Life in the village on the lake

THE village of Capoey is unique in its beauty and outstanding ability to remain as original and authentic as ever. Capoey is widely revered as a tourist destination. Whether it is the history and secrets held by the enigmatic black water or the white sand beaches, speedboat races and hospitable people, the village of Capoey is beautiful in every sense. But like any other hidden gem, getting there is no walk in the park.

Getting to this little village of the lake from Georgetown is an experience in itself. Capoey is a village and resort located on the Essequibo coast, past Aurora, Maria’s Lodge and the infamous Suddie village. Visitors leaving Georgetown would have to make their way to the Port village of Parika which is a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Georgetown on a clear day. It is at the point of looking out at the Essequibo River, littered with a host of brightly coloured speed boats and a steady movement of steamers.

Getting to Supenaam, which marks the beginning of the Essequibo Coast, takes an hour via speed boat versus the two-hour ride in a streamer. Once on the Coast, it is a straight drive to the access road leading into the village’s stelling. Looking out at Lake Capoey, the village’s little riverside homes, and colour resort guest houses are reflected by the enchanting black water. The speed boat ride into the village takes no more than ten minutes, and is breathtakingly beautiful. Upon reaching the village’s shores, you are struck with the captivating flora, fauna and hot white sand under your feet. The village itself has no roads, but rather paths marked by trees. The village houses two schools, going all the way up to grade six. Capoey is also home to a health centre, library and a bakery run by women. The way of life in Capoey has remained, for many people, largely unchanged.

Godfrey Hendricks was born and raised in Capoey. Godfrey is one of the village’s most notable fishermen and believes that activities like farming, hunting and fishing are necessary to survival and to the village of Capoey. Godfrey, like many of Capoey’s residents, is a Capoey native. Having been born, raised and built a life in the village in the past 58 years. Growing up in Capoey, Godfrey describes life like any other authentic country existence. As a child, he learned to swim the lake and was taught as a young boy when was the best time to go out looking for fish.
The knowledge and understanding of the lake and the moon cycles were studied and developed by the original people of Capoey. Although he is also a logger, Godfrey says fishing is what he does when the time and the moon are right. “From school, I left and I was doing Labour’s work, logging. And that’s what I do up until today. And in between, I do the fishing. It depends on the moon,” he said. This relationship with nature is important to the people of Capoey in both the aspects of living and tourism.

When asked why he believes that self-sustaining practices like fishing and farming have survived in Capoey, Godfrey said, “That is really what people here do. We don’t do it on a big scale to get money. We just do it for ourselves.” What is perhaps the most interesting thing about the way of life of the people living in Capoey is that they still lead a very simple lifestyle. Godfrey stated, “People do the same things, a little farming and logging, the most in the back dam. The majority is logging.” The authentic existence does not mean that the village’s development is stagnant. On the contrary, Capoey has managed to achieve the task of being a place visited by many while remaining pristine and untouched in its people’s way of living. “Today, we are seeing a difference in how nice Capoey is. In our days, it wasn’t like this. It was just bush and big trees. Just a little place was the mission.” Godfrey said. Capoey has running water, which, for the most part, has no issues. However, the village does not have electricity but runs on the use of solar lights. Many villagers would like to see their village have readily available electricity. Tourism for a village is a community effort, one in which all of its people must be open and welcoming to the rush of visitors wanting to experience life in Capoey. And if there is anything that Godfrey would like Guyana to know about Capoey, it is that, “I would tell them Capoey is getting really nice and tourism is carrying Capoey far.”