Beyond Jonestown: Guyana's True Story

Guyana, November 1978. Before Jonestown, Guyana was living its own story.

It was a young nation, newly independent, still learning how to stand on its own after centuries

of colonial rule. Life moved forward in ordinary ways. People worked, raised families,

argued politics, cooked meals, and gathered in yards at the end of the day.

The country was complex, diverse, and resilient. Deep in the northwest

jungle, far removed from most Guyanese daily life, a foreign settlement

existed that few people ever saw and even fewer truly understood. That settlement

was Jonestown. When the news came, it did not arrive clearly. It came in pieces