and beautifull. You took into account the history and the stories our people have told you. I can tell because. You use the correct names for the different ethnic groups. And you are careful not to step on our toes.
You explained the border issues well and dealt professional with it.

As for the scenery: that is superb. I felt as if I was right there with you watching the mighty Kaieteur. I could feel the waterdrops and hear the falls. The music is wel chosen and enhances the story.
And you voice is calm and soothing.

Conclusion: WELL DONE. As an inhabitant of the Guyanas. A big thumps up.
I will go and watch other videos. You might have a new subscriber here.

[vibesz]

I’m from British Guiana now called Guyana. We are now the most wealthiest country in South America. We are friendly, hardworking, hospitable, family-oriented, not loud as many cultures in South America. We are nature lovers and our food is delicious and reflects the 5 different ethnic races in our land.

[CrisWhetstone]

Terrific work. Your calm, to the point delivery free from sensationalization, unnecessarily reaching pauses and hyper editing really makes this a joy to watch. Looking forward to the whole series. This is truly a region most of the world knows almost nothing about.

[JoshFealy]

I don't understand how content this polished has not lead to many more subscribers. Fantastic work!

[Neutron]

Dude your video is outstanding. Better than most big budget documentaries.. My family moved from Guyana when I was a kid to NYC and I was trying to learn the history of Guyana and I’m glad I came across your video can’t want for you to release the rest. You are actually the first channel that I have turned on notifications for just because of the great quality of your work… I think it would also be a good idea for you to label the videos in episodes so it will be easier to watch in chronological order should someone look for it. Keep doing what you do my man

[gidiess]

Thank you for this fantastic video. My dad was born and raised in Guyana when it was still under British rule. He often talks about how they didn't learn any Guyanese history or geography - only British. I always send him videos like this and he loves them. He's almost 90 (!) and to this day still talks about the beauty and drama of the Kaeiteur Falls. Thanks for teaching us both!

[LetMeThink]

I lived and worked in Guyana from 1995-97 and left my heart there. As I worked with the government, I was privileged enough to travel extensively and freely. The falls were absolutely breathtaking, I found very sad to see the levels of gold mining devastation in relatively short time, as I have many photos taken from the planes with zero damage.

[redbullsalz]

I'm from Suriname, this is a great video!

Thanks for using the right map of Suriname

[dharpbend]

Our Medical Doctor in the Psychiatric Unit I worked at the 1980's was originally from the Philippines. He and his wife established a clinic in the interior of Guianas where they had to cover all medical emergency that came their way. I remember his stories of critical surgeries under the duress of the lack of proper medical tools, medicines, imaging devices...etc. Doctor A's wife learned her role of surgical nurse on the job, in the moment. They are now a mighty fine team and asset to our community. I am enjoying this presentation a bunch. Thanks

Love how you talk. Very calm. With no fake and annoying hype

[Rizvirambles]

My late wife was Indian Guyanese and my in laws grew up in one of the sugar plantations. They spoke a creole version of Hindi as well as Guyanese creole. It was quite fascinating listening to some of the conversations where they would switch between the two. The Guyanese Indian story is fascinating and I look forward to hearing your take on it

[christopherbiomass]

Youtube doesn't always have good video suggestions, but when it does, it delivers gems like this.

Thanks. I've always wondered about those three territories. And I look forward to learning more.

[charliemango]

This was my first time stumbling across your page. Youtube suggested it to me, cause I have always watched geography videos about the Guianas. A lot of videos I've seen have been repetitive information about the Guianas, but this was super refreshing! Bravo! Honestly, I instantly subscribed- I love the delivery of infiormation and the real world footage. You can't find a lot of quality pics/videos about this region online. Thank you fo your service!!!

[neilifill]

I’m so glad that someone is taking the time to tell the real history of the Guianas. I grew up in Barbados in the 70s and 80s. It was common for the older folks to denigrate people from Guyana because their country was far less developed than ours. Some Caribbean islands were described as the “low islands” (St Lucia, St Vincent, Dominica, and some others) because they were years behind Barbados in development. These disparities were wholly caused by colonialism and the vestiges of slavery. When Guyana and other countries achieved independence, they started with nothing, just like other Caribbean nations. It’s a testament to the resilience of leaders and citizens, alike, for how far they have all come!

[happyfuntime]

Insanely good video man. So much effort put into this and it shows.

[bluesideup]

This is a lot of history we never get in the US. When I was a child and through my teens I collected stamps. This taught me a lot about geography and a minuscule amount the country and famous people based on the stamp graphics. But I never learned much about the who and why and when. Now, approaching 70, I'm learning a lot more about history because of channels like yours. Thank you. (subbed)

[esampson]

With videos like this, I don't have to go on expensive and exhausting tours with strangers. You make it possible to tour the world from the comfort of our living room. Thank you. 🇨🇦 🇹🇹