Our experiences would have varied each time we visit and explore the intriguing villages around Guyana and in almost every case our visit left us a lasting impression.

In many cases we are awed by the mystique beauty of some of the locations or either thrilled by the warm hospitality of the people, or amused by the sometimes juicy gossips that surround them.
Our experience however when we visited Land of Canaan Village on the East Bank of Demerara was another welcome refresher and we could not help but bask in the glorious waves of apparent solitude that seemed to surround the village,
Land of Canaan in Region 4 (Demerara/Mahaica) is located some 14 miles (or 23 km) south of Georgetown.

This time around, the journey had a few hiccups in that I forgot to walk with weather gear and therefore received a good drenching from the never ending rain, since I was bent on completing my explorations, be it rain or sunshine.
And then as I walked alongside the public road I had the scare of my life as speeding sand trucks almost ran me over as they attempted to overtake each other on the wet road, desperately trying to be the first to sell a load of white sand in the city. Keeping a safe distance on the curb of the road after I continued my wet and dripping trek around the village.
As I entered the village there hardly seem to be anyone in the streets save for just a few who were huddled under umbrellas as they waited vehicular transportation, or the few that were grabbing a light snack at one of the many fast food stalls in the village.

Gates were locked and everyone seemed to be indoors as they avoided the rain, and I thought it would be such a strange task to be banging on doors for interviews as many were enjoying the warmth and comfort of their homes.
Thank goodness the sun came out for a bit and in some parts of the village, residents tumbled into the streets, intent on getting chores done before the rain came down again.

Land of Canaan In Times Gone By

I was very much impressed by the seemingly modern look that this village sported and equally surprised at the large amount of well established business that were there.
But I wondered about the likes of the village before its modern turn around and there was the elderly Andrew Colette, an old pork-knocker to tell the tale. Andrew has lived in Land of Canaan all his life and explained that as a kid the village was mostly a dense overgrowth of bush and foliage, and a few scattered houses. He said there was no electricity in most areas and many sections of the village were pitch-black after dusk.
He said during that time the area was plagued by a serious drainage problem, and farmers who cultivated cash crops in the backlands suffered immensely as a result of continuous flooding.
He said by the early 1970’s the village began to show signs of development and it started with persons who bean to erect a few small shops and stalls. Access roads were made to gain access to the village from various angles and things began to look a little bright around

the gills.
As the years rolled by many other businesses sprung up and in 1991 the Barama Company Ltd. came into play offering extensive employment opportunities for residents of Land of Canaan and many surrounding villages. The erection of the Gafoor’s Manufacturing Complex in the village also greatly boosted its employment scope and took it another notch higher in the world of economic and social development.
Today villagers can almost satisfy all their necessities in the village since there is good water and electricity supply everywhere. As a matter of fact, Land of Canaan now boots an artesian well which is manned by the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) entity.

Today the village also houses a very vibrant and active Karate School, Igloo Fruit Flavours Ice-Cream Parlour, the A. Azaamally & Sons Ltd. Lumber Yard and the Good Will Enterprises Inc. And of course there is the Boat House Sports Bar that offers fun and frolic and much leisure time pleasantries.
There is also a Neal and Massey branch and an internet cafe. Added to that, the Sears General Store has sprung up, a chain saw outlet, several halaall chicken outlets, and the A. Gonzalez & Sons Scrap Metal entity which seems to be doing good business.
And for a little fun time folks can trek down to Lazzo Disco on weekends to have a ‘lil drink’ and talk off their stress and worries over some good bottles of Eldorado Five Year Old rum.

Employment Giants In Land of Canaan
It appears that the well established businesses or ‘economic giants’, that are offering employment for villagers are the Barama Company Ltd, Two Brothers Gas Station, Guygas entity and Gafoor’s Manufacturing Complex.

And from conversations with villagers, everyone is more than pleased that these businesses have come into play.

Industrial Facility
The Guygas’ Plant sits on a 23-acre site on the right bank of the Demerara River in the village of Land of Canaan. It is approximately 20 km south of Georgetown on the East Bank Demerara Highway, the main access to Timehri, Linden and other key locations in the Forestry and Mining landscape. The country’s main Airport, Cheddi Jagan International Airport is 5 km away.
The plant itself is modern and safe complying with current NFPA 58 regulations for LPG operations featuring a computerised filling system capable of producing 700 9kg cylinders of gas per hour. The supply and installation was done by engineering companies from the USA, South Africa and Trinidad. There is a conveyor system that allows for an efficient movement of cylinders during the various stages of production.

The size and location of the plant allows great flexibility and options for the future expansion of Guygas. Guygas has river access on the largest under utilised parcel of land closest to Port Georgetown.

Safety
A sprinkler system and Fire Monitor designed by our South African engineering consultant covers the entire filling and storage areas. It is supplied by a Fire Pump rated at 1,250 Litres of water per minute. All of the plants internal electrical apparatus, including the security lights in the immediate area are explosion proof. The entire plant is equipped with Fire Alarms and Fire Extinguishers of various sizes as recommended by the Guyana Fire Service.

Barama Company Limited

This company is said to be the leading forest resource and wood products company in Guyana. They are one of Guyana’s biggest employers with approximately 1,000 employees. Their core business includes the sale of hardwood logs and sawn timber and the manufacturing of plywood, decking and flooring products.
Dubbed the largest ever event held in the 20-year history of Barama Company Limited, the company celebrated its 20th anniversary with much fanfare at company’s Buckhall Site on November 3, 2011
Barama Company Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samling Global Limited established in Guyana since 1991. It was granted a lowland, mixed tropical forest concession for approximately 1.6 million hectares in the northwest region of Guyana.
As a major contributor to Guyana’s forestry sector, Barama is mindful to adopt responsible forest management practices on the forest resources entrusted to the company.
The Guyana Forestry Commission Code of Practice for Timber Harvesting regulates the timber operations in the country. As good corporate citizens, it is expected to carefully conduct ourselves according to the laws of the land and like all other operators, is kept in check through continuous monitoring by the Guyana Forestry Commission.
Their business started with the extraction of logs, for the manufacturing of plywood and evolved to include veneer and sawn timber operation.
Barama is Guyana’s largest wood products company, contributing over 30 percent of the country’s timber exports, and have invested heavily in developing high-value products, creating downstream production lines and building valuable infrastructure.
Since their operations began this company has exported logs and other products to markets like China, India and Vietnam, as a means to introduce Guyanese species to these emerging markets as they monitor and learn the usage of Guyanese wood species.

Satisfied People
The most endearing pleasantry about this village is that despite it is still transcending into ultimate modernisation and does have minor challenges alike any other village, everyone is so pleasant and full of smiles that it left me awed and amazed.
The ‘differently able’ Martin Alfred who is a squatter on the Five Door Sluice Dam said life is beautiful and vows that he would not give up Land of Canaan for anywhere else.
“Land of Canaan is really a very quiet and nice village, and it’s my only home I have known for forty eight years now. I have been happy here all these years and have been living in quiet and peace and will not trade it for anywhere else.”
However, despite his jovial banter and good spirits, Mr. Alfred has one little problem which he is praying and hoping daily will be solved.
The jolly and ever smiling man who works as s security guard with a private firm has been squatting for over twenty-five years on the Five Sluice Dam, and while it is comfortable there, he however dreams of having a proper home of his own and is therefore seeking financial assistance to build one. Presently he is residing with other family members.
“I am comfortable where I am and I am being treated well by relatives. But each day I fall on my knees and pray to have my own home. I want a house of my own so bad that I cry sometimes when I think about it. I really want someone, somebody to help me with the finance needed to build my own home.”
Mr. Alfred and a few others are also calling on authorities to pave the many access streets leading into the village which become muddy and waterlogged during heavy rainfall.

Livelihood
Well it appears as if almost everyone is employed in Land of Canaan and the majority seem to be attached to the Barama Company Limited and the Gafoor’s Manufacturing Complex.
But that aside, many housewives are making a fast dollar from their fast food stalls rigged in front of their homes. And they seem to be always busy frying or baking something or the other, filling the air with succulent aroma.
And of course there are some farmers who remain contented with their farming in the backland regions, and at least three of them related that even though the drainage has improved with the appearance of their Five Door Sluice they still seem have some amount of flooding when it pours torrentially. It was very apparent that these people were happy and certainly contented with their humble existence some even boasted of the exquisite ambience of the Canaan Village Inn which over the years has been quite popular for its comfy ambience.
There are no garbage problems there and many are contented with burning or having the garbage trucks pick it up.
It has no magnificent skyscrapers or now towering majestic building, but what appeals to all that may visit Land of Canaan, is the soft, smiling contentment of its people, the alluring solitude that seems to encase the village like a warm cocoon, and its remarkable journey from simple to very impressive.

(By Alex Wayne)