— President urges Victorians

AMIDST the beating of drums and the display of their deep rooted African culture, the residents of the Village of Victoria were encouraged by President David Granger to look to

the future by utilising the legacy their forefathers left behind.

Speaking at the First Village Indaba and the Inaugural National Day of Villages Observation held at Victoria Village, East Coast Demerara (ECD), the Head of State made it clear that it was not a history class but a means of encouraging villagers to utilise their resources.

He reminded those gathered, including a large number of school children that when Plantation Northbrook (now Victoria) was first purchased 177 years ago, it was with the future in mind.

“Every household had a kitchen garden… cottage industries — 120 years ago you had a thriving economy — so today, I didn’t come to tell you about the history, I didn’t come to tell you about the past, I come to tell you about tomorrow and the future — that is what National Day of Villages is about, not the past, it is about your future,” said President Granger.

He committed to his administration’s support of micro-enterprise development so that villages across the country can flourish but cautioned villagers against the purchasing of canned and bottled products.

“Use more stuff that is produced right here in Victoria,” he pleaded while stressing that it is not only healthy but will help to sustain the village economy.
“Let us start to produce, grow, sell right here the things that we produce — we have to promote the development of our own

economies if we are to overcome the problems of poverty in our communities.

“We need an economy which is based on increased production of goods in these villages. Today is not only a national day for villages but today is a national day for village economies,” the president declared.

He believes that micro and macro enterprises development provides an avenue for the employment of youngsters who leave school after completing their secondary education.

“We are going to continue to support village democracy,” said President Granger as he stressed the importance of Local Government Elections.

“You are going to witness Local Government Elections (LGE) again in 2018… If the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) doesn’t perform; put out the NDC… they must know they are responsible to you the residents of these villages to improve the quality of life.”

The President expressed his desire to see the revival of the community’s culture but noted that it is more than singing, dancing and drumming, emphasising the need for mutual respect

“… It must start in the schools,” he stated, noting that young boys must respect girls and girls and women respect themselves.

“Culture is about social cohesion,” he stated. He believes mutual respect and camaraderie are all pillars of success.

“I am not talking about the past; I am talking about the future. I am talking about what you need to do if you are to be a rich and prosperous community.”

PRECIOUS GIFT
President Granger reminded Victorians that their ancestors have provided them with lots of land and labeled it “a precious gift any parent can give a child…”
Without land there is no life, he said, noting that villagers are the trustees and will pass on the legacy of their foreparents.

“Under that legacy you’d never be hungry,” he declared, noting that it is time that the standards and values of the ancestors are inculcated to take citizens out of the “jaw of poverty and into the land of a good life”.

Meanwhile, the President made it clear that each Guyanese has come out of a village whether that village is located on the coastland or in the hinterland.

He said National Day of Villages celebrates Plantation Northbrook as it was the first village bought by the freed slaves 177 years ago and noted that it represents the “incubation of the nation”.

“It is as if the nation was born when Northbrook was purchased….That is why I call Victoria, the mother of all villages. It is the first village to be bought on the coastland; it is a landmark,” the President stated.

The purchase of Plantation Northbrook represents the beginning of the Village Movement which was copied in other parts of the English-speaking Caribbean.
“We were the first! This is not something that the academics invented, not something that the Government decided on. Illiterate people decided on their own that this was their pathway to freedom,” the President declared amid consistent cheers from school children and villagers, along with drum rolls.

In 2013, President Granger, then Opposition Leader tabled a motion in the National Assembly calling for November 7 to be designated National Day of Villages. The motion was approved by the House but never assented to by former President Donald Ramotar.

“So today you have the National Day of Villages, and it is not a National Day of African Villages, Amerindian villages, East Indian villages — it is a national day of villages for all of Guyana, all Guyanese… to celebrate,” he stated.

The President said it is clear that the forefathers were not selfish in their action and described Victoria as the “crib in which our nation was able to take comfort”.
“This Village Movement that was ignited on November 7 here in Victoria was the crib in which our nation was able to take comfort,” he said.

Victoria was likened to a house built on four pillars, home, school, church and farm and the President made it clear that village life was not a walk in the park.
That aside, the President has committed to reprinting a history book printed by William Nicolas Arnold some 50 years ago on the Village, noting that a copy of the book should be in the hands of every household in Victoria so that they can appreciate the work of their ancestors.

Also present at the National Day of Villages observance were Minister of Public Telecommunication Catherine Hughes; Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan; Minster within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr Karen Cummings; and Chairman of the Guyana Post Office Corporation Reverend Raphael Massiah.