ABDUL Karim Hahim, better known as Baksh, is well-known in Moleson Creek Village, Berbice as an elder in the community and a devoted Muslim. He is well-respected and among the first settlers.

The 74-year-old is still able-bodied and does all the cooking and household chores in and around the house.

That day when the team visited, he was cleaning the yard having finished preparing a meal of fried bora with fried fish and rice.

Hahim added that he lives with his wife, but due to ill health, she is away and one of his sons is with him, but he would stay at the house they have at the back dam to oversee their farm.

The father of five is a farmer and has been living in Moleson Creek for the past 56 years, even though he is originally from #78 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

Hahim related that after he got married, he moved away from #78 Village and relocated to Moleson Creek to start his own family.

“I came here because I wanted to achieve my own things and my parents had this place, so I started to work on my life, and here I am,” he said.

Hahim is from a family of farmers, and his parents were also farmers, so he grew up making a living farming.

Presently, due to the rainy season, he only has corilla and pumpkins on his farm since a lot of his crops perished due to the floods.

Despite the ‘ups and downs’ of farming, Hahim told the Pepperpot Magazine that he is steadfast in the field and will continue in that line of work.

He explained that the weather has a vital role to play in harvesting good crops, but these days it has been a while since he did that.

Hahim disclosed that Moleson Creek is a very safe place to reside because there are no thieves except for a few ‘bad eggs’ among the young people who break into houses and pilfer.

The elder stated that Moleson Creek Village allows one to live in a very spacious environment because it is a natural paradise, ideal for farming with its vast back lands.

Hahim used to rear hassar in his fish pond in his yard, but he suffered a loss due to the flooding earlier this year and decided not to continue.

He would get fresh-caught fish from his son, who would go fishing in the back dam when he has the time and would ensure it is part of a meal.

Hahim has many pets including dogs, a macaw by the name of Ruby and many cats he considers his companions that keep him occupied because they like having several meals daily.

“There are some issues in this village as it relates to farming. The drainage and irrigation is in dire need of upgrading and as a small farmer, I have no voice here to air my concerns because a lot of bullying is taking place here.
The big farmers would do whatever they want, like break up the access dam to ensure their rice fields have enough water for their crops and we cannot access our farms via the dam,” he pointed out.

Hahim was, however, pleased that he benefitted from the government’s cash grant relief for farmers after the first flood this year, and he was of the view that more can be done to ease the burdens of farmers.

The elder stated that the initiative was a good one to assist farmers, who incurred a lot of losses during the floods.

“Well we did not get back everything we lost, but at least we have something in our hands to re-start our farms,” he said.

Hahim doesn’t miss a prayer service at the Masjid in the village, which was a gift from the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), and it has about 20 members who frequent the mosque several times per day.

Toolsie Kumar, the farmer
Like almost every man in the village, Toolsie Kumar is a resident of Moleson Creek Village and is a farmer who is pleased that they have a road instead of the dam they had previously.
He told the Pepperpot Magazine that they experienced a lot of punishment getting in and back to their houses via the mud dam, and today, they are very happy vehicles can drive in.

The father of three added that their lives have been enhanced and he was of the hope they will also benefit from electricity, internet and other basic amenities in the near future.

The 44-year-old reported that he has 30 acres of farmlands in Moleson Creek and is only utilising a few acres for farming due to the difficulties encountered as a direct result of flooding, drainage and land preparation.

At the time of the visit, he only had plantains, and he was hoping he could re-plant soon since it was the only source of income.