LA HARMONIE Village on the West Bank of Demerara could be best described as a place where the sound of birds still awakens the people of the village.

The village is neighboured by areas like Sarah Lodge and Catherina Sophia, which most villagers refer to as ‘Calabash Alley’.
“I have been living here for the past 68 years. I was born and grew up here,” says Reuben Nelson. He explained that while areas surrounding La Harmonie may have their names, the majority is referred to as La Harmonie. The neighbourhoods are so connected that there is one school for several miles which is located in the centre of La Harmonie. And it’s even one of the main ways of getting into the village.

Reuben shared that, “Even where I am living is not directly La Harmonie. But the whole district goes as La Harmonie. I am living at Sarah’s Hope, which is a little further up. ”

The village of La Harmonie, like several other places in Guyana, has blurred lines differentiating one village from another. “There are many small districts or villages that make up La Harmonie.” Reuben stated.

The ethnic makeup of the value of La Harmonie is reflective of Guyana, being an ethnically diverse place. “La Harmonie is mixed. We have negros, Indians and Amerindians.” Reuben explained. The village is one of those places where the majority of the population was born, raised and remain.

This has crafted a unique culture of pride and love for their community. Reuben is a prime example of this, who says that growing up anywhere else wouldn’t have been the same.

“It was wonderful.” Reuben shared. “When I remember my youthful days to the days that the youths have now, those days were the good ol’ days.”

The days described by him and a few of his fellow villagers are filled with fishing, framing and spending time with the people around.

” Because of technology, everything kind of changed. I can’t complain about my young days,” Reuben stated. In what was called the good old days, the villagers’ time was largely spent doing things like hunting, fishing and a significant amount of farming.

“It is predominantly a farming area,” said Reuben. And evidence of that could be seen all around the village. La Harmonie lies in a unique place, along the furthest edges of the West Bank of the Demerara River.

The village houses an extensive system of canals which take farmers in boats in the backlands used for farming. La Harmonie has been quite known for farming and its natural diversity.

And although there are still a large number of people who still retain a sustainable way of life, there are a few who seek opportunities outside of their village. And that number seems to be on the rise.

“There are folks who work outside, like workers and you have the younger folks,” Reuben stated. “Like my son and my two daughters work outside. But most of the older folks do farming.”

Although his children travel beyond the bounds of the village, Reuben is one of the La Harmonie villagers who still farm. He stated that, “I am a farmer as well. I do a mixture of farming crops and livestock, etcetera.” And better roads are among other things Reuben and others would like to see developed.

La Harmonie is a village like any other, and it has its challenges. Because it is a village surrounded by the river, drainage and subsequent flooding are issues they are battling. “But I noticed there is some work being done in the main canal on the dam,” Reuben said.

The village, despite seeming remote in nature, is just a bit further beyond its more well known popular counterparts on the West Bank like Good Intent, Wales and Patentia.

La Harmonie has had farming ingrained in its past. According to the villagers, the community was once home to a Dutch cocoa plantation.”For my school days we were taught that it was owned by the Dutch and it was a cocoa estate. And that was many, many years ago,” Reuben explained.