In our yesterday’s edition we carried an interesting article on developments in the Amerindian community of Orealla and there were two striking features which gave the distinct impression that the residents are forward thinking and the community spirit is very much alive there.
According to the Toshao of the community, Mr. Mclean Davair, agriculture is the only way forward for the community and that is being promoted. He told this newspaper that logging, once the primary activity in the village, has been exhausted because loggers now have to go further into the forest to get logs and the task has become more tedious.
In addition, Davair said the machinery being used is becoming obsolete and cannot suit the purpose as before.
“Things are harder for us now and buying new machines is not feasible when we look at it,” he said.
According to him: “People have to eat. Food will always be needed, so we do not see much of a problem with agriculture. We can supply fruits and vegetables and make life better here.”
Davair said transporting produce to Skeldon, the nearest big market to Orealla, will not be difficult as many residents have access to boats.
“Land is not an issue either. We have enough land to do cultivation here,” he maintained, noting the optimistic mindset being encouraged.
This is indeed a good and sensible initiative of the community because Guyana needs to expand and diversify its agricultural base as its huge potential in this sector has not been fully tapped and therefore the more people get involved the more that huge potential will be realised.
But like most changes it takes time to catch on because people by nature are reluctant to change, however, the Toshao pointed out that “slowly, people are seeing that agriculture is a successful venture.”
So the opportunity for this community to improve living standards there has presented itself and very importantly these residents are not depending on handouts and somebody else to resolve their difficulty. On the contrary the solution is community driven and comes from the residents themselves.
This is a wonderful example of how people could help themselves if they cooperate and live in harmony and unity and this excellent move should be emulated by other communities.
The Ministry of Agriculture will certainly be pleased with this venture into agriculture by the residents of Orealla and hence would provide all possible technical and other relevant forms of support to ensure success of this initiative.
The other striking feature in this community is the obvious strong community spirit and this was alluded to by Mr. Davair who said that complete involvement of the community is their way of life in Orealla.
“Here, we live like a family, helping one another and sharing and celebrating with each other. We develop Orealla together,” he said.
Comparing Orealla with other parts of the country, Davair observed that on the coast land, for example, if one person is in need of something, the individual has to go purchase it. In Orealla, you can ask your neighbour.
He said life in Orealla is simple and that understanding is grasped by even the small children.
On this note, the Toshao has made a most pertinent point and that is life in his community is simple and this is grasped by the children. Successful societies are built on the foundation of the inculcation of the right values in children who on attaining adulthood will pass on to the new generation of children.
Unfortunately the community spirit is missing in so many of our communities and as result many social problems which could have been tackled locally continue to be on the rise.
Perhaps through the collaboration of the Orealla community’s leadership, the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and other relevant agencies and organisations realise the possibility of sharing the community spirit experiences and the secrets of the success in this area should be explored and appropriate mechanisms established to help spread the community spirit in those communities where it is lacking. In other words Orealla should be adopted as a model community.