No noise, no confusion, just hard work at the Moses Factory

COTTAGE industries in Guyana mostly talk of small-scale businesses, but when taken seriously they speak of economic power and development. Such industries create a ready source of employment for ordinary people, and in many cases, they also provide a means of income for larger businesses and their staff as well.

Farming and farming products are examples of the immediately related activities that can be associated with the cottage industry in villages in many parts of Guyana. And, Victoria Village is one such area of the country where small industries thrive.

The Moses Factory is one of quite a few cottage industries in the village, where women and men, but mostly women conscientiously work to achieve many of their goals and objectives in life. For an industry doing such ‘big’ business, all one can see is mostly the movements of big bags of cassava going in.

The peeling and washing, grating and grinding, pressing and baking make little if any noise. It may just be the light chatter and sometimes hearty laughter that may draw some attention. Other than that business goes on in a quiet atmosphere.

THE VILLAGE LIFE

When the Pepperpot Magazine visited the village just recently, many of the women were engaged in one activity or another. In their well-kept and organised yards, among the beautiful flower plants that can be seen in the front are some fruits and vegetables. These include papaw, bananas, gooseberries, tomatoes, peppers and the like. But aback of many of those yards can be found the real thing, such as an assortment of vegetables, punctuated by fruit trees, larger quantities of tomatoes, peppers and the like.

According to Aunty Mavis, “Back in [the days of Mr. Burnham] he encouraged us to plant every space in our yard and some other places around us. Since then I got into the thing. I was no farmer – not that I hated farming, but I really did not have much interest in it. However, after he started to encourage us in many ways, I took it up and had my children and grandchildren helping me. Now I can consider myself a ‘big-time- farmer,” she told the Pepperpot Magazine. At the same time, many other residents within the community held similar views.

THE MOSES FACTORY

The Moses factory, as it is simply called, is an establishment with a difference. When the Pepperpot Magazine visited, there was this feeling of entering a big production industry and the atmosphere was filled with industriousness, yet it was very pleasant.

In the factory, there was Delroy Marks, one of two men working at the fireside making cassava bread. He was serious about what he was doing, laying out at least six or more slices of cassava bread on an oversized tawa ( a sort of heavy steel plate that can withstand much heat from burning coals or wood fire).

Not far from Marks was Marlyn Moses, who has been a stalwart in the cottage industry business for well over four decades. Moses has worked in many aspects of the farming and cottage industry business, and she is not shy to present her goods to be sold within the village or in the city. And for a woman living well over the half-century and a mother of many children, Moses may owe a lot of the beauty and good structure she seems to possess to a lot of the hard work that may have kept her well.

THE ENTIRE PROCESS

The process of working the cassava is not only to make cassava bread. While this is an important aspect of the production and a very large part as well; cassava- related items also include cassareep; farine, cassava flour, starch and other products. From planting to harvesting; pealing, grating, processing for the juice to make cassareep, starch and other items, to the making of cassava bread and quinches (with grated, coloured, sweetened and sometimes stewed coconut).

Within the business place, there were many other women interacting – each one having their own role to play in their bid to help make the business run smoothly. In the processing of the cassava, the first part is peeling, then washing and grating, after which they go to the press, where the juice is extracted. The process continues with the cassava being returned to be refined, to the point where it is grounded into an almost flour-like form that is then suitable for the making of cassava bread.

Among the others present were Odessa, Dollyann and Jennifer Moses; Shundell Marks, Gwen Collins, Penny Skeet and Jamalli Murphy. The Pepperpot Magazine was informed that the Moses Factory establishment is made up of other members who were not present at the time.

It was further explained that most of the members of the establishment are also involved in small and large scale farming, as well as other economic activities. Most of them are also involved in the retailing of their goods within the village and the major markets in the city. (mercilinburke2017@gmail.com)