Scenes from the history of the Portuguese in Guyana

Menezes, Mary Noel, Scenes from the History of the Portuguese in Guyana, London: M.N. Menezes, 1986.

Table of Contents:

Chronology
General Introduction
Arrival of Portuguese
Madeira's view on emigration to Demerara
Portuguese in Business: 'By small gains and great economy'
Movement of the Portuguese between Madeira and Demerara
Portuguese and the Church
Cultural contributions of the Portuguese
Customs
Glossary of some well-known Portuguese words and phrases
Prominent Portuguese in Politics, Business, the Professions and Sport
Suggested readings re History of Portuguese in Guyana
AJ Seymour's Poem

A brief history of the Portuguese in Guyana
By STABROEK STAFF | TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010:

Why emigrants from a 286-mile island, Madeira, off the coast of Morocco to a continental British colony on the northern tip of South America? Three factors made such a move a reality:

1. The approaching abolition of slavery throughout the British possessions creating a labour gap;

2. The long-standing alliance between Portugal and England;

3. The political, military and economic problems in Madeira in the 1830s.

Cited in Madeiran Portuguese Migration to Guyana, St. Vincent, Antigua and Trinidad: A Comparative Overview, by Jo-Anne S. Ferreira, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine.

UWI honours Sister Mary Noel Menezes:

Most of Sister Menezes' life as an academic was spent at the University of Guyana. After teaching for two years at colleges in the United States of America in the mid 1960s, she joined the U.G. staff in September 1967 and served there until her retirement 23 years later in 1990. During this lengthy period she had numerous academic achievements. Among them was the enviable reputation that she gained, as being one of the institutions most stimulating and engrossing teachers. Moreover, Sister, an efficient, creative, fearless administrator, served as head of the Department of History for nine years (1977-1986), transforming this hitherto humdrum department into one of the finest departments in the entire university.
(...)
Sister Menezes' growing stature as a historian received special recognition on three occasions in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first occasion was in 1978 when she became the first female president of the Association of Caribbean Historians, the regional body of historians founded in 1968. She served in that capacity for two years. Secondly, in 1980 she was promoted to the position of Professor of History at U.G., the first holder of this post. Finally, in 1981, she was appointed a member of the Drafting Committee of UNESCO's General History of the Caribbean.