The women of Nooten Zuil
Parbattie Singh – the lone, female fisher folk vending at her fish stand
Parbattie Singh – the lone, female fisher folk vending at her fish stand

LOCATED on the East Coast Demerara, 18 miles away from Georgetown is the peaceful village of Nooten Zuil, huddled between Belfield to the west and Hope to the east.
Fanned by the gentle sea breeze, wafting across the Atlantic Sea coast, Nooten Zuil is known, not only for its serenity but for the peace-loving nature of its residents, constantly on the lookout for the safety of each other.

The Pepperpot Magazine on a recent visit to Nooten Zuil, was introduced to the village by a long-standing resident, Jean Tajroop, who said of the village: “It’s breezy and quiet; cool during the day and biting cold at nights, to the extent that we have to put on sweaters.”
The community, which boasts an agricultural base and has just under 50 households, has a reputation for initially growing rice and rearing cattle throughout the years, but more recently there has been an emphasis on the growing of fruits and cash crops or kitchen garden farming. Kitchen gardening is done mostly by the females, while the men who are not otherwise self-employed, work outside of the community.

Tajroop is a mother of five and has been living in the village for just over 20 years. She has brought her children up successfully and now they have children of their own. A committed member of the Full Truth Tabernacle Church, she travels all the way to Mahaica to attend church services.

With a sense of pride and independence, Tajroop told this publication that in the community the women grow fruits and vegetables to help pay their rates and taxes.

Jean Jagroop. Nooten Zuil mother engaged in subsistence farming in Nooten Zuil. (Delano Williams photos)

Meanwhile, more evidence of the ingenuity of the women and the will to survive, was demonstrated in the story of Parbattie Singh, a mother of two who now cleans and sells various types of fish – snapper, shark, banga-mary and more, from her stand at the junction of Nooten Zuil and the East Coast highway.
Singh, who has been vending in fresh fish for the last year or so, says she buys wholesale quantities from fisherfolk at Hope Village. She said that her husband previously worked with the crew, but business was slow and so she thought of bringing the service closer to the people and it worked well. Singh sells from snapper to butterfish, to banga-mary and it is getting bigger and better, she says.
Meanwhile, residents say they have no trouble with praedial larceny involving stocks, fruits and the greens and vegetables they produce, since it is a quiet neighbourhood and people look out for each other. This is so, to the extent that on being visited by the Pepperpot Magazine there was evidence of pepper, cucumber and corrilla which had become ripe on some of the fences, until they are bursting on the vines and still not being picked by an intruder.
Nooten Zuil also has a reputation for having some of the best mechanical workshops, and spray painting and body works establishments, attracting clients from regions across the country.

The residents are however thankful for other essential services such as electricity, telephones and potable, water (being supplied by the Guyana Water Inc.)
However, Tajroop sees the need for a community playfield, even if not a community centre as yet. She was amongst other villagers calling for a library and some safe place for their children and grandchildren to play. They are also calling for maintenance work to be done on the main road within the community which is in a poor state at this time.
“We will be thankful if our road can be repaired as soon as possible, making life comfortable for everyone,” the residents declared.

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