Brindley Benn
Encyclopedia
Brindley Horatio Benn, CCH (24 January 1923 – 11 December 2009) was a teacher
, choirmaster, politician
, and one of the key leaders of the Guyanese independence movement
. He served as Deputy Prime Minister
of the first elected government of Guyana
.
, Brindley Horatio Benn, named for the Methodist minister J.B. Brindley, was the second of five boys born to Rosa and Samuel Benn. He attended St. James-the-Less Primary School (now F. E. Pollard), Kitty, and also briefly attended a Roman Catholic School in Queenstown. Benn wrote his Junior and Senior Cambridge Examinations
at the Central High School. He gained five subjects at Junior Cambridge - English Language
, English History, Literature
, Latin and French
. He sat five subjects at Senior Cambridge but did not matriculate, since he did not pass Mathematics
.
to work as a clerk with the Bauxite
Company. His parents were living in the mining community at the time and his father was a senior staff member at the Reynolds Mining and Metals Company. His mother was a caterer
and a boarding house
proprietor in the community, where she became popular for her activity in social and community life. Samuel Benn died in Kwakwani in 1948 and was buried there. Rosa remained in the community until the early 1960s, when she returned to Georgetown.
Benn returned to Georgetown in the early 1940s when the Bauxite Company started to scale down the workforce. He began teaching at a high school on Broad Street and briefly had his own school, Georgetown Secondary, which was located in Evans Street. He operated the school for about three years.
at St. James the Less Anglican Church with Choirmasters who included the late Claude Merriman. He later became Choir Master at the St. Sidwell’s Anglican Church around 1945 and served for about five years, until the Choir was disbanded. The Choir competed successfully at several choir festivals and became very popular with the public, especially its Friday practise sessions. St. Sidwell’s Choir was the smallest at the time when it performed Stainer
’s The Crucifixion
and was noted for performing some of the most difficult choral pieces then in existence. The organist
was the legendary Carl Welshman. Some members of Benn’s chorister group included the late broadcaster Matthew Allen, Senior Counsel Lloyd Joseph and Wittington Braithwaite.
After the Choir disbanded, Benn went to teach Latin and French at Richard Ishmael’s Secondary School, where he organized a school choir which put on a concert at the Georgetown City Hall
. He spent three years there.
criticise the state of the bauxite industry and the colony of Guyana. Impressed by Dr. Jagan’s speech, Benn joined the People's Progressive Party
the same night. He immediately became very involved in politics, an avocation that led to conflict with his superior at the Secondary School. The principal, Richard Ishmael, was also President of the Manpower Citizens Association, a union
which represented sugar workers but which was widely considered a company union
.
Benn subsequently left the school and became even more deeply involved in politics. He formed the Pioneer Youth League, the forerunner to the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO).
, where he had gone to assess Party activity. He was ordered to report to the police between 8 and 10 a.m. every day except Sunday. His wife and three children regularly commuted by train to visit him where he lived with his brother, Lancelot, who worked as a driver mechanic with PWD at Canje
.
After several raids by the army and the police on his brother’s home, it was decided that his wife and family would move to New Amsterdam, where they established residence at 21 St. Magdelane Street. They lived there from 1954 to 1956 and the family increased by two with the birth of twins.
(PPP) and Member of the Executive Committee. The PPP contested the 1957 elections with Benn as the representative of the Essequibo Islands
and the Interior. That single constituency comprised the largest single land area being contested in the country, and he came up against the candidacy of Mr. E. F. Corriea. He broke the long occupancy of the seat by Mr. Corriea when he won the election.
Benn was appointed Minister of Community Development and Education in 1957 and given an office across the road from the Parliament Building
. During that time that he organised the National History and Culture Week (1961–1964) under the theme ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny’, which later became independent Guyana’s motto
.
After the 1961 general elections, which the PPP also won, Benn was appointed Minister of Agriculture
. During this time he conceptualised and founded the Guyana School of Agriculture
(1963). He oversaw the implementation of the Mahaica
Mahaicony
Abary
(MMA) Scheme, Boersarie Scheme, Tapacuma Scheme and the Black Bush Polder
— all major drainage
and irrigation schemes.
, whereas most Afro-Guyanese
joined the People's National Congress
(PNC). Brindley Benn became the most prominent Afro-Guyanese to remain with the PPP, making a statement against the divide-and-rule tactics of colonialism
. The PPP was removed from office in 1964 by the political machinations of the British (see History of Guyana
.) Several Ministers and other important persons were detained. Among them was Brindley Benn, who was confined at Sibley Hall of Mazaruni Prison for several months.
(WPVP). The WPVP printed a weekly mimeographed account of social, economic and political affairs occurring locally and internationally. Benn was for a time strongly attracted to the Maoist vision of a peasant-led social revolution. In the late 1970s, he joined with Walter Rodney
, Eusi Kwayana
, Andaiye, Moses Baghwan and Rupert Roopnaraine
to form the Working People's Alliance
. Discussions were held under the umbrella organization Patriotic Coalition for Democracy (PCD) in the fight for free and fair elections in Guyana.
to Guyana, the PPP were returned to office by free and fair elections. Benn accepted President Dr. Jagan’s offer to be on the PPP’s list of candidates and won a seat in Parliament
. He was later appointed Guyana’s High Commissioner
to Canada
, a position he held with distinction from 1993 to 1998.
Upon his return to Guyana, Brindley Benn served as Chairman of the Public Service Commission for three years. He was also a member of the Teaching Service Commission and the Police Service Commission. Benn was the Chairman of the Guyana Lotteries Commission and served on the Appeals Board of the Guyana Revenue Authority.
He married his wife Patricia in 1951; they remained together throughout his life. The Benns had seven children, including fraternal twins, and eight grandchildren.
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, choirmaster, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, and one of the key leaders of the Guyanese independence movement
History of Guyana
The recorded history of Guyana can be dated back to 1498, approximately 500 years ago, when it was rediscovered by Europeans. The history of Guyana is punctuated by battles that were fought and won, and possessions that were lost and regained, while the Spanish, French, Dutch and British wrangled...
. He served as Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some counties, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
of the first elected government of Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
.
Early life
Born in Kitty, GeorgetownGeorgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
, Brindley Horatio Benn, named for the Methodist minister J.B. Brindley, was the second of five boys born to Rosa and Samuel Benn. He attended St. James-the-Less Primary School (now F. E. Pollard), Kitty, and also briefly attended a Roman Catholic School in Queenstown. Benn wrote his Junior and Senior Cambridge Examinations
UCLES
University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate is a non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge and is a not-for-profit organisation...
at the Central High School. He gained five subjects at Junior Cambridge - English Language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, English History, Literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, Latin and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. He sat five subjects at Senior Cambridge but did not matriculate, since he did not pass Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
.
Early career
After finishing school, Benn travelled to KwakwaniKwakwani
Kwakwani is a village on the Berbice River in the Upper Demerara-Berbice Region of Guyana, located at , altitude 44 Metres . Kwakwani is approximately 40 km south of Linden. Bauxite mining is the main industry....
to work as a clerk with the Bauxite
Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore and is the main source of aluminium. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite Al3, boehmite γ-AlO, and diaspore α-AlO, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2...
Company. His parents were living in the mining community at the time and his father was a senior staff member at the Reynolds Mining and Metals Company. His mother was a caterer
Catering
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...
and a boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
proprietor in the community, where she became popular for her activity in social and community life. Samuel Benn died in Kwakwani in 1948 and was buried there. Rosa remained in the community until the early 1960s, when she returned to Georgetown.
Benn returned to Georgetown in the early 1940s when the Bauxite Company started to scale down the workforce. He began teaching at a high school on Broad Street and briefly had his own school, Georgetown Secondary, which was located in Evans Street. He operated the school for about three years.
Choir involvement
Benn was a choristerChoir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
at St. James the Less Anglican Church with Choirmasters who included the late Claude Merriman. He later became Choir Master at the St. Sidwell’s Anglican Church around 1945 and served for about five years, until the Choir was disbanded. The Choir competed successfully at several choir festivals and became very popular with the public, especially its Friday practise sessions. St. Sidwell’s Choir was the smallest at the time when it performed Stainer
John Stainer
Sir John Stainer was an English composer and organist whose music, though not generally much performed today , was very popular during his lifetime...
’s The Crucifixion
The Crucifixion (Stainer)
The Crucifixion: A Meditation on the Sacred Passion of the Holy Redeemer is an oratorio composed by John Stainer in 1887. It is scored for a SATB choir and organ, and features solos for bass and tenor....
and was noted for performing some of the most difficult choral pieces then in existence. The organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
was the legendary Carl Welshman. Some members of Benn’s chorister group included the late broadcaster Matthew Allen, Senior Counsel Lloyd Joseph and Wittington Braithwaite.
After the Choir disbanded, Benn went to teach Latin and French at Richard Ishmael’s Secondary School, where he organized a school choir which put on a concert at the Georgetown City Hall
Georgetown City Hall
The Georgetown City Hall, located in Georgetown, Guyana, was completed in 1889. Its architecture is described as Danube Gothic in timber, largely due to its stylized tower, with wrought-iron crenelations at the very apex....
. He spent three years there.
Political activity
One evening, during his teaching career, Benn attended a public meeting at Norton and John Streets, where he listened to Dr. Cheddi JaganCheddi Jagan
Cheddi Berret Jagan was a Guyanese politician who was first elected Chief Minister in 1953 and later Premier of British Guiana from 1961 to 1964, prior to independence. He later served as President of Guyana from 1992 to 1997.- Biography :The son of ethnic Indian sugar plantation workers, Jagan...
criticise the state of the bauxite industry and the colony of Guyana. Impressed by Dr. Jagan’s speech, Benn joined the People's Progressive Party
People's Progressive Party (Guyana)
The People's Progressive Party is a political party in Guyana led by Bharrat Jagdeo. The party has been in power since the 1992 elections and currently holds 36 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly.-History:...
the same night. He immediately became very involved in politics, an avocation that led to conflict with his superior at the Secondary School. The principal, Richard Ishmael, was also President of the Manpower Citizens Association, a union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
which represented sugar workers but which was widely considered a company union
Company union
A company union is a trade union which is located within and run by a company or by the national government, and is not affiliated with an independent trade union. Company unions were outlawed in the United States by the 1935 National Labor Relations Act, due to their use as agents for interference...
.
Benn subsequently left the school and became even more deeply involved in politics. He formed the Pioneer Youth League, the forerunner to the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO).
Arrest and relocation
When the colonial constitution was suspended in 1953, Benn was detained and put under restriction orders in New AmsterdamNew Amsterdam, Guyana
New Amsterdam , located in the East Berbice-Corentyne Region, 62 miles from the capital, Georgetown, is one of the largest towns in Guyana. It is located four miles upriver from the Atlantic Ocean mouth of the Berbice River, on its eastern bank, immediately south of the Canje River...
, where he had gone to assess Party activity. He was ordered to report to the police between 8 and 10 a.m. every day except Sunday. His wife and three children regularly commuted by train to visit him where he lived with his brother, Lancelot, who worked as a driver mechanic with PWD at Canje
Canje River
The Canje River, located in northeastern Guyana, is the main tributary of the Berbice River. It runs roughly parallel to the Atlantic Ocean coast....
.
After several raids by the army and the police on his brother’s home, it was decided that his wife and family would move to New Amsterdam, where they established residence at 21 St. Magdelane Street. They lived there from 1954 to 1956 and the family increased by two with the birth of twins.
Party office
Upon his return to Georgetown in 1956, Benn was elected Chairman of the People’s Progressive PartyPeople's Progressive Party (Guyana)
The People's Progressive Party is a political party in Guyana led by Bharrat Jagdeo. The party has been in power since the 1992 elections and currently holds 36 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly.-History:...
(PPP) and Member of the Executive Committee. The PPP contested the 1957 elections with Benn as the representative of the Essequibo Islands
Essequibo Islands-West Demerara
Essequibo Islands-West Demerara is a region of Guyana, split in two by the Essequibo River. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the region of Demerara-Mahaica to the east, the region of Upper Demerara-Berbice to the south and the regions ofIt contains the towns of Parika, Schoon Ord...
and the Interior. That single constituency comprised the largest single land area being contested in the country, and he came up against the candidacy of Mr. E. F. Corriea. He broke the long occupancy of the seat by Mr. Corriea when he won the election.
Benn was appointed Minister of Community Development and Education in 1957 and given an office across the road from the Parliament Building
Parliament Building, Guyana
Guyana's Parliament Building, designed by Joseph Hadfield, was built on a foundation of greenheart logs. The foundation stone was laid in 1829 and, in April 1834, the structure, stuccoed to resemble stone blocks, was completed....
. During that time that he organised the National History and Culture Week (1961–1964) under the theme ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny’, which later became independent Guyana’s motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
.
After the 1961 general elections, which the PPP also won, Benn was appointed Minister of Agriculture
Minister of Agriculture (Guyana)
The Minister of Agriculture is a member of the executive branch of government in the country of Guyana. The current minister is Robert Montgomery Persaud, who was appointed to the position in 2006.-External links:*...
. During this time he conceptualised and founded the Guyana School of Agriculture
Guyana School of Agriculture
The Guyana School of Agriculture is a post-secondary college of agricultural education in Guyana, established in 1963. It offers two-year diploma and certificate courses.-External links:*...
(1963). He oversaw the implementation of the Mahaica
Mahaica River
The Mahaica River is a small river in northern Guyana that drains into the Atlantic Ocean. The village of Mahaica is found at its mouth.Farming is the predominant human use of the lower reaches of the river....
Mahaicony
Mahaicony River
The Mahaicony River is a small river in northern Guyana that drains into the Atlantic Ocean. Mahaicony village is found at the mouth of the river.Farming is the predominant human use of the lower reaches of the river....
Abary
Abary River
The Abary River is a small river in northern Guyana that drains into the Atlantic Ocean.Historic Amerindian settlements existed at Tiger Island, Taurakuli and Doctor Ho Landing...
(MMA) Scheme, Boersarie Scheme, Tapacuma Scheme and the Black Bush Polder
Polder
A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually-operated devices...
— all major drainage
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
and irrigation schemes.
Further strife
During the disturbances in the early 1960s, Benn was imprisoned by the British. During this period, the British successfully split the PPP along racial lines—the originally nationalist and multi-ethnic PPP became the party that was allegedly the party of Indo-GuyaneseIndo-Guyanese
Indo-Guyanese are mostly descendants of indentured labourers from India who are citizens or nationals of Guyana. They are often referred to as Indians or East Indians...
, whereas most Afro-Guyanese
Afro-Guyanese
Afro-Guyanese people are the inhabitants of Guyana of Black African origin...
joined the People's National Congress
People's National Congress
The People's National Congress is a socialist political party in Guyana led by Robert Corbin. The party currently holds 22 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly.-History:...
(PNC). Brindley Benn became the most prominent Afro-Guyanese to remain with the PPP, making a statement against the divide-and-rule tactics of colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
. The PPP was removed from office in 1964 by the political machinations of the British (see History of Guyana
History of Guyana
The recorded history of Guyana can be dated back to 1498, approximately 500 years ago, when it was rediscovered by Europeans. The history of Guyana is punctuated by battles that were fought and won, and possessions that were lost and regained, while the Spanish, French, Dutch and British wrangled...
.) Several Ministers and other important persons were detained. Among them was Brindley Benn, who was confined at Sibley Hall of Mazaruni Prison for several months.
A new direction
After his release in 1965, Benn became disenchanted by the differences in opinion in the PPP. He moved away from the party to establish his own — the Working People's Vanguard PartyWorking People's Vanguard Party
Working People's Vanguard Party was a small, Maoist political party in Guyana. It was formed in 1969 through a split in the People's Progressive Party in the 1960s. The party was led by Brindley Benn and Victor Downer...
(WPVP). The WPVP printed a weekly mimeographed account of social, economic and political affairs occurring locally and internationally. Benn was for a time strongly attracted to the Maoist vision of a peasant-led social revolution. In the late 1970s, he joined with Walter Rodney
Walter Rodney
Walter Rodney was a prominent Guyanese historian and political activist, who was assassinated in Guyana in 1980.-Career:...
, Eusi Kwayana
Eusi Kwayana
Eusi Kwayana, born Sydney King, is a Guyanese politician. A cabinet minister in the People's Progressive Party government of 1953, the British Army detained him in 1954...
, Andaiye, Moses Baghwan and Rupert Roopnaraine
Rupert Roopnaraine
Rupert Roopnaraine was born on 31 January 1943 in Kitty, Georgetown, Guyana. He won a scholarship to Queen's College in 1954 where he excelled in cricket, where he captained the team and represented Demerara in the Inter-county Cricket Finals. In 1962 he was awarded a Guyana scholarship to attend...
to form the Working People's Alliance
Working People's Alliance
-History:The party was established in 1974, as an alliance of the Working People's Vanguard Party, the Association for Cultural Relations with Independent Africa, the Indian Political Revolutionary Associates and Ratoon, and became a political party in 1989. The party first contested national...
. Discussions were held under the umbrella organization Patriotic Coalition for Democracy (PCD) in the fight for free and fair elections in Guyana.
Political renaissance
In 1992, with the return of democracyDemocracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
to Guyana, the PPP were returned to office by free and fair elections. Benn accepted President Dr. Jagan’s offer to be on the PPP’s list of candidates and won a seat in Parliament
National Assembly of Guyana
The National Assembly is the parliament of Guyana. It has 65 members, 53 members elected for a five-year term by proportional representation and 12 members delegated by local government councils...
. He was later appointed Guyana’s High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, a position he held with distinction from 1993 to 1998.
Upon his return to Guyana, Brindley Benn served as Chairman of the Public Service Commission for three years. He was also a member of the Teaching Service Commission and the Police Service Commission. Benn was the Chairman of the Guyana Lotteries Commission and served on the Appeals Board of the Guyana Revenue Authority.
Personal life
Benn was a a member of St. Paul’s Anglican Church at Plaisance and of its Men's Guild.He married his wife Patricia in 1951; they remained together throughout his life. The Benns had seven children, including fraternal twins, and eight grandchildren.