The inscription is gone from its face, but the clay brick monument stands proud, defiant to whatever the ravages of time may throw at it. The glare of the sun reflects off of its porcelain tiled companion in the lonely Victoria Culture Centre yard. The tiled monument still has some of its writing, but then again, it is less advanced in age than the former, which is believed to be a tribute to the slaves who purchased the plantation that would become Victoria so many years ago.
Some of the villagers boasted to the Chronicle that Victoria, situated 18 miles from Georgetown on the East Coast of Demerara, and boasting dimensions of 130 rods (836 m) in width and seven miles (11.2 km) in depth, is “the deepest village”.
When the slaves were finally emancipated in 1838, there was an exodus from the estates. According to Historian Vere T. Daly in his work ‘The Making of Guyana’, the slaves who had been paid for their overtime work during the days of apprentice-ship had saved their money by the African custom of ‘throwing box”. With this money, they now proceeded to purchase land, for it is only in this way that they could be free of the tyranny of the planters, who sometimes deliberately destroyed provision grounds.
Purchase of Victoria
It is now almost 172 years since Victoria Village was purchased by the former slaves in British Guiana. William Arno, in the work “A History of Victoria Village, East Coast Demerara” wrote: In November, 1839, 83 persons, including two women, bought what was then Plantation Northbrook for the sum of 30 thousand guilders ($10, 284, 63c.). It was the first village bought by freed African slaves.
In recognition of and in gratitude for the part played in the abolition of slavery by the then reigning monarch, Queen Victoria, the purchasers renamed the property Victoria.
Continuing, Arno says that these liberated people showed a great desire for church worship and the keen wish for church worship resulted in the erection of church buildings. The first place of worship was erected in 1845 in a breezy north-easterly spot of the village and named Wilberforce after the English gentleman who was prominent among those who strove for the liberation of slaves.
Today, a spanking new concrete structure stands where the original wood and clay brick structure once stood. But the remnants of the bell tower remain, now rotten and faded and barely recognizable.
The village still has many churches and it is another boast of the villagers that Victoria is the village with the most churches. Walking around the village, accompanied by Chairman of the Victoria Reconstruction Trust (VRT) Desmond Saul, we encountered 87-year-old Eileen Morris sitting on the steps of the Victoria Christian Brethren Church. Living only a stone’s throw away, this is her favourite spot to come and enjoy some “cool breeze” and relax. This is the church that she has attended all her life. A casual count on the spot reveals that there are at least 18 churches of various dominations.
Churches also became, in the course of time, places of learning. Government programmed classes were first carried on in the Methodist and Congregational church buildings, and later, in the  Roman Catholic church.
A man named William Baptiste, known as “Boss Africa” became, despite his literary limitation, the first school master of the village and began teaching in the Wilberforce Church. He died in 1881 at the age of 92 years.  There is a plaque dedicated to him in the Wilberforce Church.
Today the village has its own nursery and secondary school, as well a technical vocational centre. Marks of the childhood days of villagers can still be seen in the sections of clay brick walls in the nursery school and the technical vocational centre.
The centre itself has an interesting history of its own, and I am told that the building referred to by many as the “radio factory” once housed the Guyana Radio and Electronic Company (GRECO), now defunct for 20 years.
Challenges
Victoria has its share of challenges and one of them is employment. Saul said that the VRT would like to see private entities provide chances for employment. Many villagers support themselves through small business and farming. Orin Bishop, a coconut vendor and self-titled “Refreshment Man” is one such example. A farmer by profession he vends his produce to community members and to commuters.  His other cash crops include cassava, plantains, eddoes, pear, mangos, dunks and limes.  Offering an option of cold coconut water, Bishop brings in $100 – $120 per coconut. The VRT is also trying to increase the number of people who farm said Saul, who advocates education in the field of agriculture, saying it is a good option.
Other small businesses dot the village, such as barbershops, boutiques, food shops and recreational places. A resident of Victoria all her life, Miss Hilda Huntley-Barnwell, who was widowed in a tragic accident 6 years ago, is another small business owner. She sells homemade meals and desserts. The building she sells out of was formerly the liberated slaves pay office. Saul says the VRT has plans to eventually move the structure to another spot to erect a new monument to the purchasers of the village.
The VRT, in existence since 1995, was founded by a group of about 20 concerned villagers who became conscious of how dilapidated the village was becoming and the educational, cultural and spiritual decline.
The Trust was started on the simple principle that anyone could deny themselves soft drink and save the money in the fund, to go towards economic revitalization. In 2003, the Trust registered as a legal entity.
A recent petition on behalf of Victoria residents, filed in the National Assembly, sought recognition for the historic contributions of the freed slaves and called for the restoration and preservation of historical landmarks. It was filed in the name of the “Descendants, residents and heirs of the proprietors of Plantation Northbrook of the then group of 83”.