Port Kaituma is no bed of roses, though, from, a distance, the stories about a profusion of gold-mining there may create the impression that the community is in a good place, so to speak and that the residents are thriving. The truth is that the gold-mining sector has its own discriminatory propensities and good fortune can be a selective experience.
Raphe’s Fresh Breeze Resort
Before gold, it was manganese. In fact, it was manganese that put Port Kaituma on the map. The community sprung up after manganese was discovered at Matthews Ridge, about 40 miles away. Difficulties associated with accessing Matthews Ridge meant a canal had to be cut from the Kaituma River to get travellers to their intended destination.
The earliest wave of Guyanese from the coastland destined for work in the manganese mines meant that Port Kaituma became increasingly popular. After the operations of the manganese company folded the Barama Company moved to the area. Over a period of more than 25 years, Barama served as the main provider of income for the families at Port Kaituma. Farming thrived for a while but the absence of markets undermined the possibility of sustainability. Perhaps inevitably, residents of the community began to heads for the goldfields.