Veteran journalist Francis Quamina Farrier, perhaps because he is closer to the end than most folks, for several days running, highlighted the issue of the disgraceful state of Le Repentir Cemetery on the VCT Evening News. He showed footage which left no one in doubt that Guyana’s premier cemetery has been so neglected that it has become a virtual forest and partial dump site for everything from scrap metal to old household appliances.
Some Muslims have decided to clean up their portion of the cemetery and there has been talk at City Council level about restoring some aesthetic decency to Le Repentir. It is no doubt good that folks are thinking about cleaning up the final resting place of so many.
My concern though has always been more for the living than the dead.
On Saturday night last I visited the Georgetown seawall (the Kingston area) and no one in the group I was in wanted to remain after arriving. The place was filthy. This was quite a contrast to when I had visited this same area some time ago. Then it was not devoid of garbage but it was in a much better state. On Saturday night there were styrofoam boxes, plastic bottles and bags, paper and more strewn everywhere. While it is not the most popular liming night on the seawall quite a few people take advantage of the more relaxed atmosphere to hang out there on Saturday evenings. Last Saturday only a handful of people were there. I suspect that many others had arrived earlier and they too were turned off by the state of the place and retreated.
Not a single one of the lights in the area was working and neither was there any policeman or other security personnel visible. I was appalled, however, more by the garbage than anything else. We left and decided to drive to the seawall area in the vicinity of Sherrif Street to chill out. To our collective horror this area was in a worse state. There were dozens of huge garbage bags filled with what I presume was garbage lying about all along the seawall. However there was still endless litter everywhere. One person in our group remarked that if some authority had collected all the garbage which was already bagged and so much remained about, one would not have liked to see the state of the area prior to the ‘cleaning up’ exercise. We did not even bother to stop.
It reminded me of a few months ago when some friends from a Caribbean island visited Guyana and I took them to the expansive and beautiful Botanical Gardens for an afternoon stroll. While the were impressed with the natural beauty of the garden and its vastness their impressions were not insignificantly tainted by the ubiquitous garbage. There was everything, from KFC boxes to popsicle wrappers clogging the drains and presenting an overall unsightly scene. The few bins available were overflowing and nasty, to look at them was to be repulsed.
As we, as a nation, strive to put food on tables and to build, renovate or spruce up our homes we have developed a culture of neglecting our wider environment and particularly places of recreation.
Not so long ago I went to the National Park and while it was not as revolting as the Botanical Gardens it could have been much cleaner. Our monuments (of which we have too few), gardens, parks and other palces of recreation are not being properly cared for and not properly conducive to relaxation whether for individuals, couples or families.
I know this country has problems of much greater magnitude to attend to. Too many people are not able to eat and dwell in a humane manner. However even as we focus on alleviating these problems we must not remove all focus from maintaining places of recreation. These places serve our community and our people too. We can all gather there for the purposes of relaxation and stress relief in the afternoons, evenings and weekends. Stress relief, after all, is not only achieved via alcohol, loud music and lewdness as so many have become accustomed to. Anyone who has ever spent any period of time relaxing on the Georgetown Seawall when it is in a half decent state can attest to the soothing calm it can bring upon your spirit.
I was particularly heartened to hear Dr. Joey Jagan (following the death of his mother, Janet Jagan) using very harsh words to plead with the government to honour his mother by cleaning up the Georgetown Seawall and installing a plaque in her memory. It needs the attention and care and I hope his words do not fall on deaf ears.
After our Saturday night escape from the Georgetown Seawall, on Sunday afternoon a group of us relatives travelled to Vergenoegen where I spent my entire childhood, teenage years and some of my adult life. As I have taken up rod and reel fishing for some time now we decided to spend a spell on the seawall in that village in the hope of landing a few. I had taken up fishing as a form of relaxation. As I have been finding out ever since – and once again confirmed on Sunday afternoon – fishing is 20% preparation, 78% frustration, 1% relaxation and 1% jubilation. There were, as there always is, many bites but no catches. I am due for my 1% but it may take a while yet.
However, our disappointment at not landing any monster catch was overshadowed by the sorry state of the seawall. I do not recall it to have been ever in a pristine state but it has deteriorated in the past 15 or so years. There is overgrown bush everywhere. Portions of the seawall are being used as garbage dumps by residents. Persons are using other portions to graze cattle, leaving it with a putrid scent.
On the East Bank of Essequibo Vergenoegen remains one of the most progressive but troubled villages. Double Miss Guyana Odessa Phillips, former GDF Chief of Staff Edward Collins, former Chronicle editor-in-chief Sharief Khan and notorious criminals Linden London and Trevor Brooks are all from the village. As it is a progressive village persons – through community coordination, not government reliance – should be able to rescue the seawall from its present deplorable state. It is a most wonderful area from where you can delight in the splendour of breathtaking sunrises which are only surpassed by those unmatchable Essequibo sunsets which have so enchanted no less a person than Dr. Ian McDonald.
Residents of Vergenoegen and nearby villages should have this seawall in a desirable state so that they can enjoy easy afternoon strolls or just spend the evening easing a tiring day away. Too many people throughout Guyana spend their evenings ensconed in their homes as they bury their minds down the television set, shutting out family and neglecting liberating outdoor experiences.
That the seawall areas all across Guyana are in such a shabby state only confirms to me that there is not enough concern at the governmental level in ensuring that these places serve as relaxation spots and that our citizens have been so inculcated that they hardly see benefit in banding together to tidy up any place which is not within the confines of their own yards. It is, truly, a sad and sorry state of affairs.
At the PPP tribute to Janet Jagan a few days after her death her son Joey told the gathering that his mother would not have wanted a statue or an airport named after her as a memorial. Instead, he urged that the government take better care of the seawalls on which she and Cheddi had spent many happy days. According to Joey, these its filled with garbage and “dogs pissing and shitting about the place.”
@bakannal – And that was said at no less a place than Freedom House!