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And there was indeed reason for this arrestingly contrasting appearance. The village is now without any form of entertainment, since one its two most popular nightclubs is out of commission while the other is under extensive repairs. Belladrum was once just a quaint rural community, even in the late 1980s. The village still has shabby houses, and small shops are still evident here and there, as are the large herds of cattle that traverse the roadways; but this small community in the Mahaica-Berbice district of Region Five, situated on the Atlantic coast about 15 kilometres (nine miles) east of Mahaicony, is rapidly changing through the efforts of villagers and some governmental organizations, and is now offering some amenities that were formerly associated with the city.
Belladrum is protected by the seawall that runs along the entire northern coast of Guyana. It is below sea level, and is rich with lush vegetation; farmlands, especially rice fields; and wildlife. Due to frequent seasonal flooding, it is particularly good for growing rice.
Some villagers who had migrated have since returned and erected many of the well-established grocery outlets now present in the village.
Housing and employment
Housing is traditionally made of wood, and stands on stilt-like columns. Recently, however, houses made of concrete and breeze blocks are becoming more common. The people of Belladrum are very friendly and walk long distances in search of work. Historically, the men of Belladrum would walk for miles daily to “dig shovel in the cane-fields”, which in local parlance means digging canals and waterways in the cane-fields, or “cut cane” at the Bath or Blairmont sugar plantations.
Like many villages on Guyana’s coastal plain, Belladrum is laid out as a ribbon settlement, with house lots on either side of the two-lane highway. Paved roads with shallow canals on either side are situated perpendicularly to the public highway at the ends and middle of the village.
Located south of the village is an area of land called the “back-dam”, consisting mainly of coconut trees interspersed with a variety of fruit trees. Though badly managed, the trees are very productive, and serve as a source of income and food for many villagers. The coconuts are used for cooking or making coconut oil. Some residents transport mangoes and other fruits from this area to the city, where they are sold at the Bourda or Stabroek markets. In the ‘back-dam’, any particular plot of land and its vegetation is generally thought to be the property of the person or family directly north of the plot.
Amenities
Belladrum has long served as a cultural and administrative hub to contiguous communities. The Village Office is run by an overseer, and houses property and other records. The Government-run community health clinic is staffed with nurses and a Medex, and is equipped to offer free vaccinations and solve minor health problems. Several dancehall clubs, liquor stands, and grocery shops can also be found in the village.
A Seventh-day Adventist church and the St. Alban’s Anglican Church are located in Belladrum. The administrators of the Anglican Church largely oversee the cemetery located in the same compound as the church.
The Belladrum Primary School is located near the centre of the village in the same compound as the St. Alban’s Anglican Church.
Before the government took over administration of most educational institutions, the school was run by the Anglican Church, and was named the St Alban’s School. The school has on roll children between the ages of six and 12 (Grades 1-6) coming from villages as far away as roughly two to three miles along the public road (Plantation Profit to Weldaad Village). The Belladrum Nursery School, which was formerly housed in the same building, is now located elsewhere in the village, while the Belladrum Secondary School is located in the neighbouring village of Eldorado.
Belladrum Secondary was formerly called the Belladrum (Government) Community High School due to an emphasis on vocational training and the trades (wood/metal working, technical drawing, clothing and textiles) and less on academic subjects (this reflects the tiered system of secondary schooling in Guyana, wherein students were assigned places at community high schools, junior and senior secondary schools, and multilateral schools based on their scores at the Secondary Schools Entrance Examination (SSEE).
The school also houses a sub-office of the Guyana Elections Commission.
Entertainment drought
Belladrum faces a severe ‘entertainment drought’. In times gone by, Belladrum was dubbed a village popular for its riveting and mind-boggling ‘entertainment exploits’, and had attracted hundreds of revellers from surrounding locations to its many weekend parties, birthday bashes, concerts, fairs, and massive excursions and concept parties in bygone days.
During that era, it was the very popular ‘Co-co-co Banna’ disco that initiated and generated all the events that attracted patrons countrywide. This nightspot was the ‘talk of the country’, and patrons came from areas as far off as Linden, Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Corriverton, and several East Coast Demerara villages to ‘soak up the fun and excitement’.
Sadly, the village has been reduced to a dismal alcove since the closure of Co-co-co Banna and the spanking new and sophisticated ‘Club Expo’ for one reason or another.
Villagers explained that ‘Club Expo’ was closed indefinitely, because the owners, who are overseas, are calling for a jewel-and-a-crown to rent out the facility. Hence, business-oriented individuals are hesitant to rent it, in spite of its having all the mod-cons to hold its own with any one of the hotspots in Georgetown.
One businessman who recently rented the club noted that it is ‘the real thing’, but lamented that because of the marginal spending power of villagers, it’s not profitable to pay the large rents asked for by the club owners.
The Co-co-co Banna, on the other hand, is under extensive renovations, which will see the formerly wooden building being transformed into an all-concrete structure. Its owner, Selwyn Amsterdam, a/ka ‘Supa’, had quite an interesting story to tell.
The new structure, which will be completed before the end of the year, will now be fashioned to exude ultimate comfort, in that the toilets and urinals that were previously outside the building will now be inside, and offer all the modern conveniences one could think of. The new structure will also be fully air-conditioned, and feature cozy little compartments for patrons who wish to be private and away from prying eyes.
Neon lights will be one of the night attractions, while full Dolby surround sound will add extra comfort. Two large flat-screen televisions will allow sport enthusiasts to enjoy their favourite programmes as they enjoy beverages and cutters of every imaginable nature.
The building will be much bigger, and will also allow for catered events and special functions by reservation.
Grief-stricken 
The restlessness and grief are evident upon the face of almost every villager. They now have simply no place to wind down on weekends, unless they travel far distances, or just enjoy a drink at home, which is not what they are accustomed to.
As dusk approaches, small groups along the roadside begin to murmur and lament the unavailability of practically any form of entertainment in the village. Some noted that weekends are now just spent lazing around and wishing desperately for the renovations of the Co-co-co Banna Club to be completed.
Amsterdam, too, was feeling the heat of the present situation, and readily shared his views with us.
“My club, for the past forty-two years, has been the centre of attraction to many individuals countrywide. But as time went by, I realized that there was a distinct need for me to renovate this club to offer comfort to my many supporters. When the wooden building was there, many complained of the heat when massive crowds swarmed the venue on weekends; so it was a family decision, actually, to have this new club built, and in concrete to ensure it stays around for many years to come.
“I can hardly bear the questions and enquiries of the villagers, and it aches my heart deeply to watch and hear them bemoan the lack of entertainment opportunities in the village.
“Many try to lock themselves in and have a glass of alcoholic beverage and listen to soothing music, but that is not working at all. These people are definitely hooked on the hyped weekends of pulsating music; wild, revelling abandon, and never-ending party concepts,” he said.
Commenting on the origin of the name of the soon-to-be-opened club, Amsterdam explained that the name ‘Co-co-co Banna’ was taken from an ancient book from Ethiopia (Africa), and it meant ‘a place where African people gathered for revelling and pleasure’.
Amsterdam also said that over the years, the spending power of the people would have dwindled somewhat, and he blames this on the fact that the village, like many others, is plagued by what he termed “The unemployment syndrome.” As a result, many villagers have migrated and sought employment in outlying areas. A large percentage of the males have taken to ‘pork-knocking’ in the ‘interior’, and, as a result, the spending power and ‘proprietor surpluses’ will soar to amazingly satisfying levels when these men “return from the bush wid de big-money.”
Selwyn Amsterdam
More popularly known as ‘Supa’, Selwyn Amsterdam is not only a successful Berbician businessman, but one of the entertainment proprietors and promoters who have, over the years, managed to become an icon in the Berbice area.
Growing up as a youth in Berbice, Selwyn was already planning a life for himself as early as age seventeen. He always felt that there was a desperate need for proper entertainment in the Berbice villages, and this prompted him to work assiduously towards providing proper leisure time entertainment for Berbicians.
He himself did many odd jobs as he grew up, but he always saved most of his earnings, since he had every intention of making his dream a reality. He worked as a labourer, maintenance helper, and had even been a pork-knocker too.
While he was still very young, the Co-co-co Banna Disco emerged under his supervision, and soon became the ‘Berbice hotspot’ it still remains today.
It was his really intriguing entertainment ideas and projects that saw his business spiralling to the top of the chart in little time; and to remain a household name, he has made customer satisfaction his motto. To date, he is open to suggestions, provided those are geared at bettering his business and keeping his customers satisfied.
Challenges
Nyal Gordon, a very concerned villager, gave a detailed presentation on the challenges and setbacks encountered by villagers.
A teacher at Belladrum Primary for several years, Nyal is also a very active member in the Youth Group of the Belladrum Seventh Day Adventist Church, and is also involved in several projects that tie in with the youths, and with social issues of the village.
Unemployment seems to be a major factor affecting most of the East Demerara and West Berbice villages, and Belladrum is no exception.
Mr. Gordon noted that young boys and girls who have managed to be successful at the CXC/GCE examinations are plagued with the difficult task of finding jobs, even though they become qualified. While a few may migrate to the city in search of jobs, others are forced to seek employment refuge at a location that once housed the Burma Rice Milling Complex, where they have to settle for doing mostly manual labour for an income.
There they engage in packing rice and paddy onto trucks for transport to various areas of Guyana, or in the actual rice production, which is done on a small scale since the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), once located in Burma, has become defunct.
A few males may brave the treacherous trails and dangers of the interior region in search of gold and other valuables, but they are not always successful.
A few lucky individuals manage to get work at the primary and secondary schools, but complain of the long process ensued, and the anxiety of not knowing if their applications will be successful, since this task overtime has become very competitive.
Some persons try their hands at small kitchen gardens, but the area, which is prone to flooding, does not always bring good harvest, since many a kitchen garden is destroyed during the rainy season.
“Belladrum is indeed a very beautiful village, and in time, with a little work on it, we can become quite an attraction to not only curious Guyanese minds, but also to the many tourists that come to Guyana, seeking a break away from their busy schedules. But the biggest problem that is affecting our youths is unemployment.
I have no idea if our geographic location prevents changes to this very serious problem, but what I know is that there is indeed an urgent need for this situation to be rectified.
Residents also have issues that need attention. Some residents complained of the water supply, which they claim is ‘unfit for drinking at times’. The village welcomes rainfall, and would fill up large containers and store them in the homes.
Most people seem to treat their water supply with Chlorox Bleach, while just the minority would adopt the traditional purification method of boiling.
Mothers complained bitterly of having to trudge through muddy pastures during the rainy seasons to get their children to and from school. Those residents live close to the ‘Waterside’ and ‘Back-dam areas’, which are quite lower than areas close to the public road.
It was related that improper drainage was a factor that they have been forced to live with over the years.
Residents feel that there is also a dire need for more recreational facilities, both in the village and in the schools, to keep the youths positively occupied during their leisure time.
While the ‘ball-field’ in the neighbouring Paradise Village is available to villagers from time to time, they are calling for their own playfield so that they will not clash with other villages when featuring sport activities.
Only hope
It would seem like villagers would be able to at least momentarily experience some degree of ‘entertainment bliss’ quite soon, when the St Alban’s Anglican Church host its annual Harvest Fair and Dance in the compound of the Belladrum Primary School. This event, which is slated for November 30, 2012, continues to attract a huge fan base from far and wide, and many are indeed anticipating the staging of the Miss Belladrum Pageant, which is normally promoted at this event.
Junior and senior queens are normally crowned and sashed at this forum too.
Striking changes
Things have indeed changed, as is evident even in the mannerisms and dress code of villagers. There was a time when the majority, especially the women, could be picked out from among large crowds by their somewhat tacky attire. Now those very ‘country lasses’ pack a wallop with their now modern and sophisticated dress code.
Cattle rearing and poultry farming, to some extent, seem to be the main sources of livelihood. However, the village has now produced a few of its own teachers, clerks and other intellectual workers, who are luckily employed both within and outside the village.
Cattle farmers provide fresh milk and meat to villagers. Still present in the village, too, are a few vegetable vendors, who market their items by pulling a cart and screaming their heads off to attract the housewives, who would come rushing out to select whatever they could for their kitchens and refrigerators.
Some villagers prefer to drive minibuses, while many sell snacks and other goodies in the school compounds. While this trade has been drastically reduced over the years, some fishmongers still operate in the village; and many of them are housewives.
Joy flooded out
While the village appears to be inhabited by jovial residents, these people lose their bon vivant when flooding occurs during the rainy seasons, especially in the backland areas, where vegetable and rice farming are mostly done. Villagers blame this irritation on poor drainage and irrigation.
The main access dams are most times in a deplorable state during heavy downpours, making it almost impossible for farmers to get into the backlands. Some kitchen garden owners still recall the painful destruction of their home grown crops during the rainy seasons.
Others bemoan the fact that most of the side streets are still not paved, while other villages are already completed.
Intrigue
Interacting first with the many shirtless youths running in the pastures, some all muddied and giggling, caused me to realize that amidst the toils and struggles of this country, youths still have the opportunity to enjoy brilliant sunshine, swim in the canals, chase each other screaming down the side streets, and enjoy cool water coconuts in abundance.
Findings coming out of our conversations proved that while the majority loved the academic side of things, others could hardly wait for weekends to go frolicking in the rain or under the sun.
Intent on finding the real awakening of the village, I stayed overnight and awoke quite early the following morning. While the villagers were just about stirring, I perched myself on my friend’s verandah to carefully observe the ‘Belladrum Rising’.
At dawn, as the last crows of the cocks faded in the distance, husbands and other male breadwinners poured onto the public road to await transportation to their various worksites.
While some engaged in idle chatter, others seemed more concerned with accessing the first minibus or short drop vehicle to worksites situated at various locations outside the village.
The streets soon became filled with vehicles as villagers converged in numbers, hastily going about their various chores.
By now the golden sun was rising steadily above the horizon, casting a jewelled dazzle on rooftops and metal frames of steel fences. Soon after, the ubiquitous small groceries are opened as vendors attempted to attract the eyes of early buyers.
With streets now filled with pedestrians, riders and drivers, conversations with a few grown men revealed that while the village can be sometimes described as ‘a hub of bustling activity’, there is still room for the introduction of some more ‘glitz and glamour’.
Some indicated that before their sudden ‘entertainment shutdown’ during the nights, especially on weekends, music would boom from the hotspots, and youths would gather for merry conversation. On Saturday and Sunday nights, all roads would have lead to the night clubs, where villagers and outlying residents all converge for a long night of steamy dancing.
Whether it’s a simple stereo set or the customary one-man band feature, villagers still seem to enjoy themselves.
During the midways, the streets are mostly dismal, but they come alive in the afternoons and early mornings with the boisterous chatter of students as they hurry to and from the Belladrum Secondary and Primary schools.
In keeping with their tradition, kweh-kweh activities are still a vibrant feature among villagers, and ever so often they gather in wild gyration and laughter as African drums beat the welcoming sound of a wedding to come.
For the ‘holy at earth’, the massive and elegantly structured Seventh Day Adventist Church offers divine solace, or worshippers can switch to the St. Alban’s Anglican Church, situated in close proximity to the Belladrum Primary School and Cemetery.
Belladrum Village is on the road to eventual development, and modern transformation is a sure thing for the village.
