–Popular for its joie de vivre despite the many challenges
OUR intention was really to showcase a very quaint and attractive village in the Berbice area, but continuous torrential downpours have caused flooding in some sections of that village, forcing us to settle for a much closer village on the East Coast of Demerara, which still allowed for trekking and exploring despite the rains.
And to be honest with you, folks, I certainly was not disappointed, since the village of my choice — Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara — held a rich history and several vibrant features that certainly piqued my interest.
However, what stood out distinctly in this village was the very high level of festivity that seemed to grip its inhabitants, regardless of challenges they were facing.
From the jovial menfolk liming at the street sides to the boisterous women gossiping at the grocery shops, this village simply exuded a high level of bustle and festivity.
And there was a certain tropical welcome from the boom boxes blasting Christmas carols of riveting dancehall hits in several homes and businesses. Then there was the feisty banter of young men congregating around the old shopping plaza and other areas, playing cards or dominoes as stereo sets blasted their favourite tunes.
What was definitely notable was a certain celebratory air about the villagers, and from the smiles and happiness on their faces, it was evident that they were already enjoying the beckoning holiday season.
Melanie Damishana is quite popular for the high level of festivity amongst its people all year through, and this continues even in the face of travails, major setbacks, or challenges they face as a village. And from listening to conversations and ‘roadside gaff’ as we toured the village, it was quite surprising that a few youth groups and promoting agencies were even in feverish preparations for the 2014 Mashramani festivities.
Well, this village is definitely famous for hosting lavish entertainment activities, and is the hallmark for the commencing of the extravagant East Coast Mash Tramp and Road Fete customarily hosted by East Coast Demerara promoter Ean Havercone, more popularly called ‘Father Moey’.
Melanie Damishana is a well populated place, and is located in the Demerara-Mahaica Region Four of Guyana. The estimate terrain elevation above sea level is -9999 metres, with latitude readings of 6°47’0.71″, and longitude ratings of 58°0’5.84″.
This village also dates back to the ‘Era of the Slaves’, since its lands were said by many to be among those bought by freed slaves in 1838.
The village of Melanie Damishana was reputedly built by former President Forbes Burnham’s PNC in the mid-1970s, and was so named after his daughter, Melanie Abiola. As history would have it, these lands were appropriated from the sugar estates of Enterprise/Bladen Hall, and the villages of the same name are now aback of Melanie Damishana.
Before the advent of Melanie Damishana, those lands, including the lands in front of Coldingen and Non Pareil, were used for years by Enterprise/Bladen Hall residents to grow rice and rear sheep, goats and cattle.
‘Melanie’ of old
Even in the late 1990s, this village was showing signs of impending development, judging from the amount of persons who were preparing house lots for future building.
At that time, the village had a very striking old world ambience to it, and residents for sure adopted the mode of ‘self help efforts’ to get things done. During that era, this village was an arresting fusion of cozy wooden cottages, (of course with a few marvellous concrete structures among them), widen open pastures and land spaces; and a twisting, bending bevy of access roads and alleyways that afforded entrance to the most remote parts of its existence.
It was customary to see young, healthy males in the afternoons playing basketball at a makeshift court set up within a few rods of the public road. Football was the sport of the day, and almost in every open field one could have seen youths dashing about with sinewy muscles straining as they made maddening sprints to ensure a goal was scored for their teams.
There were a few grocery shops scattered here and there, but villagers at that time were more concerned with shopping at the ‘big time shops’ clustered quite close to the Melanie Shopping Plaza, which by that time had gone out of operation. The most popular of these grocery outlets, and the largest of the lot, was owned by the Jacobs Family, who resided in the village.
Another striking factor about this village during that time was the ‘refreshing camaraderie’ that existed among residents, who, from my point of view, always seemed to be having fun.
Melanie Damishana is predominantly inhabited by residents of African descent; but, over the years, this location has seen a small influx of East Indians and Amerindians taking up residence, thus making it a ‘mixed neighbourhood’.
Present-day
Today, this village has evolved to a great extent, and now showcases a brilliant fusion of posh and newly erected concrete houses, more developed businesses, a health centre, post office, restaurants, and several small businesses that serve every need of the residents.
One missing feature in the village, however, is the Melanie Damishana Cinema, which in years gone by had served as a major form of leisure time entertainment for residents of Melanie and other surrounding villages.
While no one seemed to be able to say what had triggered and led to the neglect and eventual complete deterioration of the cinema, many miss the weekend escape it offered for villagers to ‘wind down’ under the influence of a good family-oriented movie.
The community of Melanie Damishana is once again beginning to look like the posh residential area it was intended to be, thanks to a group of citizens who have come together with the aim of returning the village to being the pride of the East Coast of Demerara.
With the backing of the community’s Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), the group’s efforts are already beginning to bear fruit.
Street signs have been erected, and parapets and drains have been cleared. There are also several other initiatives that are soon to take off that will redound to the benefit of the entire community, especially the young people.
Henry Lewis, the Secretary of the steering committee that is overseeing the projects, explained that following discussions among members, several plans were put forward and approved. These included a homework centre for the children of the community, agriculture and the environment, and empowering persons to be self sufficient within the economic realm.
According to Lewis, the committee has a plan to engage individual homeowners in the community in order to synchronise the cleaning activity, and he was happy to report that there has been a positive response so far.
Challenges
Every village has complaints and issues of its own, and Melanie Damishana is no exception. While most residents indicated that ‘life was good otherwise’, they however lamented the lack of proper access roads in some places, and bad drainage especially to the ‘rear-end locations’ of the village. This, they claim, causes flooding during the rainy seasons, making life quite uncomfortable for villagers.
Brandon Thomas, a shopkeeper, was quite ready to talk to us on these issues. “Life is good in Melanie, except for the fact that there are many roads in the village that would have deteriorated over time and need to be repaired. When the rain falls, the large holes on these roads are filled with water, and it’s difficult for residents to traverse the area. That aside, some areas of this village would normally flood under heavy rainfall, so I am saying that there is need for the issue of drainage and irrigation to be addressed”.
Residents are also requesting street lights, which are absent in some areas of the village, so as to enhance their security and safety at nightfall.
Some residents complained that when repairs are done to some of the access roads (especially the Cinema Road), in no time pot holes reopen after continuous traverse by vehicles. This, they say, affects garbage disposal, as the dump truck now collects waste only on Saturdays, while others would simply refuse to go to certain locations.
Some said that taxis and minibuses also refuse to use some roads, and would instruct passengers to disembark at the head of the road, forcing them to walk to their residences.
Folklore
Amidst all the festivity, the complaints and even some negativity, one would be surprised to find that residents of Melanie still hold fast to their traditions and intriguing folklore.
And the legend of the ‘Ole Higue’ is still a tale that is told to youths and even elders, as families sit on moonlit nights, basking under the glory of twinkling stars.
Village elder Yvonne Carter, with a certain spark of mischief in her eyes, narrated the tale to us; and I must confess that my imagination ran wild, causing shivers to crawl up my spine.
She explained that the Ole Higue, (the Guyanese form of a human vampire), is capable of discarding her skin to take the form of an old woman living in a community. At night she transforms herself into a ball of fire, flies from her own house up into the sky, and then lands on the roof of another house where there is a baby in a cradle underneath a sheet, whose blood she will suck dry and then go home.
The suspicions of the community are soon aroused, and the school children cry, “Ole Higue” at her; they make chalk marks, on the bridge to her house, the door, the jalousie window. But the legend goes that she crosses these marks bravely. Then the community sets a trap. When the Ole Higue flies abroad another night, she finds that the baby in the cradle is clothed in a blue night gown.
There is a heap of rice grains near to the cot, and the smell of assefoetida. These cast a spell on the Ole Higue, who has to count the grains of rice, and if she loses the count has to start counting again. The light of morning comes and the Ole Higue still has not finished counting the grains of rice. People would burst into the room, pick up cabbage broom and begin to administer a sound thrashing on the Ole Higue.
They beat her to death with great emotion. “You gwine pay for your sins before you die,” they would say.
The Old Higue waits until the early hours of the morning, and when everyone is asleep, she sheds her human skin then travels in a ball of fire, searching for victims. The Old Higue slips through the keyhole of the house of its chosen victim, sucks the blood of a child dry, dry, dry! Oh, the deep fear of it is enough to cause a child to remain awake all night every night!
Signs of development
Melanie Damishana is continuing to show vibrant signs of development, and the recent launching of the Taurus Women’s Club is hailed as developmental. Officials of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security joined those from the Region 4 Regional Democratic Council (RDC) and pledged to work with the group in acquiring the requisite skills needed for the country’s development as well as the establishment of economic ventures.
The Taurus Women’s Club has also embarked on skills training and literacy programmes, and has launched an initiative dubbed ‘Know more about Guyana.’ The club will also engage in several tours to various parts of the country, in an effort to sensitize its membership on the geography of the country.
Several members of the club are also ardent race walkers, and executives would be presenting the sport as a means to a healthy lifestyle.
Meanwhile, Andrew Wilson, a Guyanese based in the USA, has recently donated several pieces of equipment and other accessories to the club. The donation will facilitate educational and other activities planned by the club.
Indeed, this is not the first act of chivalry, as Mr. Wilson has donated books and school supplies to the villagers, and has hosted Christmas parties for the children of the community. He has since promised to increase the donation this year.
The village also now enjoys the services of a $6.7M post office, which was commissioned in 2010.
The new edifice, located on a plot of land donated by the Vigalstra Housing Co-op Society, replaces the old facility formerly housed in the now dismantled Melanie Damishana Shopping Complex, which was closed officially in 2002.
Employment and entertainment
In years gone by, there seemed to have been a lot of unemployed persons in Melanie; and with the arrival of the Barama Company Limited, this situation was well alleviated through the many job opportunities that readily became available.
You see, folks, a large amount of the East Coast Demerara residents who were employed at the Barama Land of Canaan facility actually originated from Melanie Damishana. As the years progressed, however, residents have opted for much closer job engagements, especially since the Barama Company Limited had laid off a large percentage of its work force.
Today many hold the profession of shop keepers, while others are gainfully employed at several sugar estates along the Coast. That aside, there are also minibus drivers, carpenters and masons, with a percentage of the population preferring to engage in the lucrative occupation of poultry farming, and in some cases cattle rearing.
Entertainment and leisure time entertainment is always a highpoint in the village, where there seems to be always a party on the agenda. That aside, the weekend gathering of men and youths at the market area to revel and enjoy beverages is becoming an ‘entertainment must have’.
Conclusion
Let’s throw our cares to the wind, let down our hair and enjoy the feel of the fresh country breeze blowing the strands in wild disarray. Don a large hat, sun shades and the rights gear and let’s enjoy some fishing in the attractive Melanie fish ponds.
If you are nature-minded, then let’s take a plunge in the roaring waves of the Atlantic Ocean, located just a few yards away. Or let’s climb high into a dunks, cashew or tamarind tree and enjoy the succulent pulp and juices of fresh fruits from the countryside.
Whatever you do, take time out to enjoy the beauty and rolling festivities of Melanie Damishana.
(By Alex Wayne)
