By Frances Abraham with
photos by Chevy Devonish
Priding themselves on living in one of the cleanest districts in Guyana, the residents of Mahaica say nothing comes without a struggle, and the comfortable life they are privileged to have now is the result of years of hard work and dedication.
As you explore Mahaica Village, located 23 miles from Georgetown, you find that in every home, persons have found forms of self employment, and in some cases, very convenient and interesting ways of life.
“This is not like the town life. Everybody make their own living here because they don’t have no other choice… Yuh would find people selling things they make, nuff people got lil, lil shops all over, the men work bus and taxi and things like that,” Sister Audrey, one of the village’s most popular women told Sunday Stabroek.
She said this is owing to the lack of job opportunities and persons have formed the habit of taking up the family business or starting a trade of their own. The older generation, Sister Audrey continued, is does not mind this but they long for more for their children and grandchildren.
“The young men and women need jobs because when they graduate from school with their certificate there is nothing much to do with it here. Some people does get job in town and travel there every day, but that’s just a small set because that’s hard to do,” she explained.
The children in Mahaica have no difficulties accessing school facilities, as there are several nursery, primary and secondary schools including the Helena Primary School, Supply Primary School, Jonestown primary School and Bygeval Secondary School scattered throughout Mahaica.
Sister Audrey said that the youths deserve to be afforded job opportunities because unlike the reports that come out of other communities, the young people of Mahaica are disciplined and hardworking: “We don’t have no idlers really around here. The children don’t pick trouble and thief and them things. They go to school and get their education, but the problem is after all the years of schooling, what they doing with it?” She added that the good qualities which they have are believed to be the effect of a close-knit and traditional environment.
Thee is a population of almost 5,000 people of various ethnicities, although the majority are of Indian and African origin, with a few Chinese and Portuguese. “Everybody here, no matter the race, is live good. The African people is celebrate the Indian holidays and the Indian people is celebrate the African holidays. We all live like family,” Sister Audrey said.
Mahaica is home to about 15 Christian churches, with a few Temples and Masjids.
Health facilities, however, appear to be limited in the area although villagers did not say this. With only the Mahaica Health Centre available, residents use the opportunity of the doctor’s single weekly visit on Tuesdays to be treated for more serious ailments, although they go at other times in the week for minor check-ups, etc. In cases of emergencies, they travel to the nearest hospital, which is at Mahaicony.
Collette Doris, a vendor in the market area, said that persons in Mahaica do not get sick easily, which she attributed to the diet of vegetables and fruits. “Here people don’t eat junk food from KFC and Popeyes and all these places. At the shops here you get a nice eggball, or bread or pastry, something solid to keep you up… people live long and don’t get sick really in the countryside. It‘s what they eat,” she said.
In these areas too, she continued, youths and adults alike maintain an active lifestyle, and for leisure, enjoy swimming or a good old game of cricket or football. Some persons enjoy horseracing as well, she said, explaining that families would travel to Supply for these events.
She explained that while the men and some of the younger folks like the nightlife and having a few drinks to relieve stress during the weekends, there are not many places that offer entertainment in Mahaica. Most people, she went on, would most likely sit at a small shop and enjoy the company of their friends rather than go dancing and such. “Only when they got wedding or so, yuh does go and get to dance but other than that, this area don’t have no sort of lime and big hangout spots,” Doris said.
The resident said that while she has seen much development over the years living in Mahaica, there is always room for more, but for the time being, she is satisfied especially since a new market is currently under construction.
“Last year they start to build the market but it ain‘t finish as yet. Maybe next year it will finish, but we are happy that they are looking into these thing. We understand that it can’t happen overnight, but there has been work on our roads and schools and so… everybody is happy with the way the place is. People in Mahaica are happy,” the woman said with a smile as she sat behind her small stand.
A Mahaica resident working in her garden
