– As The Bandits Do
Regard this brief offering today as my own “Friday Ramblings.” Ramblings with a cause and one primary objective.
My aim is to have you revive personal and group interest in really getting to know, after discovering, the natural beauty of the land you were born in and have chosen to remain a permanent citizen of. For the time being.
So many are my reasons for penning this piece. A few of them? Well one is the need to know the country of your birth. That need, if fulfilled, enriches your patriotism, your very psyche. You know what you belong to! To love Guyana is to know it – the counties, the Regions, the coastal villages, the creeks, rivers, valleys, savannahs, wood-grants, tropical forest communities, the hills and mountain-tops. And yes the wards and sections of our towns.
In whichever portion of this Green Land of Waters you were born, you must arrange to travel, to visit or spend time elsewhere. We’ll discuss cost later down.
I chose this subject because, also, I know of a long-delayed plan to publish an historical tour-guide type of publication with my caption’s title “Getting to know Guyana”. What’s holding it up. I once was offered a peek into the manuscript. I discovered places whose history and characteristics I know little of. I plan to explore them before my bones and muscles go completely, or before I expire, more permanently.
Do you know where, in your country Guyana to find: Cow Falls? Iguana Beach? Surama? Santa Cruz? Five (5) Kumakas? New York? Peerboom? Guava Rapids? Mattawai Beach? Waramuri? Mundi Street? Gordon Table? Kurukubaru? Shea? Wanatobo? Ha! So you know, or know of, a few. We have to get this book or go explore. Or both!
I write of this issue too, because Minister of Tourism Prashad has been speaking to (prospective) Tour Guides. A multitude of visitors will arrive in August for the Caribbean mega– festival, he says. They must be shown around Guyana and must be informed. Ha! The tour guides and Guyanese themselves need to know, visit and be informed.
Finally, I once did a cameo radio programme named “It’s in Guyana”. I profiled communities and publicized their locations and significance I relied on my own visits as Editor-writer in the Service (GNS). During that period, I really got to know – see, feel, smell, embrace – heartland Guyana. Subsequently, my Regional Information Officers briefed me on places I never got to explore.
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OH BEAUTIFUL,
COSTLY GUYANA…
But you know what? This urge, this frustration, to know Guyana started in the near-poverty, but beautiful mischievous urban childhood of many of us the “city youths.”
Our National Songs and poems were compulsory reading and singing (!?) Our poets and lyricists of old were pure, gifted artistic weavers of picturesque words:
Dear Land of Guyana, of rivers and plains
Made rich by the sunshine and lush by the rains”
“Pakaraima’s peaks of power
Corentyne’s lush sands”
And A.J. Seymour’s “Name Poem” and his captivating, descriptive verse about our flora and fauna all made young Guyanese of my time wonder about, and wanting to see this land of our birth, Guyana.
Oh but yes; even in those days it was too prohibitive for poor working-class people to venture to see Kaieteur’s splendor or the majestic mountains of the Pakaraimas and the Kanuku.
The coasts were relatively accessible and affordable but not Mabaruma or Kwebanna. The brave-hearts, with time on their hands, would use the steamers, but not in any numbers.
Much, in terms of cost, has not changed today. How many coastal non-hikers can afford the air-fares to Guyana’s faraway places of natural beauty? In today’s economy most members of this generation who don’t live in our exotic, tropical forest locations could never afford to go and experience them. Except our people make special innovative efforts. Like saving from January to July, special funds for interior travel; then engaging tour operators to plan funds-friendly packages for local tourists.
We need to do more of such activities: Senior students, Bible Class students, University Classes, Government Ministry staff-members and Private Sector vacationers – All can plan for 20 to 50 to go on group tours. They can be arranged but too many of us just don’t have the spirit for that sort of thing (locally). But just let us know that US or Bermuda visas are available…
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THE BANDITS
KNOW GUYANA
But do you know another reason which made me attend to this subject? An oblique, strange reason? It has to do with the murderous bandits’ ability to use our hinterland forests and jungles to move about their lethal business. And to escape from law enforcement “services” who don’t know the nook-and-cranny terrain as well as the bandits.
After the Bartica slaughter, the murderers escaped through obviously pre-planned getaway trails. Names like Sherima, Rockstone, Block 22 and Mabura come to mind. Then, remember the Rose Hall “wet money” bank robbery? Many bandits were caught in the swamps and forests aback of the more frontal Corentyne coastlands. Their Berbician accomplices must have guided them through the backlands of Ankerville, Haswell, Tain, Black Bush, Joppa, the eastern-most Creeks. Do you know those areas? I don’t.
Coastal Sugar Cane workers might tell you how easy it is to get from Victoria, Ann’s Grove and Buxton, to Agricola and Mocha or Timehri! Not using any roads!
Now I read of the Aroaima Trail, Christmas Falls and Goat Farm. I know of and visited Kwakwani, Ebini, Kimbia and Aroaima. But the Massacre Bandit Gangs know their country much more than I do! I suspect that, with their gold and cash, they have experienced current or former military types who know the hinterland and advise and provide for them. So I trust that our honest good-guys officers are tapping into Bartica’s riverain, forestry workers’ knowledge of that portion of Guyana and also certain Berbicians’ knowledge of the rivers and back-lands of those Regions.
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FORMER
SOLDIER-BANDITS…
No doubt the Army can get me a list of former policemen who turned naughty and murderous when they left the GPF. With all its training.
But recall these former soldiers who turned really bad after their years in our Army. On their own, with the GDF training and/or with collaborative assistance, they wreaked national, criminal havoc. Remember Eye-Lash (Subner), Jungle Commando (Benn), Soldier (Smith), Beast (Craig) Connelly, Blackie (London), Brooks and Andrew Douglas? Whatever happened to “plans” to shepherd (or monitor) “old soldiers”? But especially the not-so-old ones? We reap what we sow or don’t sow!
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CONSIDER …
* Who dunnnit? Gaumattie Singh’s Acid Attack, Middleton Street Murder, Maxie Perreira, Mr Kalamadeen’s Head, etal. Who did these things? And why?
* Wonder what the Killer Gang did with all their booty? I know that the Police did not find lots at Christmas Falls. Probably spent on rations and intelligence by the gangs?
* Coming Next Week: Insure-An-Bun!
’Til next week!
Comments?
allanfenty@yahoo.com
