IT’S been a while in the making, but at long last, the historic East Coast village of Victoria is ready to play host to a week of activities in the hope of seeing a return of the spirit of camaraderie and conviviality to the community.‘Victoria Village Week’, as the event is called, is being coordinated by the villagers themselves, and will feature a list of activities targeted at bridging the generation gap in the village, and offering residents clean and enjoyable entertainment. The week-long activity kicked off on Wednesday with an Appreciation Day event which honoured several top performing students, as well as influential elderly residents in the community.
Today, the community will host a Church Service at the Wilberforce Congregational Church, while tomorrow, the festivities will continue with a Football Tournament which will run until Sunday, with the finals being held on March 22.

On March 23, special invitees and residents will meet at the East Coast Demerara Bus Park in Georgetown to be taken on a Bus Tour back to the village to the ‘Victoria Ground’, where a Reggae Concert will be held.
The concert will feature Jamaican entertainers, including Anthony Cruz and Baba Dee, as well as an array of local artistes.

On March 26, the festivities will close with a Street Jam which will be a daytime event for families.
Dean McRae, who was born and raised in Victoria Village and who is spearheading the initiative, said that the idea came after several members of the village approached him requesting his help in reintroducing family-oriented entertainment to the community.

McRae agreed that the community would do well to be treated with some entertainment, and after seeking sponsorship from other stakeholders and companies, he began to develop the project.
“The first thing we had to do was look at the monuments within the village, because a lot of them needed reconstruction. So we had to ensure that the place gets a facelift before we hosted these activities,” McRae said.
The monuments which received attention include the Emancipation Hut and the Board of Stakeholders, which is a plaque erected in honour of key contributors to the village’s history.
McRae expects that the week of events will help to reinvigorate the village, and allow residents of all areas to fellowship together, regardless of their age.
He hopes, too, that ‘V.V Week’ will, from now on, be an annual initiative, with more sponsors and an even more packed list of events in the coming years.