Woman of Block 22 talks inclusivity and what it means to be a Lindener

THE mining town of Linden is amongst the most diverse parts of Guyana, with its countless breathtaking lakes and majestic hills. It also seems as though it is home to a special kind of people. Block 22 is over the river in Linden, home to a few hundred people. It is one of the most captivating communities in Guyana situated atop a hill, which is not unique for most Lindeners. What is interesting, however, is that Block 22 overlooks a lake. The lake is among the biggest in the region and has become a popular tourist spot. The community is close-knit and old. Members of the community on the hill say that living in Block 22 and Linden is a paradise despite the challenges.

Nikola Lacon has called Block 22 Lake Road home for several years. Born and raised in Plaisance, Nikola’s family came to Linden like so many others. Linden is historically a mining community, and with mining came job opportunities. Hundreds of people ventured to the community in search of work. With fathers and mothers seeking a better life for their children, entire families were sometimes uprooted and taken to Linden, a place of new opportunities. “My father came to work in the bauxite company at that time, it was the early seventies. My family remained here, my mother, family, and seven siblings,” Nikola stated.

Nikola says she will never forget the shift from the East Coast to the peaceful beauty of Linden. The hustle and bustle of the East Coast to the sudden serenity of life by the lake was a drastic but pleasing change. As Nikola stated, “In Plaisance, it was not bad. We had blackouts twelve hours a day and we had water maybe four hours in the day, depending. I remember going to the standpipes and washing in the aqueduct.” Although both communities offered a rural atmosphere, Linden and Lake Road offered a different way of life. “It was an extended family. We lived with cousins and so on. And then we moved to Linden. And Linden was paradise.”

Linden is a densely populated area, with several thousand people calling the township home. Linden and its outskirts have historically been instrumental in many areas of Guyana’s development. Celebrations turned traditions, such as Mashramani, are said to have been born in Linden. It began as a little village of close-knit supportive people who worked around each other to develop their home. And as the town and surrounding communities continue to see change, many people want to see the return of the community spirit.

Nikola came to Linden when she was still a child. She remembers the welcoming, warm aura of the community, a place where everyone knew and supported each other. This seems to be slowly changing, according to Nikola. She recounts the days when members of the village, young and old, would make an effort to come together each afternoon to share the occurrences of their day, whether exciting or mundane. Nikola says that community gatherings and the deeply cherished community spirit have died.

As Nikola stated, “The community spirit is not there anymore. The last time I saw community spirit was maybe back in 2012, real community spirit.” Compassion and neighbourly love are vital in building a community. Nikola says that the neighbours saw less of each other throughout the years. The way she sees it, community members have lost what it means to be a community. As Nikola puts it, “The only thing that has changed is that people are more selfish, more self-oriented.” Linden and Block 22 are communities built by the people for the people. However, today, people seem to have lost what it means to be a village. But does that mean that they have lost what they mean to each other? Nikola is not quite sure.

All hope is not lost for Lindeners and people of communities like Block 22. Lake Road, where Nikola calls home, is still an old-fashioned village. People of the community still hold their village gatherings and talk about the community’s most recent developments. This can be found in many of the township’s smaller communities. In Nikola’s opinion, political strife is unity’s biggest contender. In a place as diverse as Linden, people are as divided as their views. This beautiful melting pot of people gets somewhat heated. “In my opinion, the people in Linden are being divided by politics. Politics have a role to play in this community with the way people operate and the way they think. I am seeing it, and I am seeing the gap widening.” Nikola shares a message of unity that more should preach. That unity is for the people, and it should start with the people. “I think in order for a positive change to be seen in this community, the division needs to stop. But there is a division. We need inclusiveness.”