THE now predominantly African village of Maria Johanna was among the first plantations established by the Dutch colonisers on the island of Wakenaam. Allegedly named after Maria and Johanna, the beautiful twin daughters of a plantation owner, the Guyana Chronicle tried but was unable to locate the name of the original plantation owner; but based on our research, in 1803, the plantation was owed by one Hugenoltz.

It was bought by Mr Boddart and Company in 1832, and then by Adam Ramkin in 1851. The plantation was surveyed by Henry Rainford, and 88 house lots were laid out, most of them to accommodate the workers.

The Colonial Government later took control of the plantation because of bankruptcy, and sold it in April 1871 to a company whose shareholders were predominantly former slaves. The sale price was $700. There were many disagreements among shareholders as to what was the best way to develop the land. Ultimately, the plantation was taken over by the Partition Ordinance in 1914; and in 1921, a village was created, and a tax system was introduced.

A visitor to Maria Johanna can still observe evidence of Dutch occupation, and the fact that slaves worked there.
There is a unique Dutch sluice which, after centuries, still stands immaculate and spectacular. Every now and then, various types of Dutch bottles and coins are found when there are excavation works in Maria Johanna and other villages on the island.

Residents of Maria Johanna are a peaceful and happy people, who depend on cultivation of rice and ground provision for a living. The community of about 400 residents has three Indian families, who live in harmony among their African neighbours.
Residents believe that Maria Johanna is a model for social cohesion, since every mother and father there is a mother and father to every child in the village, regardless of ethnicity.
Also, the pastor of the African Methodist Church, a person of Indian origin, is celebrated by all the members of the village.

Visitors to Maria Johanna are warmly greeted by cheerful residents, and their inquiries are attended to promptly.

Before the establishment of the African Methodist Church in 1906, Maria Johanna residents and others on the island used to worship at the St James Presbyterian Church at Fredericksburg, built by freed African slaves in 1884.

The Guyana Chronicle was told that, years ago, in front of the church’s compound was a silk cotton tree, and residents across the island used to assemble and sleep their on Saturday night in order to catch the Sunday morning mass. Over the years, the church, located next to a burial ground, fell into disrepair, and members have of late been pooling their resources to carry out critical rehabilitation works on the building.
Some work has been done, but rehabilitation has been slow due to lack of financing. The church administrators are appealing to the public for financial support to ensure the preservation of this historical site. This place of worship was the first to be built on the island by freed African slaves.

There is no Government school in Maria Johanna, and the closest nursery and schools are in Fredericksburg, some three miles away. Residents, however, make concerted efforts to ensure their children attend school, regardless of whether they have to walk or be driven to their place of learning.

This publication was told that the village needs a resource centre to train young people in various skills, to ease unemployment among young people. They also noted that greater attention should be placed on fixing the sea defence aback their village, to protect their farmland from erosion.

The road in this village is also in a poor state, but Regional Engineer Joseph Patterson told the Guyana Chronicle that Government has allocated $17M towards that project.
The rehabilitation contract has not yet been awarded.