The village of Brotherly Love

THE village of Melanie, located on the East coast of Demerara, is a mere 30-minute drive from the capital city. The village has a past rooted in cohesive cooperation and support.
At first glance, the village seems to lack a difference from places like Georgetown or other communities considered city places. But upon spending some time at any given corner shop or street corner, one can deduce that Melanie without a doubt has a rather simplistic village, almost country atmosphere to it.

Janett Rugby came to live in Melanie many years ago. And although much has changed since then, one thing never lost is Melanie’s unity. Janett, widely regarded as one of the friendliest people in the village, owns a shop. She shared that, “I have lived in Melanie for around 40 years now. Melanie is so wonderful. It is a quiet place. The environment is good. The people are nice, Melanie has nice people.”

Janett ventured into the village of Melanie many years ago. And from that time to the present, she says Melanie doesn’t quite look how it used to. She said, “It has changed up a whole lot. We have a lot of big houses. “The rearing of cattle and livestock was once among the major economic activities of the past in Melanie. But that is one part of the past that has seemed to dwindle. As Janett stated, “We used to mine a lot of stocks, but we don’t do that anymore.”

Like many people who fell in love with the aura of Melanie, it wasn’t Janett’s intention to live and later love Melanie. She originally came to the village because of her work and family. “Melanie was close to my workplace. I got married, and I came to live in Melanie. I used to work in Paradise at the regional office. And I left the job and come to live in Melanie because of my children.” Janett stated.

One of the many notable aspects of Melanie is its affinity, more so than other places, for businesses. Janett expressed that opening the business was also a faithful occurrence. She didn’t intend to open a business, but it developed nonetheless. “I used to make snacks for the children and the community on the whole. Everybody would come and buy to put in their children’s lunch kit, bag or whatever. It was a little shop and I increased it until it got to this size,” Janett said.

The impact of Forbes Burnham could still be felt in the very base aspects of Melanie. When asked about what she remembers about the Melanie of old, one recurring factor was that of the village’s founding father. “We used to call Forbes Burnham ‘Kabaca’ at that time. We used to say Kabaca coming. That was the term. Everybody would use that term.” Janett stated. And the name, of which it’s origin is unknown, held plenty of weight.

Unlike the sentiments from other villages featured, Melanie reports an apparent decrease in its population. As Janett explained, “It’s not so populated to me like when we had the post office and the bank. We had all those things and it was more populated. Everybody hustling.”

She went on further showcasing that the hardworking and progressive nature of the people of Melanie has never faulted. She said, “Some of them farm, some of them do woodwork and make furniture and a lot of them are tradesmen. And most of them do taxi work. “These days Janett spends a large part of her life gardening when she’s not tending to her shop. She shared, “I plant everything, I plant my little kitchen garden and flowers. I like planting. It is like a hobby. ‘When asked about what she loves about Melanie, it is the same thing that draws many people in. It’s an authentic community comradery feeling. She said “Just the quietness and the simplicity. Not too much of rows and an environment with no fighting. It is just peaceful. We just live quiet and humble.”

On the matter of why she believes Melanie has managed to remain as such a close-knit place, Janett said it had plenty to do with its humble beginnings. She stated that, “Maybe because it was a co-op. It was a cooperative with everybody. They used to coop to build the houses. We used to jump on the donkey cart to get materials to build our houses. Friend will help friend, and neighbour will help neighbour. Melanie, Janett said, is a special place, “We have this kind of togetherness.” she stated.