THE LE REPENTIR CEMETERY AND ITS REHABILITATION

Mar 02, 2025 Consumer Concerns, Features / Columnists, News, Waterfalls Magazine

---

CONSUMER CONCERNS

By PAT   DIAL

Kaieteur News- The Le Repentir Cemetery falls within the responsibility of the Georgetown City Council. Just about half a century ago, it was famous as the Caribbean’s largest cemetery and its most well-kept.  The cemetery occupies an entire plantation unlike any other and it was a gift from a French immigrant, Pierre Louis DeSaffon.  The story of DeSaffon is a tragic one.  He was a wealthy well born Frenchman who killed his brother in a duel and was so overcome with grief and remorse that he decided to banish himself from the civilized life of Europe to the British colony of Demerara, which, with the French penal colony of Cayenne were considered to be the most primitive territories of the Americas. DeSaffon was a natural businessman and in a short time became a wealthy man and was fully accepted into the small white community, even being admitted into the Freemason’s Lodge.  Among his acquisitions were three plantations which were given names reminiscent of his tragedy – Le Ressouvenir (Remembrance);  La Penitance (Penitence);  and Le Repentir (Repentance).  Saffon Street in Georgetown commemorates him. He gifted Le Repentir to the people of Guyana to be used as a cemetery.

The parts of the Le Repentir plantation adjoining Georgetown were immediately developed.  The land bounded by Sussex Street on the south, St Stephen’s Street on the west and Princes Street on the north was cleaned of vegetation, drained and laid out into beds to accommodate the graves and two red burnt clay roads were built connecting Sussex street and Louisa Row/ Princes Street with Broad Street leading to the east to west cemetery road which led to the “backdam” or undeveloped area. Along both sides of the roads were planted with flowering trees and along the roadsides running into the backdam area were planted with Royal Palms.  The perimeter trench around the cemetery provided both security and drainage.  Later, coconut palms were planted in the cemetery along the sides of the perimeter trench and these provided the Town Council with an income from the sale of the coconuts.

The section of the road leading from Louisa Row to the junction of the east to west road was particularly striking: The Sexton’s office was housed in a neat cottage and along both sides of the road were planted with a variety of flowers including marigolds, bachelor buttons, lilies, hibiscuses and queen of flowers.  At the meeting point of the two roads was a Masonic monument with the square and compasses.

The burial areas were allotted to the Catholics, Muslims and Hindus with the largest area being “the General Ground” and a small area was unofficially given to the Chinese nationals who occasionally did Buddhist /Confucianist burials. The vast majority of the Chinese Community was Christians and had no connection with this area which in time was reabsorbed into the General Ground.  A number of rangers were employed to keep the cemetery under surveillance and were responsible for its general security and they closed the gates exactly at 6 p.m.

Until the end of the 1950’s, the cemetery was well kept and efficiently managed.   Until the 1950’s the franchise for electing Town Councilors was restricted to property owners and those who offered themselves to serve as Councilors were the successful businessmen, prominent lawyers and other successful professionals.  Similarly, the employees of the Council came from the successful and educated middle class, and it was regarded as prestigious to be working at the Town Hall.  With such a team, the City was managed with efficiency and financial integrity and created the Cemetery for which Guyana was proud.  Then in the 1960’s the Council was democratized.  A different level of persons were elected as Councillors who were far less educated and financially independent and they set about changing the employees of the Council who turned out to be less able than their predecessors.

The management of the City collapsed, corruption could not be controlled and all the services of the City including Le Repentir Cemetery ceased functioning or functioned at a very low level.  To save the day, the Central Government found itself being forced to undertake essential services such as road repair and garbage disposal.  Vice President Dr. Jagdeo, at one of his recent press conferences, disclosed to the journalists that his Government was committed to the rehabilitation of the Cemetery and had already started with construction of a 4-lane road across it.

We do not know what Government’s plans are but the Guyana Consumers Association would like to make the following suggestions: Drainage- the perimeter trench should be cleaned and deepened and its outlet to the larger canal leading to the river koker be cleared; the cross drains between the beds be straigthened and deepened.  Roads – the main roads crossing the cemetery from east to west and north to south be widened and asphalted and the pathways between the beds be strengthened with stones; all gates and bridges leading to the cemetery be strengthened. At the juncture of the two main roads, as was done in the past, the Masonic monument should be reerected  but specifically to honour DeSaffon’s memory.   Vegetation – all trees and other vegetation be removed from the beds and the tombs which had been broken be repaired; grass be regularly weeded and be permitted to be burnt in small piles when dried.  Aesthetics – Flowering trees such as flamboyants of two or three colours, golden showers, cannon balls and other flowering trees and royal palms be planted on either side of the main roads and flowers such as marigolds be cultivated in the vicinity of the sexton’s office and between the tombs if relatives would wish to do so.  Tomb architecture – the few Muslim maqbaras (ornamental tombs), the Mediterranean style tomb with several vaults found in the Old Roman Catholic ground and the 18th century style graves found in the older parts of the General Ground as well as the Hindu symbols of AUM and Swastikas found on some graves should be preserved.  The ornate grill fences, some with esoteric symbolisms, which date from the 19th century were all stolen during the collapse of the Management and can never be replaced but the basic information on the stolen marble plaques could be replicated in concrete.  Families using marble plaques should embed them in the ornamental concrete scrolls to prevent theft.  Medic and Sexton office on call – to assist mourners if they need assistance. The records held at the Sexton’s office should be copied and preserved and the systems used by the Sexton’s office be modernized and the resultant documentation generated be preserved.  The National Archives need to establish a close contact with the Sexton’s Office.        Security – Until the collapse of the Management of City in the1960’s, the Cemetery was a very safe and even pleasant place.  Then there was a growing invasion of thieves and robbers who would attack mourners and persons passing through and rob and assault them.  Now, mourners have to visit with their own security.  A detachment of Police or City Constabulary should be deployed to  patrol the Cemetery and should be properly equipped.  They should be able to arrest or warn suspicious characters.

(THE LE REPENTIR CEMETERY AND ITS REHABILITATION)

---

• CONSUMER CONCERNS, Georgetown City Council, Le Ressouvenir, The Le Repentir Cemetery

---