A PROFOUND ENRICHING EXPERIENCE

My Lecture about

Guyana and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

to Korean High School Students

 

by Gillian Olivia Witter

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

On Saturday, May 28th, I had the honour of speaking to 50 Korean high school students about my Guyanese heritage. Students sign up to attend a free lecture once a month on a Saturday morning at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale. This lecture series is offered through a volunteer program called Chungbuk International Cooperation Corporation. This program allows students a chance to hear a lecture about different cultures from foreigners living in Korea. Each experience I’ve had here in Korea seems to top the next one, and this experience is at the top of the list as being one of the most enriching.

 

Before the lecture started, I entered the room to the sounds of the sweet Soca music of Byron Lee. It made me feel so incredibly happy. My 45-minute lecture shared some basic facts about the beautiful country of Guyana: the food, the people, and some interesting stories like a bit about Jim Jones. I also included a portion of my lecture about the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and colonization. As I shared this information, when I looked at the students’ faces, they were with me and completely engaged. They were saddened by this horrific time in history. I felt they understood and empathized because Japan and China have tried to colonize Korea.

 

To be able to explain to Korean students and a few adults about Guyana, the formation, the people, the food, had my heart bursting and I felt full of joy. I also felt a release, sharing the story of my ancestors. I felt I was honouring my ancestors by sharing their story. And so, just walking around during the review and discussion period and watching students drawing the Guyanese flag was a serious WOW moment for me.

 

The students were thirsty to know more about Guyana. The questions they asked demonstrated that they were really interested and I felt connected to all of them. Here are some examples of the students’ questions:

• “How are the people of Guyana so full of energy and happiness despite this terrible history?”

• “Is it difficult for you to speak about slavery because it’s such a heavy topic?”

• “So, this means that Guyana was a man-made country, created by Europeans?”

• “How did Guyana gain independence from the British?”

• “What foods do your recommend for me to try?”

• “Because Koreans are all mono-culture, we want to know how the six nations get along together, socially and politically?”

• “What happened to Jim Jones?”

• “Can you please sing a song from Guyana?”

 

This experience was THE BEST! I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to connect with engaged, insightful, with-me-all-the-way students. SERIOUS BLESSINGS all around!

 

Check out the full lecture below