Lusignan, Guyana


Lusignan is a community in Guyana, South America. Located on the East Coast of Demerara, it was originally a village inhabited mainly by indo-Guyanese, sustained by subsistence farming and fishing. Ecotourism is also an emerging industry.
At present, Lusignan is undergoing a process urbanization, due to growing investments. There are supermarkets, automobile sales companies, private and government schools, restaurants, taxi services. It is a community of doctors, nurses, office workers and a wide variety of other jobs.
Its most famous expatriates are Ramkumar and Tapearee Singh who moved to Lusignan during the disturbance in the 1960s. Mr. Singh moved his house, board by board, from Golden Grove - with help from Stella the Donkey. Mr. Singh was a gentleman farmer with extensive land holdings in the Golden Grove, back dam and Georgetown. They parented 11 children.
The community was brought to international attention following what has become known as the Lusignan Massacre, a dire event that left 11 persons, including 5 children, dead, after a group of heavily armed gunmen led by Rondell "Fineman" Rawlins stormed the village.

Location and prominent features

Located on the northeast coast of South America, Lusignan is a small community on the East Coast of Demerara, approximately 16 km from the capital city Georgetown. This village has a population of about 2,000 persons. It is home to the Lusignan Golf Course, Guyana's only golf course, and there is also a community centre which houses the Lusignan Cricket Club and a Dental Surgery. The village constitutes a market square, supermarket, and pharmacy, and one of the Guyana's five maximum security prisons. Transportation for the village is via a railway embankment and the major East Coast highway, and connects the community to the capital city.