Mashabo’s Big Day
14 Guyana Chronicle New York Edition Week-ending August 26, 2016
By Alva Solomon THE village seemed excited about the prospects of visitors travelling there and residents of Mashabo , a small Amerindian community on the banks of the Ituribisi Conservancy on the Essequibo Coast,usually welcome anyone who is willing to walk around their sprawling village lands. It was Sunday,and word spread that a cricket team from the community of Wakapoa in the Pomeroon was visiting Mashabo to engage the village in a Twenty20 cricket match. On arrival at the Essequibo Coast community of Huis t”Dieren, a car driven by “Jango,”Mashabo’s most loyal taxi driver, was awaiting persons who were travelling into the lakeside village that Sunday. The cricket match was the talk of the 10-minute ride into the long stretch of road to the conservancy; the ride was smooth since the road was upgraded several weeks earlier,Jango noted. Once at the eastern end of the conservancy, boats awaited visitors. The chirping of birds and the cool atmosphere under the boat house - with its troolie-palm roof - provided prospects of a bright day ahead. “The team from Wakapoa coming just now,” the boatman noted. Of course, there were several chuckles form those around , including the boatman himself , since “just
The lake is littered with Ite palm trees. now” in those parts of the country can mean an hour, or two or four. Sure enough, it was not until two hours later that the cricketers from the Pomeroon drove up in their cars and a minibus. After loading the boat with their cricket gears, food and fans, the destination was now fixed in the direction of Mashabo which lay in the distance ahead, beyond the Ite-palm trees which lined the water. The conservancy is also known as the
“hot and cold” lake and according to the elders at Mashabo , the waterways of the lake were expanded decades ago to form what is now the conservancy . But many refer to the water-holding area as a lake. As the small, 15-HP engine chugged along the water, the cricketers from the
church was in session a few steps away from the bridge. It was just a congregation of four that day; everyone was probably at the cricket match. The tour was now focused on the edges of the village and this entailed crossing the bridge, back to center of the village and a long walk in a northerly direction which led to the crossing of another bridge, the second of four bridges, which lay almost synonymously with the four cardinal points on the edges of the village. The trek led to the Hosana Housing Scheme, a community which was built for the village via assistance from Food for the Poor. Treks along the white sand seemed onerous but worth the steps and some 20 minutes later , the tour now stretched down to the cool waters of the lake via sloping sandy trails. The views here are breathtaking, almost giving
Levi Williams, a former Toshao of the community gave a brief historical background of the village. Pomeroon kept the mood alive. The light banter included the results of the Caribbean Premier League Finals later that evening between Guyana’s Amazon Warriors and the Jamaica Tallawahs, whether there is internet service at Mashabo, and the diverse ethnicities of those in the boat. Some 15 to 20 minutes later,Mashabo’s popular 650-feet bridge appeared in the distance and ladies in bright orange shirts stood at the edges of the “landing” where passengers usually disembark. Once the boat came to a halt, the cricketers emerged and the ladies and men from the peaceful community greeted each visitor with firm handshakes, a sign of the rich hospitality of the people. On climbing the sloping the landscape to the cricket ground,Toshao Sylvian Raphael and other villageleaders and other residents greeted and chatted with visitors. Toshao Raphael welcomed this publication and noted that the village was free for a tour. After walking around the cricket ground and interacting with the residents who were out in large numbers, a tour of the villagecommenced. But the cricket match seemed the most popular event in the village that day, hence most homes appeared empty and then the realization came - it was Mashabo’s big day. Cricket is very popular here and ranks alongside the village’s annual heritage celebrations in September, which usually attract hundreds of persons from the Essequibo Coast and as far as the capital city. A stroll across the iconic bridge, said to be the longest of its type in the country, led to another section of the village known as Wadadoori, a lesser populated section of the village where ToshaoRapheal resides. The sun was now baking the landscape and
A lad on his way to the cricket ground from his home at the Hosana Housing Scheme, a small community adjoining Mashabo. the Caribbean-island, sandy-beach effect. After enjoying the coolness of the waters,the moments of the tour were coming to an end. A few stops were made along the way through the Hosana Housing Scheme , including at a shop where a villager noted that the village is almost crime free, that
persons abide by the rules which govern Amerindian communities and that a cricket pitch was erected close to her home to further occupy the free time of the youth in the area. Another stop was made at the home of a farmer known as “Stanley” who willingly picked several coconuts for the visitor. After chatting with Stanley about his cassava plants, the walk led back to the cricket ground where the match was about to climax with Mashabo’s cricketers in control of the game . In the meantime,former Toashao Levi Williams stepped across and spoke to this publication about the history of the village. He said it was established around 1969 when the land commission recognized the area as a village. Most persons moved to the area from communities in the Pomeroon area. Born and raise atMashabo , Williams said the primary economic activity there was logging and the village’s wallaba species of trees were in demand in those days by the power company for use as electrical poles. “At the time, it only had about 91 persons here, but today we have 500 and it’s a peaceful set of people,” he said. He said that criminal activities are rare, but the presence of jaguars and dry weather are the two main issues which affected normal life there. Currently, residents are working on several programme ideas which can better develop the community. These include a tourism model which can market its captivating landscape as well as a pitch to telecommunications giant Digicel to establish a tower there. Mashabo is home to a nursery school as well as a primary school which is headed by MrQuadoVancooten ,a career educator who has lived in the village for many years. Vancooten took this publication once more across the bridge which stretches across the lake to the highest point at Wadadoori , where the views are beyond words. A few cows grazed in the vicinity and as the afternoon drew closer to night, the boatman and the Pomeroon cricketers were heard in the distance as they prepared to leave Mashabo . It was time to leave the peaceful people of Mashabo , a tourism gem with natural features which will surely leave a lasting impression on the mind of visitors . It was the end of Mashabo’s big day.
Mashabo’s female cricket team wears the orange colour, which they noted signifies the sun, rising over the horizon.