Bustling with activity and refreshing village camaraderie

THIS WEEK, I certainly relished my trip to the East Coast Demerara countryside, and marvelled at the great camaraderie evident almost everywhere in Central Mahaicony, a place where everyone seems to have deep love for, and harmony with, each other.

MAHAICONY
Mahaicony is a very large district encompassing an attractive clutch of dynamic villages, most of which reflect a jovial, upbeat, old-world aura that compels the visitor to return after spending time in any one of them.

Mahaicony villages are always abuzz with some positive activity; and the people always seem to be on the move in pursuit of some objective or the other. One area that has certainly piqued my interest is the popular ‘Central Mahaicony’, which, over the years, has become a mind-boggling fusion of approximately four villages, all seemingly growing steadily into a posh settlement with fantastic economic potential that cannot be hid.

The very alluring spectacle that seems to entice visitors is the way in which the residents of Farm, Zeskendren, L’Enterprise, and even those residing along the Railway Embankment seem to have come together as one, somewhat obscuring the fact that ‘Central Mahaicony’ is made up of several villages.

Mahaicony falls within the administration of Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice), the country’s premier agricultural region. It shares a boundary with De Hoop, Mahaica on the west, and extends to Calcutta, immediately west of the Abary River, which divides West Coast Berbice from the easternmost extremity of the County of Demerara.

The major economic activities of Mahaicony are fishing, farming and, to a lesser extent, hunting; and Mahaicony produces over 15,000 metric tonnes of paddy each year.

Mahaicony is usually affected by flooding during the rainy season; but during the dry weather, ponds dry up.

MAHAICONY IN BYGONE YEARS
According to the elderly ‘Auntie Majorie’, who has been selling metai, cheese sticks and other sweets by the market square for several years, although she’s confined to a wheelchair, she braves the sun every day, making sure she equips herself with a really large umbrella.

She said that in years gone by, the area now called Central Mahaicony was not the bustle of activity it is today. This location was very quiet in those days, as residents adopted the ‘stay in position’ attitude, meaning that they preferred the comfort of their homes to the freedom of the outdoors, unless they had to go shopping or run other errands.

There were many areas which were very bushy and rugged, especially the railway lines that were used by commuters and travellers in the great old age of the train and train lines. Today, several large metal structures remain to tell the tale of chugging train rides from outside villages to Central Mahaicony. One such steel structure is the enormous railway structure that had allowed trains access across the Mahaicony River.

During that time, it was the Gonsalves Grocery Outlet that supplied the needs of residents, and persons even travelled from as far as Calcutta Village, some five miles away, to stock up on their pantry supplies. This area was always the ‘busy point’ of the Mahaicony District, since farmers and vendors gathered close by on weekends to sell their produce at the junction of the Central Mahaicony Public Road and the Perth Village Access Road.

That popular grocery outlet has now been bought by a prominent businessman, and has been converted to the N. Singh Lumber Yard and Hardware Store.

In years gone by, Central Mahaicony was also a business point for hire car drivers transporting travellers to Perth Village and other areas, and everyone loved to shelter from the elements under the ancient towering building left by the Dutch. That building has since been torn down by the same businessman, and a spanking new and attractive supermarket has taken its place.

And now that the Chinese have rented a spot adjoining the supermarket, Central Mahaicony will soon enjoy excellent Chinese cuisine.

The old Texaco Gas Station is situated just close by. The gas station is no more, but the rotting structure reminds villagers of the excitement they felt when the gas station was erected over 25 years ago.

Villagers are not really missing anything, since the Guyana Oil Company has erected a gas station within a few rods of the Mahaicony Bridge, which is also in Central Mahaicony. And this gas station also sports a cafeteria where can be obtained hot snacks and drinks.

On many days in the 70s and 80s, Central Mahaicony would be almost void of activity, but certainly not today. Shops have popped up all over, and there always seems to be a flurry of people around, tending to their business or just chatting or taking a stroll.

And in the olden days, residents had to wait for the annual Mahaicony School Fair as a form of major entertainment; but today, Collis Nunes’s Guinness Bar at Zeskendren is attracting patrons from all walks of life, and even from the city.

The Guinness Bar
What some ten years ago was just a very small shop at which a few men would gather to drink rum and whisky has now evolved into the ‘Mahaicony Hotspot’, and is certainly setting the youths and oldsters on fire.

On practically any day, persons can be found playing pool, dominoes, or just filling up on Banks Beer and Guinness Stout at this joint, which seems to have an unexplainable magnetic pull for the residents, according to villagers.

From Wednesday night things heat up, and the crowds begin to build with expectation of meeting the ‘Mahaicony gals’, who, it seems, have thrown away all inhibitions these days and are donning some of the most provocative attire.

On Wednesday night, the ‘Banks Beer Frenzy’ begins, and patrons can win fantastic Banks DIH giveaways.

On Friday nights, all Mahaicony seems to converge at this bar in a huge and wild mass of swaying bodies, and the ‘Guinness Stampede’ begins. Patrons are offered smart deals on the Guinness sale.

The Guinness Bar aside, a few smaller clubs have popped up around Central Mahaicony, and these would keep parties of much smaller volume. But before this wild, entertainment fiesta, it was the Pool’s Night Club that would ‘get it locked’ for villagers wanting to have a real good time. This business is no more, and the structure is rotting, taking away memories of the good old days.

In the early 80s, the road leading to the first wooden bridge that allowed vehicular transport across the Mahaicony River would become active only during the Saturday Market scene. Today snackettes and shops have been erected along the road shoulders. There are now butchers’ shops, mini bars, and many small outlets selling clothing and other items.

Central Mahaicony now boasts two barber shops, and several barbers also work from their homes. It is just fun to watch the upbeat villages and the wave of merriment that engulfs them as their residents interact in the streets and byways, their laughter sounding like music to the ears.

The Midway, owned by Conrad Charles, is not the small structure it used to be. Things have changed, and it is now a much larger and striking joint that is satisfying the grumbling stomachs of Mahaicony residents and those from afar.

EDUCATION
There is a government institution of secondary learning, the Mahaicony Secondary School, and there is also a school at Novar which provides secondary education. Overcrowded classrooms are one of several problems faced by both teachers and students of Mahaicony Secondary School. Despite these limitations, Mahaicony Secondary has been achieving high percentage passes in all subject areas at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams.

There are also a primary and a nursery school, and a play school has also now become available to villagers at Central Mahaicony.

In the surrounding areas, primary schools are scattered from Zeeland in the west, to Calcutta in the east, to Mora Point in the Deep South. Access to primary education is not a problem, but the culture of the community is that teens take up employment in the agricultural field at an early age, hence few attend secondary school. The general reasoning is that somebody has to do the farming.

LIVELIHOOD
Some years ago, most residents were engaged in farming as a means of survival, while others were employed at the rice mills in the nearby Perth Village, or the then existing Burma Rice Mill, some eight miles away. A few sought employment at Uncle Ray’s Workshop, which was really a very large joint that undertook repairing of vehicles and electrical appliances. Today, the popularity of this workshop has dwindled, and with it the scope for employment.

Some have sought jobs as nurses, others as teachers; and some have their little food stalls and shops selling clothing and related accessories. There are a few drivers as well, but quite a few have netted employment at the still new N. Singh Lumber Yard and Hardware Store.

Some of Central Mahaicony’s grown children have joined the Guyana Police Force, and quite a few are actually working in their home territory.

And, of course, some persons are still actively engaged in farming on lands adjacent to the railway embankment and in the backlands.

It appears like vending is the order of the day, since this seems to be bringing in the quickest dollar.

HEALTHCARE
The Government of Guyana has recently renovated the district hospital. Along with the renovation came an upgrade of the equipment and other facilities at the hospital. Many people have welcomed the upgrade, and would like the Government to upkeep the hospital in its current state, and further improve on it. Some residents feel that more nurses are needed at the facility.

There are several health centres across Mahaicony, so access to basic healthcare is not a problem.

INTERACTING WITH VILLAGERS
Today, Central Mahaicony has a very impressive infrastructural layout, showcasing some of the more modern and almost exotic looking buildings; and development seems to be escalating rapidly, since residents there join forces in conducting several exercises to ensure their village is kept clean and they reside in comfort.

On entering the very breezy village, we encountered the aged and very cheery soul named Reginald Rockcliffe, who took us into his home as he told his tale on issues surrounding the village.
Rockcliffe tells a stirring story of toiling in the broiling sun to develop and level his land to have it fit for cash crop cultivation and for living purposes.

He said that since drainage is still a bugbear to the village from time to time, his feat of raising the level of the land above flood level was not easy.

He lauds the Government for its intervention on renovating the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital, and is pleased that the area now has a community centre and playfield to host leisure time activities.

Every village has its problems, and life has its ups and downs; so I certainly did expect some villagers to lament over some issue or the other.

Despite the jovial banter of residents and their flashing smiles, there seems to be some turbulence that needed addressing.

Villagers use the Mahaicony River to access the villages along the river bank, and fishermen also use an area on the river (close to the police station) to moor their boats as they wait the correct tides. They also sell their catch there, and would spend sometimes weeks at this location before going home to their families.

However, what was really a good small boat stelling many years ago has become a very rotten structure which can collapse at any time, according to many boat captains. Water has rotted the large planks that were driven into the river to sustain the structure, and the structure is now also very shaky. There are large holes on the stelling floor, since lots of the wood has rotted away, and careless persons can fall through gaping holes.

Boat Captain Shivnauth Shamlall was adamant that urgent repairs need to be effected to the structure to avoid any impending catastrophe. “Boss, we wukking like this fuh years now with this boat landing falling apart, and nobody ain’t doing anything! The water rotten out de wood; and if a boat should crash into this thing, I sure it gon collapse. People are using this landing to travel up the river, and it ain’t safe at all, especially when mothers with young children got to walk on the landing.

“It ain’t safe at all, boss! We talk till we weary, but nobady ain’t doing anything because dem just ain’t care! When somebody dead, then maybe dem gon repair this boat landing!” Shamlall lamented.

Vegetable vendor Afiya Sealey said she certainly disapproves of the way they are made to vend — without any form of toilet facilities. “I don’t know what is going on, sir. Imagine, we are selling here for years, and we keep complaining to the Village Council that we need to have toilet facilities; but every time we talk, it fall on deaf ears.

“Imagine, we have to run great distances or catch cars and go home to ease our bowels or to urinate. Someone certainly has to look into this matter. We are human beings and at least deserve to ply our trade with a little comfort,” she said.

Other vendors felt there is vital need for youth groups to be initiated in the district to keep the large volume of youths gainfully employed. Rose Trotman feels that lack of such activity is forcing the youths to engage in alcohol consumption and other negative activities.

“There are many youths in Central Mahaicony, and most of them are unemployed because of lack of jobs. What needs to be done is for prominent citizens to form youth groups and teach them trades, so that they can be(come) positive persons. Also, groups need to be formed to instill in them discipline and the need to boost their self-esteem.

“There is a trade school just a short distance over the bridge, but the young people are refusing to go, since all they are concerned with is ganging up at the Guinness Bar to drink alcohol and behave reckless”.

Some villagers lamented the need to fill three huge potholes on the road shoulder in front of the Mahaicony Police Station. Some said that these holes have done much damage to vehicles, and cause much discomfort for residents during heavy rainfall.

Vendors are lamenting the state of the Mahaicony Post Office, which has been left to deteriorate, and is presently in a deplorable state. Examining the structure, I was aghast to realize there was green moss on the walls, which are rotting in some places. Windows need repairing, the steps too, and the poor building was crying out for a coat of paint. To think that authorities would allow their employees to work in this condition and have villagers do business in such unpleasant surroundings is appalling.

SELF-HELP INDULGENCE
What struck me and was very pleasing to the eyes was the manner in which villagers exude a ‘ready to go attitude’, and seemed ‘ready to fix things’ in the village, and not wait on the relative authorities, who sometimes drag their feet on issues.

As we walked about the village, some young men could be seen weeding drains and yards overgrown with bushes, while others were observed mixing cement by the roadside to effect repairs to buildings, and alterations to their homes.

We were very surprised when told that some of the more magnificent buildings in the housing scheme were actually built through combined family efforts.

Speaking to grocery story proprietrix Pamela Charles, we received information that, on weekends, residents and a few males join forces to clean and upgrade the ball field they are attempting to create for the youths of Belfield. While they seem to be making headway with their positive exploits, Charles noted that they faced a major problem which, over time, has grown into a very serious issue for them to deal with.

“Mahaicony is made up of many families and households, and we are very proud that we have obtained a proper playfield for the children. I am very angry, however, that persons from outside our district are dumping garbage around the ball field and other areas even as we attempt to clean and develop the place”.

ENTICING HARMONY
Since in olden days, Central Mahaicony has always been a village where harmony flows naturally amongst dwellers. As we traversed sandy streets and passed animals grazing lazily in the hot sun, housewives could be seen chatting from their bedroom windows to others in their yards, peals of feminine laughter renting the air as they exploded mirthfully at their very suggestive jokes and girlish gossip.

Their chiselled bodies shining in the sun, men bellowed at each other in ‘mock wrath and anger’, as they argued and chided each other over games of cards and dominoes at a few small stalls by the roadside.

Youngsters hopped about gleefully in open yards, tumbling over each other as they engaged in games of circle tennis, hop-scotch and marbles.

Conversations in the grocery outlets were jovial and merry as mothers stocked up on their kitchen supplies and goodies for the kids.

Young girls going on errands were in pleasant conversation, pausing every now and then to showcase their ‘gesticulating sauciness’ as they discussed ‘boyfriend topics’ and hot school gossip quite loudly, without a care in the world.

EMPLOYMENT
Despite what was told me earlier, this village, it seemed, was not affected by unemployment; since its inhabitants are either working in other areas, or are gainfully employed as shop owners or mini-bus drivers, or are engaged in other activities.

It was a pleasurable sight to watch mothers watering young vegetable gardens as they kids trailed after them, trying to be of some assistance in one way or the other.

In some homes, mothers were busy cooking up a storm, and the succulent aroma of polouri, egg balls, dhal puri and fried chicken wafted in the air. These items would be displayed in tidy looking little glass cases later in the afternoon, for sale to villagers and school children as they trek home to their various houses.

And some seemed to be making quite a fortune on the sale of custard blocks, icicles, cubed ice, and cool down (local fruit juice in plastic bags). I almost guffawed at the amusing sight of little boys attempting to lick the apparently delicious trails that ran down their wrists and even elbows as the custard blocks melted in the sun.

Some residents are either pork-knockers in the interior, or work with the SAJ Rice Milling Complex at Burma, some five miles away. Some earn a living from selling vegetables and other items at the Mahaicony Market Square, especially on weekends.

Just a few may have obtained jobs as teachers at the Mahaicony Secondary and Primary schools, while others travel some five miles away to Perth Village (Mahaicony) to work with various entities as labourers.

Regular employment abounds only periodically during the rice harvesting season, when rice farmers in Calcutta, Pert Village and other outside villages would require labour for harvesting, paddy drying, and of course milling.

Those who have resorted to fishing are complaining bitterly about the state of the sluice area, some distance away at Abary Village. They use that area as a port to go to sea and return, and to trade their daily catch.

Many complain that the structure is in a broken down state and is unsafe for fishermen to use in attending to their business. Some fear that, in an extremely high tide, there can be immense flooding.

FOLKLORE
On Emancipation Day every year, villagers would don African wear and would sing, dance and engage in great festivity in the streets.

Some elderly folks in the village reflected on nights of story-telling around campfires; picnics in the woods or savannahs; and of course the traditional yearly soiree event at which great masses congregate for a night of sizzling activity, where they ‘connect with their roots’.

There are quite a few single-parent mothers in the village, but what was noted is that these mothers are not waiting around for the irresponsible fathers to ‘come up with the cash’, but instead engage themselves in economic activities.

GARBAGE DISPOSAL
Garbage is disposed of either by burning or by dumping surreptitiously by night. The place chosen for this nefarious activity is an open plot quite close to the stalls at the Mahaicony Market.

An emotional Kavita Ramchand, vendor at the market, voiced her concerns: “This is a very serious problem, and it needs addressing immediately! We have no proper garbage disposal system in Central Mahaicony, and, as such, many business places and individuals would throw their garbage in that open spot outside the market!

“This is a serious health hazard, since the garbage begins to smell terrible and the heap continues to grow. Some days it’s almost impossible for me to open my shop with the intolerable stench that comes from the garbage pile”.

Vendors said they have approached their village council with the problem, and have been told it would be addressed; but nothing has been done to ease their plight.

Aside from their peeves, it was quite a thrill to soak up the tropical beauty, the festive atmosphere, and jovial banter of these very happy people.

This village is simply adorable, and the way in which residents attempt to meet their needs through self-orchestrated means is truly amazing.

But I urge you, readers, to hop into a bus or car, let down your hair if you have any, and let the fresh country breeze invigorate you as you journey to this now impressive Mahaicony District to enjoy the story of its birth and continuous evolvement.

You will live to tell the story that sprawling pastures and verdant foliage can certainly be transformed to some of the more spectacular locations if we really just put our minds and energies to the task of conversion.

(By Alex Wayne)