A struggle with hard times and ‘Obeah’

By Neil Primus
All over the world mothers work and sacrifice for their children. Guyana is no exception. Even though there are bad mothers around, the overwhelming majority are good – mothers who would make sacrifices over and over to ensure that their offspring receive every opportunity available in order to develop.

Natasha Richardson is a 38- year old mother of six. She and five of her children live in a tiny shack in Riverview, Ruimveldt. For her it’s a daily struggle to adequately provide for her kids. This is compounded by the fact that she is unemployed. With no qualifications or marketable skill she has found it extremely difficult to make ends meet. This has unfortunately forced her to find other unorthodox and risky means of employment in order to feed her dependents. Her six boys and one girl range in age from three to 21. The eldest boy has already left home and is a victim to the lure of drugs and petty crime.

Natasha grew up in rather difficult circumstances. During her childhood her mother moved several times due to the change in husbands/boyfriends. These unpredictable circumstances caused this little girl to fall victim to abuse. She remembers living in Cemetery Road, Leopold Street and Riverview.
She attended West Ruimveldt Primary and later Houston Community High. After the first term at Houston she was removed from school so that she could do the cooking, cleaning and caring for her niece and nephew. Her memories of small days are primarily of hard work. Her mother was a security guard so it was up to Natasha to manage most of the housework.

She remembers not being allowed to go out very often because there was just too much to do at home. She liked the school holidays because it brought temporary relief from some of the adult responsibilities and burdens. She remembers once during her teen years she was allowed to attend a fair at the St George’s Cathedral. She and her best friend left the fair early and sneaked into a nearby party. Somehow the news reached her home and soon her mother and aunt were searching the party in order to locate her. Needless to say, she was rudely deported from the party and had the added humiliation of being verbally accosted all the way home, this to the amusement of all who they came into contact with, or who came out to see what all the ruckus was about. Even when family parties were held, Natasha found herself working very hard at these events.

When Natasha was 17 she got her first child. The others came at regular intervals. She began her working life at the Oriental Restaurant and later moved to Survival Supermarket. It was while working on Sheriff Street that she began smoking and drinking alcohol. Her partying also took off. This soon escalated to life on the ‘fast lane.’
After working for quite a while in this very risky profession she decided to take a chance and headed into the backdam. Her luck was no better there. She got a few bouts of malaria and was viciously assaulted on more than one occasion. Desperate to escape this environment she accepted an offer to work as a cook at a camp in the Goldbush.

Her Amerindian friend came and escorted her to the camp. It was a trip she would never forget. Initially she was told that the camp was not too far away. Two hours later they were still walking. It was dark and three and a half hours later that she staggered into the camp exhausted and stressed out.
During her Backdam days the children were left with her sister. Natasha worked as a cook for a while then decided to return to the city. Although she found the Backdam a change from an otherwise mundane life, she knew it was far too risky to continue.

She has had her struggles in Georgetown as well. According to her, someone with evil intentions has begun to do their dark and sinister work to negatively affect her and children. When asked what kind of work Natasha quickly replied, “Obeah!”
She explained that the names of her and all her children was put inside of a cucumber and placed in a fridge. Apparently the intention is that as the vegetable deteriorates so would she and family. Natasha has presently returned to the highly risky profession. She has started a small business at home making snacks (fried plantain and sausage, fish or eggs).

She also sells drinks. Her fries are sold cheaply and the business is still in its infancy. She has hopes of some day fixing up the ‘house’ and increasing the fledging business.
“I don’t get to do all that I want to because of lack of finances. “I cannot even save any money. I would like to someday own my own house and land. I want to develop my business and ensure that all my children complete their education. I also wish that they would be more obedient,” she lamented.

Natasha continues to rely on the very small business she has started but necessity has compelled her to venture back into the business she is seeking to avoid.