Resilient Old World aura, great ethnic harmony, and hospitable people define this village that some say is racially hostile

WE decided this week to visit a quaint little village that’s beginning to show great signs of development despite its size and geographic location.

Perusing a map and the layout of our beautiful Guyana, we just could not resist the makings of Bush Lot Village, on the West Coast of Berbice. Mentioning to a few media operatives our intention to visit this village was surprisingly met with negative remarks that it is a location with a history of ethnic animosities. Their misgivings notwithstanding, we made the journey to that quaint little village, and were we very glad we did!

Like my grandmother would normally say: “Don’t listen to hearsay; check out the facts for yourself!” That’s exactly what we did, and lo and behold, we found out that Bush Lot was indeed the total opposite of what had been rumoured about it. As a matter of fact, basing our assessment on our trips to several other villages, Bush Lot is by far the village that exudes ‘ethnic harmony’ to such a high degree that it left us greatly amazed.

History
Bush Lot is a medium-to-large-size community in Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice). Located approximately 56 miles from Georgetown, its 4,000-odd citizens are mainly involved in rice production. Bush Lot is largely an ethnically East Indian village of Hindus, Muslims and Christians.

Bush Lot has a Health Centre, the Bush Lot Government Secondary, the Latchman Singh Primary, and the Bush Lot Nursery schools. Its location reads 6°12?16?N 57°15?48?W / 6.2044°N 57.2632°W / 6.2044; -57.2632.

CLARIFICATION
There is also a Bush Lot in Region 6 (East Berbice/Corentyne) which exhibits some of the main characteristics of Bush Lot in Region 5. The population there is mainly Indian. In the past, rice production was the main crop. It has a secondary school, a health centre and a horse racing track. Its location reading is 6°22?41?N 57°40?03?W/ 6.37808°N 57.66744°W.

OUR ARRIVAL
We wanted to enter the village from the east, ‘like wise men would do’, and so we travelled to the bordering Hopetown village for refreshments to boost our energy and revive our spirits. Grabbing umbrellas from relatives for protection from the scorching sun, we made our way on foot to Bush Lot, enjoying the rush of the fresh Atlantic wind wafting in from the north. We were still some distance from the village when we began to be enthralled by its startlingly close resemblance to the capital city Georgetown. The layout of strikingly posh stores, houses, pharmacies, internet cafés and numerous variety stores just made us think we were still in the city. But like they say, every beautiful experience can be marred by the tiniest of aspects left forgotten or intentionally ignored. Today many villages are enjoying the luxuries of good infrastructure, proper drainage, excellent lighting and, of course, security for residents. But one might want to take into consideration that such positive growth would have been achieved with time, government intervention, and definitely with the efforts of residents.

Bush Lot is now a very bustling village with many thriving businesses and entertainment hot spots, distinctly the opposite of what it used to be many years ago. To tell us the tale of the village’s evolvement was Mr. Sookdeo Pertab, a rice farmer who has resided in the village almost half of his 62 years.

Mr. Pertab said that Bush Lot village, in years gone by, was a very remote area with not so many houses as are there today. With an almost boyish grin, he explained that Bush Lot has evolved, in that the village has seen the coming of many much larger buildings and many businesses, thus lending to its improvement in infrastructure and commercialised layout.

Mr. Pertab said Bush Lot was a very underdeveloped settlement in the early 1980s, and it was not until after the 1992 election that swept the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) into office that things began to improve in the village. Before that era, according to villagers, the village was lacking established businesses, and access roads and small streets were unpaved. The village at that time had featured muddy dams, which created a problem for farmers in the rainy season, as they tried to access their rice and cash crop cultivations in the backlands.

Back in those days there were many hire car and taxi drivers from this village, but with the constant “escalation of modern transportation”, the village has seen distinct reduction in persons involved in this practice.

A few persons are employed at vehicular workshops outside the village, while others are content with professions such as fishermen. And almost everyone seems to be employed in this village, either functioning as carpenters, rice and cash crop farmers, fishermen or shop owners. Of course there are poultry farmers as well. Some residents also own fishing boats with which they ply their trade in the nearby Atlantic Ocean.

The culture of the village seems to have become more sophisticated with passage of time. Residents still practise the East Indian customs and beliefs, but hardly can one hear the reverberating sound of tassa drums like in years gone by. Today villagers are more taken up with listening to their favourite songs from stereo or other music sets, but one can safely say that the Indian culture is steadfastly being practised, as is evident in their wedding and birthday celebrations.

Religious beliefs are still the same, but the festivity and jubilant demeanour of residents has receded with the passing years. Many have attributed this to the changes of modern times, and to the fact that persons are more taken up with making ends meet or otherwise earning a living.

Things have changed over the years, and Bush Lot has shed its ‘Old World feathers’ and has transformed like a beautiful swan into quite a sophisticated settlement showcasing posh buildings and businesses, well paved streets, and an infrastructure dictating that this once little ‘yesteryear village’ is now a well-established location with vibrant signs of ongoing economic and agricultural development.

From its well paved streets to its appealing scenery; from its rapidly transcending modern sophistication to its economic possibilities, Bush Lot is really headed for ultimate economic evolution.

As we trudged along, we could not help being amazed at the warm welcome we received from villagers who either waved pleasantly from their windows or were ready with a pleasant greeting as we passed them on the roadside. Though this village is predominantly inhabited by East Indians, there exists a strong bond of apparent love, harmony and camaraderie between Indians and the relatively small population of Africans and other races living there. What also struck us was the simplicity and contentment of residents, and they certainly possessed the ‘get up and fix it attitude’ like what we encountered in a few other villages.

In some instances, residents were seen mixing cement and building their own concrete fences; and one truck driver, Tularam Persaud, related that this was the normal trend among villagers.

“Bush Lot is a really nice village. I have been living here for over eight years, and I have truly enjoyed my stay so far. Here we would hardly contract outside persons to do cement work and building duties. There are quite a few masons and carpenters (living) in the village, so if you come around often, you would observe that most times we engage in, well, let’s say self-help exercises”.

GARBAGE
Farmer and businessman Tulac Singh was ready to answer our questions about the garbage, and he concurred that the garbage problem in Bush Lot has been an ongoing issue. He noted, however, that while villagers, to a very small extent, may have been ‘throwing a few stuff here and there’, it was outsiders from other villages who would come in the still of the night and dump garbage on the road shoulders and the exact location in question. However, he mentioned that several business owners in Bush Lot are very carefree, and would dump their garbage wherever they seemed pleased, much to the annoyance of other villagers.

The businessman said that villagers and related authorities take pride in the village and would work hard to keep it in tip-top shape. He said it was quite a battle to keep out the ‘culprits’, as he chose to call them, who would sneak around in the night and dispose of their garbage in areas in Bush Lot.

That aside, most of the other areas in the village were ‘spic and span’, except for the drainage canal outside of the Bush Lot Secondary and the Latchman Singh Primary schools.

Tulac Singh explained that the large amount of garbage (mostly plastic bottles, bags and other containers) had been thrown into the trench by students of both schools, while some of it would have also been washed up into that specific area after being thrown into the trench by residents around the village.

CHALLENGES
Life in Bush Lot Village is quite ‘easy going’, and villagers manage to get by quite nicely on a daily basis. But several rice farmers with whom we spoke were faced with challenges that either infuriated them or affected maximum produce of their rice and other cash crops.

Dhanraj Balram, who has been a farmer for over five years, noted that he and other farmers have suffered greatly because they are unable to have proper access to water for their farms, and also because of poor drainage. He noted that a main irrigation trench close to their farms is in great need of cleaning to allow the proper flow of much needed water into their farms.

Some of the farmers related that, just recently, Minister Juan Edghill of the Ministry of Finance had visited the village and the issue was raised with him. Some of the farmers explained that the minister had also visited the popular Middle Dam in the village and had promised to look into the issue of having it asphalted, since it accounts for much transport activities around the village.

Mr. Balram related that the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) had, a while ago, provided a short-boom excavator to dig the drains, but it was not adequate. This farmer thinks that a long-boom excavator would do the job properly.

A COMMERCIAL HAVEN
Bush Lot is indeed a ‘commercial haven’. It is at its busiest throughout the entire day, and even into the late hours of the night. One might want to agree that this little village appears to be even busier than the Garden City of Georgetown, since some of Georgetown’s sectors ‘go dormant’ at certain times in the day.

As we walked through the village, residents and citizens from outlying villages were busily engaged in ‘endless shopping’ in the garment stores, boutiques, dry goods shops, and even in the two Chinese restaurants. Young girls were trekking in and out of the ‘J Mobile’ shop, purchasing head phones, cell phone cases, and the latest brands of cellular handsets.

JS Trading Internet Shop and the Cell Phone Wizz were other businesses that seemed to attract a lot of customers. And it seemed like Bush Lot was running parallel with Georgetown, since the Chinese seemed to be contributing to ‘business development’ too.

Housewives were rushing in and out of the Lai Li Clothing Store, whooping in delight as they cashed in on the cheap bargains and numerous price slashes on offer. Sexily clad young females from Bush Lot and Hopetown were popping into the Video and Photo Works Gift Shoppe every now and then to “strike a pose for the cameras.”

Some persons could be overheard loudly making arrangements to visit the Regency Houses Waterside Park to access the vacant lots and new houses available for sale. This entity is offering a ‘no down payment arrangement’, or allowing clients to pay for lots and houses with monthly, quarterly, or half yearly installments.

And Bush Lot people are highly religious too, since several homesteads had small mandirs, while others preferred to worship at the Guyana Presbyterian Church branch located on the Bush Lot Public Road.

Bush Lot also has its own health centre; and for a building that has been standing for over six years, one has to agree that villagers have kept it in perfect shape.

The School View Ice-Cream Parlour located a few yards from the Bush Lot Secondary, Primary and Nursery schools offers the perfect opportunity for students and villagers to indulge in their ‘ice-cream fantasies’, since it sells all shades and flavours of ice-cream and related products.

The J&S Furniture Store, Danny’s Internet Café, Chandra Prashad & Son’s General Store, and a Money Gram Transfer branch office all afforded Bush Lot villagers the opportunity to appease all their commercial needs in their own backyard.

B&R Baljit Business Enterprise, a Bill Direct Outlet, the ‘Night Eyes’ CD and DVD Shop, and the A. Goberdan General Store & Agri. Centre, all combined, allows villagers to satisfy their every need without having to venture outside of the village. And of course they can stock up on their kitchen and household needs at the N&N Supermarket, or at the many stalls manned by mostly female vendors along the roadside. This village is almost the perfect reflection of Guyana’s capital city.

A DOCOL Representative supplies the entire village with cooking gas.

ENTERTAINMENT
Seeking word on their entertainment status, we were directed to Jerome Ramkissoon, who owns the popular ‘Night Eyes CD & DVD Shoppe’ located just a few yards from the Bush Lot School. Entertainment in the village is most times ‘home produced’, as he chose to put it. He said that, many times, groups of friends would come together and host entrainment activities at their homes, or sometimes step out of the village to other mega activities.

That aside, villagers eagerly anticipate the celebration of a birthday, and most times wedding, which allows them to have several days of ‘non-stop sporting’ until they are ‘drop dead intoxicated’.

Presently, however, the entire village is greatly anticipating the coming of the annual Bush Lot United season opening horse race meet, slated for Bush Lot Sea View Park, when a whopping $6M in cash and prizes would be up for grabs.

As related by Jerome, this venue, considered the most improved over the past year, has been gaining in prominence since the club returned to competitive racing two years ago, and has been a hive of activity over the past few weeks.
The businessman related that authorities were busy putting in finishing touches on the track, stands, paddocks and lavatory facilities; and this is the opening act for the year.

Some of the hotties (horses) competing are ‘Sleeping in Town’, Diamond Illusion, Majestic Windy Killer, Red and Lovely, Silent Flight, Flying Baby, Diamond Dazzling, Spice, and Obama. They will be joined by Score’s Even, California Strike, The Message, Technology, Grande Roja, Got to Go, Home Bush Baby, Settle In Seattle, Third World, Top of the Line, Captain Crook, Windy War, Serenity, Storm In a Tea Cup, It Is my Turn, Silent Lizzy, and Another Jet.

Carded to compete also are ‘I want Revenge’, Who is on The Case, Wild Grinder, Rosanna, Wonder Flower, Gold Rush, The Girl Them Sugar, Indian King, Fresh Again, Ameera’s Joy, Karina, De Gump, Alana, Secretariat, Mr. Kool, Flying Object, Pixie Fire and Mona Lisa, among others.

Bush Lot, for several years, has been the ‘pinnacle of excitement’ in regard to horse racing, and had drawn in huge numbers from almost every town, village or settlement in Guyana.

LIVELIHOOD OF VILLAGERS
With the exception of the few who would have left the village to seek employment elsewhere, residents of Bush Lot depend mostly on the cultivation of rice on a large scale, and several cash crops as a means of income.
In the backlands one can find great expanses of rice fields, and in many cases several reasonably sized vegetable gardens. A few farmers grow ground provision while others make a profit on eschallot, celery, and various thymes used for seasoning purposes. Some of their produce is sold in the village, but most farmers take their produce to the city to obtain better prices.

On the other side of the coin, a large number of persons are engaged either in manning their own businesses, or working in the businesses of others. Many villagers have sought to occupy themselves in manning their own food and grocery stalls along the public road, to ensure a steady and sure income.

ETHNIC HARMONY
All rumours of ethnic differences existing in Bush Lot should be treated as nonsense and be crushed underfoot. If there is any truth to such tales, that may have been what existed many years ago, but would have disappeared with time.

If there is any truth to such stories, I am guessing that such a plight would have now been replaced by a ‘racial harmony’ so rich in its intensity that it awakened my very being and sent joyful tremors up my spine.

We had not properly braced ourselves for the impact of such ‘indulgences of the races’, and it just left us with our jaws wide open. Affirming the fact again that one should not listen to ‘hearsay and fabrications’, but should instead get to the ‘bottom of things’ for themselves.

THE SCHOOLS
The Bush Lot Secondary and the Latchman Singh Primary schools were just closing for the day, and the noisy chatter of students could be heard from a distance as they conversed on the ‘happenings of the day’ or on possible methods of effectively completing assignments. Of course the bigger girls were giving and getting ‘goo goo eyes’ from some males hot in pursuit, or chomping noisily on chewing gum.

A few school girls ganged up in groups, mouthing the latest gossip in hushed tones for fear of the teachers overhearing.

It was a ‘pleasant ethnic fusion’ upon which to feast one’s eyes as they spilled into the streets, both Indo and Afro buddies and school chums, laughing their heads of at the comical jokes of one another. They were indeed a picture of what we wou1ld want our beautiful Guyana to be.

It was the same pleasant picture with men liming in the streets, and with housewives catching up on the latest news before jumping into buses and heading to different villages.

Of course the bigger girls were giving and getting ‘goo goo eyes’ from some males hot in pursuit or chomping noisily on chewing gum.
Ever so often, peals of laughter would ring out as they slapped each other on the backs and mouth, “Gal you know yuh able, yeah”, or murmur between gleeful giggles, “Gal you full ah stupidness! Me nah able lie”.

It was so soothing to the soul to see young Leandra Blackman, who said she journeys from Hopetown Village at least three times per week to chat and have a good laugh with her elderly male friend Dhanraj Balram, whom she said she encountered while purchasing snow cone from a vendor in the village.

“He is such a sweet old man. About two years ago, I was purchasing a snow cone on the public road, and it totally amazed me how the seemingly merry man greeted me and struck up a pleasant conversation.
Since then, we meet up from time to time to ‘gaff’; and trust me, I have learnt a lot from him. He has never disrespected me.”

Leandra said her friend had helped her greatly when she was having difficulties with agriculture projects while she was in school, and now that she is an adult she visits him for the comfort of his friendship and for positive conversations.

When boarding the minibuses to get home, it’s a merry bunch of Indo and Afro students all giggling and tumbling over each other. There is no angry shouting, or scratching or pulling of hair. It’s just pure love and harmony. It almost reduced me to tears.

BUSH LOT IN TIMES GONE BY
Bush Lot, it appears, in years gone by, had always been plagued with drainage and irrigation problems; and as a result of this factor, farmers would have been victims of major losses to their rice and cash crops. However, in 2010, they were expected to see a boost in their land preparation following the handing over of a new two-inch irrigation pump by the then Minister of Agriculture, Mr Robert Persaud.

This gesture had followed a commitment made by Minister Persaud on July 8, 2010 while in Regions 5 and 6 for two farmers’ meetings. At the sessions, farmers were invited to express their concerns, and farmer Linden Henry requested assistance in the form of an irrigation pump for himself and several other farmers. This piece of equipment was expected to bring ease in land preparation and protection measures, especially in instances of unstable weather. And it helped them a lot; but today, there is still much room for improvement, since farmers are still complaining of clogged irrigation trenches and poor drainage.

DEVELOPMENT
The very well established village we see today was not always there. Several areas were overgrown with bush and vegetation, but, by the early 1980s, development in the business sector was rapidly becoming visible. More shops and other businesses sprung up as persons invested their hard earned dollars. The ‘evolvement of Bush Lot’ never paused, hence promoting the very developed and attractive ‘commercial haven’ we see today.

As dictated by villagers, many farmers, through bank loans, savings, and overseas assistance from relatives, rebuilt their other small and disintegrating buildings with sophisticated concrete structure. With agriculture being the main form of employment, some persons invested in the sale of ‘agricultural machinery and spare parts’, tyres for vehicles etc. Then came the birth of businesses in the communication and commercial sector, and all who visited saw a new Bush Lot, which continues to spiral upwards in terms of economic and social mobility.

EDUCATION
Bush Lot, over time, has become quite popular for its excellent educative achievements, as could be seen in the passes netted at the CXC and GCE examinations.

Reports from the Ministry of Education last year declared that Bush Lot Secondary School, because of its high academic achievements, was among several other schools that were targeted in 2012 for a special pilot project that was aimed at improving passes in Mathematics and English. This project was geared at providing students and teachers with teaching and learning resources, inclusive of calculators, text books, solutions for Mathematics and English, learning DVDs, and teaching guides.

Bush Lot Secondary and Latchman Singh Primary schools indeed provide tuition to students from as far as Rosignol, Mahaicony and several areas in Berbice, because of the schools’ reputation to produce many scholars with excellent grades. In 2010, it was the Bush Lot Secondary students who won the Aditya Kids Trust Foundation’s Essay Competition for secondary schools. In that year, Alana Husain and Gangadai Mathadin emerged winners of the competition and put the school on the map as a force to be reckoned with in the ‘educative arena’.

The essay competition was open to all fifth formers at secondary institutions between Mahaicony and Rosignol.

The Aditya Kids Trust Fund Foundation is based at Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice. It was established in December 2007 after the death of seven-year-old Aditya Ramdhan of Bath Settlement. The Waterloo Nursery School student had been sponsored to undergo cardiac surgery in India, but died after the procedure.
The foundation was conceptualised by Canada-born Lorraine Kissoon and formed by Canadian businessmen. It is managed by a board of directors who are based in Canada.

The non-profit body is registered with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, with its objectives being to provide to less fortunate children assistance mainly in the form of medical attention, social assistance, educational grants and the development of sports.

Come join hands with me and let’s skip about in the sandy streets. Let’s jump over the bubbling ponds as shiny little silver fishes frolic and prance about in gurgling water. Relax under an umbrella in wide open peaceful pastures, or take a stroll in the busy streets that are bustling with commercial activity.

Whatever‘s your take or exploration fantasies, Bush Lot Village will definitely ignite your adventurous interests. Why not drop in and give folks there a surprise visit; they will be more than happy to receive you. And when you are planning, pack a basket with goodies and enjoy an open air countryside picnic.

 

By Alex Wayne