Meet Aaron Stephens AKA The Guyanese Jack Sparrow

Aaron Stephens is an impersonator, painter and craftsman. He is most famous for his impersonation of Captain Jack Sparrow – a fictional pirate of Walt Disney’s Studios. You may recognize our local artist as Uncle Jack Sparrow, by which he prefers to be called whenever dressed in this lifelike getup. When he’s not at rodeos, fairs and other events as Jack Sparrow, he spends his time mastering the art of crafting. He has been attending fairs, rodeos and Amerindian Heritage events, trying to spread awareness of his Indigenous work across Guyana.

Aaron Stephens – The Guyanese Jack Sparrow

Life and Work of Aaron Stephens

Stephens was born in a small village called Karaudarnau in South Rupununi, Guyana but moved to Georgetown at the age of eight. Aaron always loved crafting and it was one of his favourite hobbies. He practised this during his time living in Sawa, Trinidad where he worked for a pharmaceutical company. After four years in Sawa, he moved back to Guyana. One of his friends encouraged him to continue in the craft business, focusing on creating local and cultural jewellery and other crafts. At the age of twenty-nine he moved back to Karaudarnau with his parents to assist them and has since fallen deeper in love with craft-making in the Rupununi.

Moving back to South Rupununi has allowed him a wider grasp on his freedom of creativity. Stephens merges the art of indigenous craft making with both natural and artificial materials. The peace and quiet of South Rupununi have since enabled our local Jack Sparrow to focus more on his work and channel his creativity. His horizons have widened and he has improved tremendously in his crafting skills. Materials are hard to come by in this rural village so Stephens works with what he can find instead of solely using artificial materials. He uses cow and deer horns, seeds, stones, feathers, beads and bones. He engraves the story of Karaudarnau village on his many pieces and hopes his work to be distinguished one day.

In addition to being an impersonator and craftsman, Aaron also paints. However, he creates a smaller number of paintings, since he directs more energy to his craft making process. Stephen’s paintings are not yet on display but he hopes to have them on sale soon.

The Craft of Aaron Stephens

Teaching Youths the Art of Craft Making

After being welcomed like one of their own, Stephens wanted to give back to his community. Seeing at the youths in his village were in need of life skills, he started training them in the way of craft making. Staying in Karaudarnau will no doubt leave Stephens in financial strain, but it is a price he is willing to pay. Before leaving the village, he hopes to teach the art of craft-making to the youths of his quaint, little village. He started by inviting students of a nearby school to observe him at work. Not long after he began teaching an unofficial training course to eager and enthusiastic students.

The Struggle of an Indigenous Craftsman

During Amerindian Heritage Month Aaron sees his most sale, which gradually reduces as the month comes to an end. Travelling from the Interior areas like the Rupununi proves an obstacle in the path of Stephens. High travelling costs make it difficult to sell his work, especially year-round. These are challenges the young entrepreneur hopes to overcome. There is a tiny window of opportunity for craftsmen in Guyana. Aaron Stephens wants to create an online marketplace where not only his craft but others can be sold but lack the support to establish this. Nevertheless, he is optimistic about sharing his knowledge and leaving his mark on his community and Guyana.

Have you ever met the Guyanese Jack Sparrow? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!

Contact Information of Aaron Stephens

• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: Aran Stephens