Madeira

So, to belabor the point some more 😊, let’s turn our attention to an island many Guyanese people descend from – MADEIRA. I’ve written about this quite a few times about that island, as some of my ancestors also came from there and settled on St. Kitts and Nevis respectively.

Madeira is linked to Portugal as an autonomous region of that country. It is politically, socially, economically, and historically tied to Portugal and to an extent, to the rest of Europe, but what if I told you that Madeira (and 99% of The Azores) is actually part of the African Continent and NOT Europe? Well, it is, just as much as Madagascar and Mauritius are, yet Madeira nor Madeirans identify themselves as Africans as a first identifier. The same can be said for the Canary Islanders (also part of Africa) and at one point, Cape Verdeans.

So, as you can see, you can live on one continent/tectonic plate and identify in just about every way with an entirely different community for a myriad of reasons.

Now you may better understand Guyana’s unique situation. 😊