“Rice keeps here alive,” said Joseph George as he studied his hometown.

He stared at the rice fields in the distance and reminisced on his earlier days at Zambia, the unofficial name given to the small community at Mibicuri South, Black Bush Polder on the East Berbice Corentyne.
The residents there are involved in agriculture, mainly rice farming. But one thing is unique about this quiet commune. It was created in the aftermath of the 1964 political disturbances which ran across the country. “This place was created to protect them, so the government placed all the African Guyanese people around the time in here,” he said.

He is one of the earlier sons of the community which has seen little infrastructural development over the decades since 1964. During a recent visit to the village, it was evident that the area lacks infrastructural enhancement. The authorities fenced the playground several months ago but for residents, it was a move which was long overdue.
For George, Zambia slowly progressed to the

state it is today. The village is home to approximately 40 households, few children and most of the residents are from the older generation. In the aftermath of the disturbances, the government provided the residents with one and a half acres of land on which to live and another 15 acre on which to plant rice.
However, the plan did not materialize as expected, and many suggested that persons could not endure the remoteness of the area at the time. As such the population dwindled over the years.
Mibicuri is the largest of four settlements which make up Black Bush Polder. The others are Lesbeholden, Joanna and Yakusari. Rice farming is done in the entire polder and according to George, it is the one economic activity which is keeping the community of Zambia alive.

He said that some persons are currently renting their rice lands while others sold their property during the initial years.
But how did the community receive the name “Zambia”?
Not much persons could have explained the origin of the name but reports are that it was an elderly man who simply blurted out the name during a conversation and it stuck to the area.
Joseph is one of many older persons in the community and during the visit it was evident that not many young people live in Zambia.

He said he moved to the area with his family from the village of Ulverson on the West Coast of Berbice .
That was in 1968 and at the time he felt that his world crumbled when his family relocated there. At the time, he was a cricket fanatic. But he later attended the Berbice Comprehensive School and daily he would see the brighter side of the area at Rose Hall Town. He pointed to the drains, which he noted were dug by “shovel men” when Zambia was created.
As this publication entered the area, on a hot-sunny Wednesday recently, paddy lines took up long stretches of the length of the roadway. A few cows grazed in the dry swathes of land while acres of land were being burnt.

It was a sight that created a picturesque view of the agriculture sector in all her bloom. But as the dusty roadway narrowed near Zambia, a shop at the side of the roadway was a much needed stop for refreshments.
There, Odetha Davis sat outside her snackette as she chatted with her friend. The two grew up at Zambia; Davis said it was the only place she will ever call home. But she had a long list of complaints about her hometown, a list which she has had for decades. “This place started about 50 years ago, people came there in 1964 and we living here in one state,” she said, referring to the village as a “break-away place.”
In her 36th year, she said her concerns centered on what she termed the ineffectiveness of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) in the area . “If we want something done for us we have to go to the NDC, we have to go there and beg them,” she said, noting that Zambia is home to many public servants including teachers, nurses and police officers.
“There is much they need to do for us,” she said.
She said that recently two of the four streets in the area were paved, after decades of pleading and according to her, while there was migration in the initial years, many persons moved into the area overtime but they re-migrated as time progressed.
“We feel abandoned, nobody comes but we are hoping against hope,” she said as the midday sun blistered the village.
As the dust blew across the roadway, several men swept paddy to a confined area along the roadside. One young man noted that it was the job of his choice, since at the moment he can earn a hefty $12,000 packing and tending to the paddy of the millers in the area.
He said he attended the Kuru Kuru College where he honed his mechanic skills but since he couldn’t find a job once home, he turned to tending to paddy.
Further up the road , three men who have been farming for decades sat under a house. They appeared contented but their stories about life in Zambia did not differ from their fellow villagers. But they expressed hope that the main intent for the village when it was created will one day be realized.
“Do we have anything to celebrate?” asked another resident when the question on the villages’ existence was asked. She added that many young men moved away from the area in search of brighter opportunities.
On this note, it was noted that the village is in need of a vocational centre where the residents can learn various life skills and prepare themselves for a trade.
Street lights and improved water distribution are other areas which residents said can add to the enhancement of Zambia.
In addition, the construction of pavilion facilities at the fenced-playground is one area which residents said can bring life to Zambia.