Judaman Seecoomar

Who was Judaman Seecoomar?

Judaman Seecoomar was a Guyanese writer. He was born in Lusignan, Guyana.

In 1962 Judaman left for England, fearful of the effects of the growing racial violence in Guyana.

He settled in England with his wife and children and worked as a teacher in an inner city school in northwest London. Widespread racism and limited funds made life difficult. He separated from his first wife in 1967.

In his 30’s Judaman completed a BA in International Relations and later an MA in Urban Education, both from the University of London. He became deputy head of South Kilburn High School in the early 1980s.

After the premature deaths of his son Rohan in 1988 and his second wife, Judith in 1990 Judaman focused on his passion for his homeland and his desire to search for methods of resolving the legacy of racial conflict left by colonialism which had caused him and many others to leave.

He began work on his Ph.D. and throughout the 1990s he made many trips to Guyana both to undertake research and to work on teacher training projects as a volunteer. His study was interrupted by coronary heart disease and he often worked on chapters of his thesis while in hospital. He received his doctorate from the University of London in 2002 at the age of 70.