Quamina

Quamina Gladstone was a Guyanese slave and national hero, best known for his involvement in the Demerara Rebellion of 1823. Born around 1778, he was sold into slavery as a child from the Akan ethnic group in Ghana. He worked as a carpenter on the "Success" plantation owned by Sir John Gladstone and attended Bethel Chapel, where he learned to read and write under Reverend John Wray. Baptized in 1808, he became a respected deacon known for his piety.

Quamina supported his son Jack Gladstone's fight for freedom, despite warnings from Rev. John Smith against rebellion. He was arrested before the uprising but released by fellow slaves during the rebellion. He urged peaceful resistance and prevented harm to plantation managers, though hundreds of slaves died in battles. Quamina was shot and killed on September 16, 1823, after refusing to surrender.

His death raised awareness about slavery's horrors, accelerating its abolition. Today, Quamina is honored as a national hero with streets and monuments named in his memory, including Quamina Street in Georgetown.