Guyanese People - Diaspora

Diaspora

Overseas Guyanese communities mainly exist in the United States (86,120 Guyanese born), United Kingdom (20,872 Guyanese born), Canada (14,560 Guyanese born), and the Netherlands (328 Guyanese born), although the total populations (i.e. including people of Guyanese descent born in that country) are much higher.

The reason for this mass exodus were the highly oppressive policies of Forbes Burnham, former president and dictator* who was widely regarded as a rigger of elections.

The migration of Guyanese to other countries began in the late 1950s when some Guyanese (mainly young men, and some women) took up offers from the British Government to migrate to England to supplement the British labour force, like other Caribbean countries. This was a short lived policy as the British government quickly closed the doors on open immigration from its Caribbean Territories. The migration of many Guyanese Portuguese to the U.K and Canada happened in the late 1960s and early 1970s due to political struggles or "perceptions" of political problems at the time.

The Migration of Guyanese to other Western countries mostly Canada and the United States continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s, much of it due to political and economic problems. The Forbes Burnham government continuously doctored elections through the 1970s in his favour, and was feared by many for his Stalinist behavior. The 1980s saw mass migration due to continuing misguided economic policies and problems, continuous shortages of basic items on a daily basis, and a country run much the way Cuba is perceived today. While many left due to political, economic, and social problems, those who could afford left looking for better opportunities and some for educational purposes. The 1990s saw migration to other Caribbean countries. Migration continued by the need to reconnect split families. The migration of Guyanese to other lands continues even today.