THE Pepperpot Magazine, this week, visited the community of Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara and brought back some interesting stories on the people and the way of life in that community.

During the visit, the team met Neolla Persaud, who has been residing in the community for 25 years with her family. Persaud said that Land of Canaan is a nice place and is a convenient place to live because most people work right in the village at the three major companies: Gafoor’s, Barama and Demerara Bakery.

“Land of Canaan is a peaceful place where people live in harmony and we don’t tolerate nonsense here. If we see strangers lurking, we ask them to leave if they don’t have any real business in this community. Owing to the recent robberies we have had on the roadside, we have to safeguard each other,” she said.

Persaud told the Pepperpot Magazine that her children’s school is just five minutes away and it is convenient for her; since she works at the Fisheries, she can pick up the children in good time after school.

“So we have everything right here, we really don’t have to go far, plus you can’t hungry here, this part called ‘Egypt’ that is, Old Road, Land of Canaan. We come and reach the name, we ain’t know how it got that name,” she said, adding that over time, there have also been some changes for the better in the village.

Persaud, who was accompanied by several villagers on a structure they refer to as the “racket chair” which they constructed five years ago, related that they would just sit there and talk things over with some fish broth and a beverage and try to relax when they have the time.

“We mek this racket chair five years now. This is for residents, people walking in to rest their feet and any other [person] who wishes to rest since it got a shed to provide shade and it is in a good spot, because on weekends we have a lot of things happening here. The food people does come out and we have music and it does be like a dance and all the workers would come and lime as well,” Persaud said.

She was, however, upset at the recent happenings in which a young lady from the village got robbed by a man on a motorcycle while she waited on the public road for a bus.
“We don’t tolerate dem things around here. We got shift workers living in this village and people come and go and they must be able to do so in ease,” she said.

Persaud explained that the robber is not from Land of Canaan and if they find him, he will have a lot of explaining to do. She reported, too, that a young man was walking home from the bakery after his shift ended and he was recently robbed by several men in a car.

Land of Canaan has many shops, plenty to do and it is a village of friendly folk, who are willing to sit and chat. In addition, they would maintain the area in which they would ensure that the place is weed-free and all refuse is properly disposed of and plants of varying kinds beautify the place. Garbage bins have been placed along the side of the road, since littering is strictly prohibited in that community.

Persaud added that Land of Canaan is a place with all kinds of people: some soldiers, cops, air hostesses, doctors, masons, cooks, nurses and many others.

The Pepperpot Magazine also met Michelle McLean, a mother of six and two grandchildren, along with her husband Phillip Morgan.

She stated that she was born and grew up in the community and is quite comfortable in her little house — the only home she knows — and life there is good.

“I know this place as ‘Egypt,’ but it was re-named Higginsville and the road was paved last year and we have all the basic necessities, such as light and water here,” McLean said.

She noted that the village has about 3,000 people and it is a mixture of folk from all walks of life and they live in harmony most times; when conflicts arise, they are quickly resolved.

McLean said most people in Land of Canaan are Christians and go to church regularly; they basically are employed and find things to occupy their time and have many recreational activities, including going to a creek on weekends.