Described by residents as one of the smallest and oldest communities in the region, Supenaam is considered among the busiest ports on the Essequibo River.
The village is located on the left bank of the Essequibo River at the mouth of the Supenaam River. While it is home to fewer than 1000 people, on a daily basis more than twice that number move through it prior to, or after crossing the river.
According to the residents, the area is considered business-oriented because of the dozens of passenger speedboats which operate between Supenaam and Parika on the East Bank of the Essequibo. Some boats also go to other communities along the river, although on a smaller scale, including Buck Hall and Caria Caria, as well as Truli, Wakenaam and Hog Islands.
arrived from Parika on the East Bank of the Essequibo river.
Marlowe Thomas who was born and till lives in Supenaam described the community as quiet and peaceful, noting that most persons there work in the forestry and boat transportation sectors. He said, “It’s busy; everybody here depending on the boat service … it’s fast transportation … and then you have people who vend here while there are the taxi drivers who depend on the boats.”
He said that weekends are usually busier than weekdays, and that on Saturday many travellers pass through the community. At the moment, Thomas operates his own boat to carry him along the Supenaam River to his farmland aback of the village.
Further north along the coastal road which leads from the waterfront, one can find food vendor Beverly Roberts, who sells various meals and snacks to the travelling public. Roberts, who recently restarted her food vending trade after a three-year break, noted that persons from “all walks of life” travel to Supenaam. She said that there are persons going to work, others who sell their produce at Parika, government employees carrying out field exercises on the Essequibo Coast and a number of forestry sector employees and miners on their way to the mining and logging concessions along the Essequibo River.
Little Apple Christen pose with one of her pet kittens
at her grandmother’s home at Supenaam .
An elderly shopkeeper at the Good Hope/Supenaam Market told this newspaper that the community would likely remain one of the busiest ports in the country.
“Here has been busy all my life,” she said, “more than 60 years now and it will be so for another of my lifetime because of its location.” The woman said that she has been living in Supenaam for more than 30 years, although she grew up at the community of Bethany also on the Essequibo Coast. She said that in recent times, many people have moved to the waterside community because of the economic potential of the area.
A resident of Market Road, Jenny Richmond, who has been living in Supenaam for more than 25 years, related that life started off difficult for her. She said that when she moved to Market Road, she was the only resident there at the time, and her farming activities saw her moving to and from the area in order to earn and income.
When she first moved to Supenaam, “they use to call [speedboats] tent boats …one deh name ‘Fling Up,’ one was ‘Bang On’ …one was ‘Try it again’…those were the days.”
She said that all her children went to primary school in Supenaam and though life had been difficult, she ensured that her children had a good education. Today, she continued, life is much better since her children are all working and she is able to live in a little more comfort.
She said, “Hear wah happen; before life use to be cheap, but yo see this man wah come that name VAT [Value added tax], he is a serious man …. first time how we work with speedboat, yo use to pay, leh we see, like $65 000 now we paying $85 000.” She said that she is also among the dozens of persons who operate speedboats there.
as she sews pieces of clothing for a wedding celebration recently.
There is a primary school with a nursery section in Supenaam, but for a secondary education children go to Suddie or Aurora. The Suddie Hospital is not far away, and it serves the health needs of Supenaam residents.
In addition to the boats, there is also a growing number of hire cars which operate out of the port along the coast. Minibuses, though small in number, carry passengers between Supenaam and other areas in the Cinderella County more cheaply than the hire cars.
As for problems in the community, one resident complained about the dumping of garbage near the waterfront, and the fact that refuse collection was not organized on a regular basis.
visited the area.
Food vendor Beverley Roberts
prepares to sell a box of food
to one of her many customers.
boat soon after it arrived from Parika on
the East Bank of the Essequibo river.
defence structure aback the community.
