MANY areas in Berbice and Essequibo were always classified as “the country” or “rural Guyana”—if not the entire counties on a whole. While I cannot speak on the entirety of the ‘Cinderella County’, I can safely say that Berbice has always been subjected to this thought. Myself and many other Berbicians share the same sentiment that many areas in Berbice are underdeveloped, under-looked and under-appreciated. If it is difficult to find a job in Georgetown, one can only imagine what the struggles may be to find one in Berbice. If an event or activity does not occur in Demerara, then it cannot be done in Berbice. I believe our county receives the left-over resources and opportunities after these were awarded to others in more developed areas of Guyana.

This is a major contributing factor as to why many Berbicians would choose to move to the city or outlying communities around Georgetown. The lack of opportunities and inclusivity is what forces many of the “country” people to move towards “betterment.” We move to find new or better employment. We move because many offices, agencies and organisations cannot afford to pay for our hard-earned degree. We move because we are negatively stereotyped and we want to change that mindset that surrounds our people. We move because many Berbicians do not and will not inherit a generational wealth—they have to earn every penny and dream by themselves.
Guyana is already a developing third world country. Berbice and its development are a few years, even decades behind that of Demerara’s. Raw resources are readily available but we ought to develop and maintain our human capital. For every child in Georgetown/Demerara who complains or is upset that they have to attend swimming classes, there’s a child in Berbice who wishes we had an Aquatic Centre; for every prospective student at the UG Turkeyen Campus who is confused by the towering list of programmes offered, there’s another prospective student in Berbice who wishes that their future career is not subjected only to which programmes that are in demand; for every opportunity our fellow Demerara neighbours take for granted, we are saddened by disappointment.
One’s geography should not limit one’s ability to excel. I am aware that similar and even worse struggles are prevalent for countless other Guyanese who live in rural or riverine communities across our country. Many of us are not cut out to be skilled farmers, labourers, harvesters; after all, that’s what we’re mainly known for, right? Even now, the agricultural workers have to adapt to the changes across the world and it is difficult to do so with limited resources. There are infinite “country” men and women who are forced to leave their lives behind, move to a new and strange environment, adapt to a new lifestyle, work and study to support themselves and their impoverished family just because they want to do and be better in life.
Many will say if you can’t sit at the table then you should build your own. Yes, that’s true, but we cannot build our own table unless we have the resources, the skills and knowledge, the time and equipment and–most importantly–the support to build that said table. The times are changing and I will be enraged if I ever see a new and developed Georgetown/Demerara while Berbice is disadvantaged towards opportunities. Will Georgetown be the only place the tourists are allowed to visit? Will we invest more into the existing resources to provide countless jobs for those in need? Will Berbicians have to move away from their homes just to work to fend for their families for much longer? Are we as a people ready to develop our country, holistically?