Champayne Village- a peaceful little settlement where laughter abounds despite life’s challenges

Apr 21, 2019 News

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By Alex Wayne

The fresh crisp country breeze rushing in through the bus window soon had me dozing. I mused dreamily about the way the greenery on both sides of the road rushed by. But try as I might I could not sleep because of the intense heat that seemed to leave a sort of suffocating humidity in the atmosphere.
Vapours seemed to be rising from the street ahead and dogs were sheltering under trees, panting heavily, their tongues hanging out. They seemed to be wishing desperately for evening to come.
Cattle and horses alike sought refuge under mango and coconut trees, while sheep strained forward, lapping up water from the almost dried up drains by the roadside.
In some areas young girls huddled under umbrellas, as they took home grocery items for their mothers, some of whom were seen sharing the news with neighbours from their house windows.
I was headed to the quaint little village of Champayne located in the fertile backlands of Mahaicony, almost 40 miles away from Georgetown. To access this location one is expected to take a short drop car

from the Calcutta/Burma Road location, and travel about two miles to get to the destination. This village is predominantly occupied by residents of East Indian origin.
I found a kind driver popularly known as ‘Lexman’ who warned that the ride to Champayne was not going to be as comfortable as I would have expected. For the start it was smooth sailing. I was admiring the sandy dunes of the Calcutta Backdam, when the vehicle suddenly landed into a large pothole on the Burma Road.
Scrambling to save my camera I braced myself as the vehicle began to shake quite alarmingly as it landed into one pothole to another. I breathed a sigh of relief when the car rolled into Champayne village, and trust me, this village was quite breathtaking.
Made up of not more than twenty houses, I marveled and felt enthralled at the quaint little country styled houses, with lush green kitchen gardens.

At some homes, families still lounged in hammocks eating fruits or just relaxing. This village certainly has a refreshing yesteryear aura about it. From the adorable little cottage houses, with colourful flower plants in the yards, to spotless ‘bottom houses’ still being daubed with mud and cow dung. Drains and trenches were well maintained and I soon learned that this was all made possible by self-help efforts of the residents.
As I walked through the village with a Calcutta, Mahaicony resident called ‘Baby’ I was just taken back by the warm hospitality extended by the people. All around there were cheerful waves and words of welcome from the people.
I felt just as if we had met before, or as if we were longtime pals; the way they were treating me. The curious at heart politely enquired about my visit after sighting my camera and note pad.
What surprised me was that they readily settled down to talk about the humble existence of villagers,

their livelihood, and simple things.
In some areas of the small village, housewives dusting flour on their skirts paused from frying bush fish to enquire if we were lost or looking for someone in particular.
Since it was noontime, in front of some homes husbands sat eating from the traditional enamel plates, with large glasses of homemade drink or jut water. It appeared as though everyone was eating with their fingers.
Of course this certainly had me wondering, and on enquiring I was told the food usually tastes better when eaten that way, with lots of fresh bird pepper. I just felt at home in this little village…
Champayne is caught somewhere between the great expanses of land that make up the Calcutta Backdam, and vast rice fields that lie at the front and at the back of the village.
It seemed as though this village was an island surround by rice lands which stretched from Calcutta on the north, Burma at South, and even extended to Catherine Village in the East.

A little history on the village

There was actually one resident who could shed some light on the history of the village, He was 77-year-old Jagdeo Persaud a/ka ‘Uncle Sonny’. He has been living in the village for over fifty years.
“I lived in this village almost all my life and what you see today, is nothing compared to what it was in the good old days. When I was a young boy this village was just a scatter of about eight very small houses.
“A few of them were very small huts built from mud and covered with zinc, others were houses but they were very small. Everyone used to plant gardens and a few of them attempted to farm.
“The soil here was very rich and fertile; it was the perfect soil for vegetables and rice farming. Villagers dug drains to avoid flooding and as the years went by more people, lured by the soil, came to live.
“Soon there were many rice fields here. In time the village developed and more people came to live here, many of them rice farmers. Champayne became the village where lots of vegetables rice was produced.

At one time we had serious drainage problems for many years, and lost a lot when our crops were flooded out. But we are thankful that the drainage is better today. We have a good drainage canal, and the trenches in the backlands have been cleared so all is well with us.
“We don’t have shops or nightclubs in here; we travel to Mahaicony and other areas for groceries and house supplies. And we are not party people, so we ain’t missing out on anything.
:We are content to remain in our homes and watch television or listen to music, or just lie in the shade under the trees when we have completed our work for the day.”
Uncle Sonny said that what is now the quaint little village used to be sprawling pastures, dense bush and stubborn foliage in times past.
Like many other countryside villages, he said, Champagne was discovered by curious farmers who found out that the land was rich for farming. They began to target the land, firstly for small-scale rice cultivation, which eventually evolved into the very extensive rice fields that are now present.
He said that persons soon began purchasing plots of land in the area, and gradually the village evolved into what it is today.
He said that, as far as he knows, the village was named by one of the very early settlers who had many plots of land there and felt that his surname was most suited for the intended village.
As some villagers stated, the small settlement may come alive occasionally if there is a wedding, and this will normally see several days of pulsating music, dancing, and ‘brown rum non-stop’ for revelers.
The scenery of this village was very breath-taking and it had me wondering if outsiders actually knew that this pristine and so very adorable location really existed.
This village would certainly be a treat for the nature-minded and those that deserve tranquility. Its lush pastures and great expanses of land allowed for cool afternoon treks to admire the beauties of Mother Nature, while its natural trenches and waterways are ideal for a midday splash or a nice cool off country style, just before the sun begins to fade.
Livelihood affected
In years gone by the farmers of Champayne Village would supply outside villages with fresh vegetables. It was always a welcoming sight to housewives who will wait by the roadside to see the farmers arriving on bicycles, or donkey drawn carts to peddle their healthy looking bora, ochroes, boulangers, peppers, callaloo, and ground provisions.
Eschallot and celery was always a hot number for housewives, and the farmers always ensured they had an unending supply.
But today the cultivation of rice has taken over. Most of the farm lands have been converted into rice fields.
On my visit farmers in unison lamented the effects of the prolonged dry spell. They said that it has put great strain on them to get water to the crops, especially their rice fields.
Rice farmers were very emotional as they explained how the dry season and an invasion of paddy bugs have dashed their hopes of a splendid harvest. Ramphal Persaud was particularly sad since he depends on his rice cultivation to feed his family of seven.
“Bai, me nah know wha happen. Me give up already. This dry spell is wan thing fuh deal wid, but like is moh ole house pon house now because paddy bug ah kill out de rice plants.
“Some ah we try fuh get thing to spray dem wid, but what about de farmers who can’t afford it? Me get seven mouth to feed…Dem pickney gat to guh to school; we got bills to pay and all dat.
“Dem paddy bugs really attack de rice far more worst dis time. If somebody nah help we, we stand fuh lose everything. I just fed up and frustrated… Me ah try wid de li’l kitchen garden, but even dah dry up tuh wid dis weather.”
In years gone by, poultry farming was also a very vibrant factor. There are now just a few families who rear cattle, sheep, and goats. Champayne is no longer the village from which housewives could have filled their baskets with large Creole eggs.
Pleasing to the Eyes
Despite their struggles and setbacks of life the residents still manage to have their laughter reflected in their eyes. School was out when I went there. From the yelping of little puppies chasing after the children, to the peals of girlish laughter from teenagers, the glee and contentment of villagers is vividly showcased.
The sight of young boys lounging and chatting in the shades just adds to the rustic life.
The masculine banter of the farmers in the evening as they discuss possible ways of fighting the dry spell and paddy bugs lend an affirmation that the inhabitants of Champayne are strong. They stand poised to survive despite negatives life may throw at them from time to time.
These people are particularly serious about the presentation of their homes as can be seen from the neat little cottage homes in some areas, cleanliness in their yards and their almost spotless clean bottom house kitchens.
In many homes, the mouth watering aroma of stews still bubbling on kerosene stoves and firesides started a rumbling in my stomach, not to mention, the sight of men devouring with relish, stewed pumpkin or calaloo with either shrimp or chicken, either with rice or roti, bakes and in some case homemade bread.
Man’s best friend (the dog) waited nearby with their heads cocked to the right (tails wagging in anticipation) as they waited for their masters to fling them some tidbit.
There was conversation in some homes where people prepared eschallot for planting, or trimmed and washed vegetables for storage and consumption purposes.
CONSTRAINTS
The issue of unemployment still seems to plague the village. It was discovered that there are still quite a few men in the village who have completed their CXC/GCE Examinations and are still unable to find creditable jobs.
Lamenting this issue as well was 18 year-old Chandreka Persaud who has eight subjects at the CXC level but is still without a job. As a result he is forced to work with his father tending a kitchen garden and working in the rice fields.
“I have five CXC subjects at Grades Two, and three subjects at Grades Three, but since last year I can even find a job. There is no scope for proper employment in this village. It seems as if gaining these subjects is an absolute waste of time. I dream of working in an office, but there are no offices of any sort in this village.
“I have tried at schools outside the village and applied to other places but nothing is happening.
“As a result I have to work here in the rice fields with my father and that is not fair. I want to do something different from what everyone is doing. I want to make a name for myself outside the village.
I admit that the village is not really developing at a fast rate so there are no organisations here in which I can make good use of my skills and knowledge, and it really gets to me sometimes.”
Young girls who have written the CXC Examinations also are at home (maybe waiting to get married) since their parents are sticking to traditions, and will not send them outside the village to seek desired employment.
Some of the farmers still bemoan the fact that they have to transport their paddy after harvesting great distances for milling because a lavish rice mill which would have been established aback the village was reportedly seized by a commercial bank (for reasons they were not clear on), and was never actually completed.
Vagrants have reportedly stolen valuable machinery and equipment from the structure, leaving not much standing but the shell. A large state-of-the-art rice complex would have greatly offset freight costs for rice farmers at harvest time.
CONCLUSION

 

The village of Champayne was more than I expected. I was particularly taken aback with the humility of its people, and how they existed in quiet contentment, despite whatever life throws at them.
If you are nature minded, and love exploring the mysteries of Mother Earth, then you should certainly visit this village. It’s also the perfect site for ‘bird watching’ with the many attractive species found in its open fields and backlands.
Join us next Sunday when we take our Village Focus to the historic village of Victoria, East Coast Demerara.

 

 

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