Trace and Tell your Family's Empire Stories
Introduction
I am Afro-Guyanese, born the eldest of 11 children in British Guiana in the mid-1920s. The British influence was all around us and to me, it seemed that everything good came out of Britain.
I left for Britain at 24, by which time I already had three children of my own. I found Britain very different from Guiana but I settled here happily with my family. The country became independent as Guyana in 1966. I didn't visit my old home again until 1972.
My son Ivan, who was born in Britain, had a very different experience. He grew up in the 1950s and '60s when life was difficult for young black men in Britain. Ivan has never been to Guyana and feels little connection with the country.
Ivan's cousin Colin was also born in Britain. Colin takes a lot more interest than Ivan in his Guyanese heritage and has visited Guyana. Born around a decade later than Ivan, as Colin grew up some of the attitudes Ivan experienced were beginning to dissolve.
Browser by chapterMuriel's great-nephew, Colin Babb, talks about his mixed influences.
Colin is my great-nephew. His mother is from Guyana and I helped to look after her when she was a baby because her own mother died young. His father from Barbados. Colin has a great interest in his Caribbean heritage. He especially loves the cricket:
"My parents came to Britain separately in the early 1960s as teenagers. I was born in East London. My father came over to England to join the army. My parents would not have met had they not separately come to the 'mother country' so in a sense, if it wasn't for the Empire, I wouldn't be here today.'
"I've always felt culturally attached to Guyana: the politics, my personal connection with the country, as well as the music, the food and especially the cricket!
"I have supported the West Indies at cricket since I was quite young. When I was growing up I was given a cricket bat and that was it: I went cricket mad! Whenever I went to the Caribbean, I played cricket with my family there and I'd try to bat and stay in all day. All my family used to call me 'the Englishman'.
"They play a lot of cricket in Guyana. It might seem strange that a country in South America plays cricket, but we produced fantastic cricketers like Clive Lloyd, who was captain and manager of the West Indies team. He was a great player and one of the most successful cricket captains of all time.
"It is a strange contradiction really that I support the West Indian cricket team, when cricket was brought to the Caribbean by the British. Growing up, there were a lot of players from Guyana in the team and I had a real sense of pride. When you saw the West Indies beat Britain it was like they were beating them at their own game! But I support England at football and would love to see them win a major tournament. I'm fed up with hearing about 1966! So, I guess that just goes to show my mix."
