Jesuit Missions UK

Moral Educations

Wakupe!

Wakupe! Means Great! in Patamona, the native language of the patamona people living in the remote Pakaraima Mountain range in Guyana 's Region# 8. The idea behind the project is to create a mutually beneficial link between the two different worlds of the West and the Pakaraimas.

Together we are looking to develop a bright and honest future for these people who, normally when they are exposed to our world suffer from oppression, abuse and even violence. Wakupe! aims to empower the Patamona and Macushi Amerindians to build honest and strong lives for themselves and enduring relationships with us that will develop over time.

St Pius Feeding

First sighted by Columbus in 1498, the Guyanese Amerindians had their first contact with outsiders (or “paranagurra” in the Patamona language) when Dutch traders settled there in the 16th Century. They were initially welcomed by the Amerindians as trading partners, but since the trade they received resulted in nothing but exploitation by their visitors, as more and more people settled , the Amerindians withdrew into the security of the jungle. Wars between the Dutch, French and British finally ended when the British claimed themselves to be defacto rulers in 1796. As the rulers (be they Dutch, French or English) needed cheap labour so they brought over African Slaves who they forced to work in their farms. With the abolishment of slavery the exploitation continued in the form of indentured labourers brought over primarily from India , but also from Portugal and China .

Granted independence by the British in May 1966, the country has been rocked by the massive racial divides that have split the country between the two ethnic groups brought to the country by the British. Today Guyana is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere with the second highest HIV/AIDS percentage infection rate, just trailing behind the ex-French Colony of Haiti in both. The vast majority of the population live on the flat arable land on the coast leaving the Amerindians to fend for themselves in much the same ways as they have been for thousands of years.

The Jesuits have been working in Guyana since 1857 and today, aside from their ministerial work, do an enormous amount of good in a myriad of different areas: from healthcare to election monitoring.

Today, ¾ of the Catholics in Guyana are Amerindian underlining the importance of the great work that the Jesuits are doing in the interior of the country. With mission stations in Lethem, Kurukabaru and Hosororo, the Church in the interior is thriving.

Further Information on Guyana:

16 April 2004 Article on Guyana by CAFOD