Late afternoon by Bourda, the market was closed but the pavement was busy. One can never get accustomed to the odour around the market – like sewage mixed with hopelessness and suffering, enough to make one barf. But it is in that market and its environs that dreams are fulfilled for many hardworking people.
On one section of the pavement men were gathered. It was like a meeting of the forgotten or unworthy. All of them were dirty and reeking, some were half naked and I wondered if they were all homeless or some had a place to creep into at nights.
The darkness was quickly blanketing Regent Street. Stores were closing or closed and men who for sure were homeless were getting their mattresses and cardboards to make their beds on the pavement. I wondered if they prayed before they sleep at nights that heavy rainfall would not flood their dreams. I wondered about the choices they made that resulted in their homelessness. I wondered how one could continue living being homeless with no hope or expectations of what the next day would bring.
As usual when I would observe the city life, a feeling of despair took over me. The whispers on the soft wind were to think happy thoughts and about how fortunate I was that my life was not filled with such suffering. I should accept the reality that some humans will suffer because this is the real life ‘Animal Farm’ – a place of trials and tribulations and a test of strength. Many will live the impoverished life even in an oil rich country with the fastest growing economy in the Caribbean region.
I thought about the conversations I had seen on social media all week. When pictures of the new Italian restaurant and the menu prices were circulated and the price for Wagyu steak shocked many and made even some who are considered middle class feel poor. I thought about the people I saw shaming the ones who were questioning such luxurious places opening in Georgetown, where there are still potholed streets lined with garbage, stagnant gutters, not enough parking for the thousands of vehicles, and homeless men along the pavements.
But many were told that new places like the Italian restaurant are not for the poor but for Guyana’s wealthy, the expats, and the tourists. But I would imagine that many tourists would like an authentic Guyanese experience – like eating local cuisine, such as black pudding, souse, puri and egg ball at a corner shop.
I thought that maybe dining at Italian restaurants and such will do more for the egos of some ‘big shot’ Guyanese like some seen on social media, who believe that money makes them a person and expensive restaurants in the city finally makes Guyana a country.
One would imagine that children of once enslaved or indentured labourers, who know about their ancestors suffering would not be so callous about the suffering of others. Like wholly blaming them for their poverty, even when they are trying their best with the resources they have, or blaming the low wage earners for not being paid living wages. Like the ones using racial slurs and derogatory names like hungry bellies for groups lamenting about the state of a country where the majority cannot afford to eat a $70,000 steak. Some of them do not even see $70,000 a month.
A truly wealthy person would not take time to denigrate and shame the poor. The richest amongst us are often not those with the most money, but those who have found the secret to happiness, who are kind and empathetic, have found the god within them and experience peace even amidst war.
The further I got from one group of the homeless and closer to a Venezuelan hot dog stand I thought about how foreigners are flooding our country. There is hope here for they continue to come so why are many Guyanese feeling hopeless? Are these complainers about cost of living, governance, discrimination, and such, just thorns in their own sides or can they really make their dreams a reality, regardless of how harsh the environment is?
I thought about the World Bank Report that Guyana has one of the highest rates of poverty in the region. The disagreements about whether it was almost half of Guyanese in poverty in 2022 or in 2019 were just like debating whether the price of meat is stable as was seen from some politicians some days ago. For anyone who honestly assesses the current state of our country by listening to the cries of the average Guyanese compared to 2019, one would acknowledge that people are under an immense amount of pressure. The cost of living has skyrocketed thanks to the impacts of COVID and oil in Guyana. What have also increased for many Guyanese are their stress levels and many do not know how to exit the abyss.
Soon it was dark and time to go home. As usual, I looked at my phone. A quick glance at social media and there on the timelines as usual these days were the one- and two-bedroom apartments for US$2,000 and more. I reflected on the homeless men on the pavement and wondered if all Guyanese landlords began catering only for the tourists and the expats, if soon the average Guyanese will not be able to rent or own and how many more will be like birds without nests.
The alienating of the poor from their own country has begun. It is no surprise. Poor Guyanese have always existed but at least this place was still home. But the alienation now is happening much faster than some of us would have imagined. I wondered how soon the effects on mental health on a large section of society would be seen for those who can no longer afford to live in Guyana. I wondered about how their desperation will manifest. I wondered about what measures can be put in place to curb the violence and the criminality that could emerge. Will some of the envious ones, sad ones, lost and desperate ones choose to make life intolerable for the rich? Will ordinary Guyanese who choose to stand against the struggle be ostracized? I thought that maybe all threats will be contained. But how?
The simple truth is that though the gap between the rich and poor exists, it does not have to mean that the groups who cannot afford to be part of affluent Guyana must be ostracized. Our leaders can do right by the people. They can figure out the way where we all can continue to live in our beautiful Guyana without anyone feeling like a stranger in their own land. If the poorest Guyanese would have resources for a decent standard of living, the poor will never be put in a situation where they are desperate enough to want to eat the rich.
