Cane Grove Village : A community of agricultural possibilities

Jul 14, 2019 News

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By Alex Wayne

There I was at the Mahaica/Georgetown Minibus Park trying my best to decide which bus I was going to enter for my trek to Cane Grove Village, in Mahaica, East Coast Demerara.

I was certainly not going to be caught in the melee of conductor and driver cuss outs, neither was I going to be dragged like a rag doll to any minibus by no foul smelling and very sweaty tout bent on making a fast and mean dollar.
So there I was, chest heaving daring anyone to touch me, in as much as I was in a hurry to get to my destination.
Cane Grove is an agricultural community in the Demerara-Mahaica Region of Guyana, standing at sea-level on the coastal plain, along the Mahaica River, about eight kilometres upstream of its mouth.
John Carter, Guyana’s first ambassador to the United States and a key figure in the pre-independence turmoil of what was, before 1966, British Guiana was born in Cane Grove.
The diaspora of Cane Grove hold an annual reunion in New York City where proceeds go toward funding various charity projects that help the current residents of the village.
Cane Grove is actually a very large settlement made up of smaller locations, including Strathavon, Hopeland, Virginia, Coconut Dam, Manager Drive, Sawai, Waterside Dam, Cane Grove Estate, Back Street, and a few other locations.
The Journey
Quite soon I was on my way using a handy ear plug I always walk with for such occasions to blot out the deafening music and loud conversations of those on the minibus. It was always such a relish to throw back and inhale the fresh countryside breeze, that in no time the music and loud talking became of no bother to me at all.
As we wound in and out of twists and turns in the country roads, I could not help but marvel at the lush greenery in wide open pastures and the sight of animals grazing lazily in open fields of green grass or shrubs.
In the nick of time we were rolling in to the Mahaica Market Square, and the scenario there, mirrored that of the Georgetown Bus Park where touts were noisily trying to solicit passengers for hire cars and minibuses but with some semblance of order compared to the city.
An overweight car driver approached me, and enquired quite nicely where I was heading. Thereafter he was all pleasant and smiling, informing about the makings of several villages in the area as the car bumped and chugged its way along the main access that led into the village of Cane Grove.
He even offered, for a discount price, to take me around the village and I was thankful for that, especially since it meant that it was less walking around the village to solicit my source personnel.
My arrival
I was somewhat enthralled of the fact that Cane Grove Village still bore some semblance of its yester-year infrastructure, from its many cottages, still many sandy streets, and structures that took me back to many years ago, when many regarded large structures as a sign of wealth, even if they were not sporting the glitz and glamour that is associated with some structures of today.
The village has a certain arresting beauty that is presented quite nicely with a fusion of twisting roads, sprawling green pastures, adorable natural waterways, and green expanses of farming lands.
Upon entering the village one is greeted by the enticing evidence of its great agricultural patients by persons walking or riding around, intent on trading their homegrown vegetables, ground provision, or fruits which always seem to be in abundance.
Truck sped up and down the main road laden with bags of paddy extracted from the many rice fields that surround the village. Men were seen pushing carts as they traded ice-cold water coconuts, while many were observed toiling in their gardens.
History of the Village
As dictated in the Daily Argosy dated Thursday, March 7, 1946, Cane Grove was, in years gone by, a very vibrant plantation until it was closed just around that era.
Following a copy of a largely signed petition forwarded to the local directors and those in London of Messrs. Booker Bros., McConnell & Co., Ltd, the plantation was officially closed on February 20, 1946.
This closure, of course, caused a dire effect on persons who were employed there and depended on it for a livelihood. About 12,000 people were solely dependent on the estate for a livelihood.
Three thousand of them resided on Plantation Cane Grove and in Virginia Village, while the remainder was drawn from Villages as far as Buxton to the west and Mahaicony to the east. There were also workers on the plantation that came as indentured labourers, descendants of slaves.
The other sugar estates were not able to absorb all the employees who were thrown out of employment by the closing of Plantation Cane Grove.
After the 1934 floods, the estate was in a terrible physical and financial state; but after it had been reconditioned, the yield was doubled, the peak year being 1939. After its reconditioning, the businessmen of the district increased their investments, and by the closing of the estate, those men as a result suffered considerable losses.
The entire village of Cane Grove was said to be drained by the estate, and after its closure it was almost impossible for villagers to carry on their customary peasant farming successfully.
Basking in the harmony amongst residents
The village seemed to have no room for ethnic division, as could be seen in the stirring camaraderie amongst the villagers. The all stuck together like a huge honeycomb, echoes their love for each other, in peals of mirthful laughter, happy conversation, and in some cases trading and sharing cultures through appreciative gestures to mode of dress, conduct and demeanour.
In the schools the picture of students frolicking as one big happy family would cause you to reflect much on Guyana’s motto, “One People, One Nation, One Destiny’. One scene that particularly stole my heart was a young girl taking that extra time to ensure an elderly cross the very busy public road in safety.
I was well stirred up by this, taking into consideration that youth these days have lost their morals and values and do not see such gestures as being of importance.
Cane Grove in Times gone by
Today Cane Grove is a very arresting village, caught up in the transcending pinnacle of modernization. There are still many sites and structures left to remind of its old world aura, and to take me down memory lane, with a vivid tale on the village was 73-year-old Mohini Singh, who had lived there almost all her life.

“When I was a young gyal Cane Grove was made up of only logies (small houses consisting of mud walls and thatched roofs). Dem road nah bin cover wid brick or stone, and it was terrible when de rain fall.
“During rainy season more than half ah de village used to flood, because de drainage system was very bad. De place bin swampy and we used to see big alligators and even fat, fat snake crawling bout de place.”
Commenting on the issue of agriculture, Mrs. Singh said that Cane Grove Village was always a location popular for its agricultural potential.
“Dis place was always about agriculture and the best bora, pumpkin and all kind ah ground provision use to come out ah here. Dem farmers use to even tek dem produce and sell it till ah de Mahaica and Mahaicony Market, sometimes, cheap, cheap, cheap…
“We really didn’t get shops like how you ah see today, suh we had to ride pon bicycle to get groceries at Mahaica. If yuh nah get bicycle we would use de donkey or horse cart which we does still use today to some extent.
Dem rice farmers use to use dem tractors and a few ah dem had trucks to fetch dem paddy from de rice field to dem rice mill outside de village. And plenty people used to mind fowl and duck, and some ah dem still enage in dat today…”
Cane Grove today
Today Cane Grove has better roads in some areas and the canals are not so bad as in years gone by. But in some sections of the village, there was need for much cleaning and digging of what was intended to be drainage trenches and small canals.
Cane Grove has a NDC Office, Post Office, and a police station, and there are quite a few locations that offer a steady stream of entertainment avenues for villagers. What seemed to be in abundance however rumshops in almost every nook and cranny of the village. And the farmers could be seen in many of them chatting and drinking their troubles away.
Villagers complained that there is great need for proper maintenance of other dams leading into the backlands, since they become ‘very messy’ during the rainy season. There are also some backlands areas without electricity according to villagers.
Security
Some residents say the village is said to be safe in almost every area, but some on the other hand noted that known criminals would rob villagers in remote areas.
Selena Sami, a housewife, reflected on an incident she claimed happened in 2017 where a man was killed by someone referred to as the village bully.
“Dis man was a very terrible man and used to beat up everybody for no reason at all…He bin chop up Harrinarine Ramnawaj, called “Khrishna”. The man’s father, Chandrapaul Ramnawaj, was also injured when de big brawl happened.
“Dem people catch the bully stealing plantains pon dem farm and after recognizing he, dem report the matter to de police. When dem later confront the thief he attack Harrinarine and he father and chop dem up.
“Dem rush dem ah de hospital, but Harrinarine died because wan ah he main vein get chop. He also chop off two ah de dead man nephew finger.”
“People use tuh thief cow real bad and some ah dem still ah do dat. This year a cattle farmer lost ah whole set ah cows. He used to normally left dem cow overnight in the back dam and one morning he return and only find ah single cow calf.
He find the blood where dem kill and skin de animals before carrying away de meat. All dem lef pon de ground was dem cow head and guts all ovah de place. People nah completely safe in dis place mista.”
The village also still buzzes with the news of a man who some time ago had set himself ablaze and then jumped through a window. While he was rushed to the hospital, he soon after succumbed to his injuries according to the villagers. It is said he died during an attempted life saving surgery.
Employment
While most villagers are gainfully employed in agricultural exploits, others are employed in various capacities in schools and administrative offices outside of the village. Farmers still continue to sell their produce to large scale buyers from the city and others areas. Rice farming in the village also offers seasonal employment for many.
Every village has its ups and downs. Cane Grove is no exception. Join us next Sunday when we take our cameras and pens to hills and valleys of Timehri.

 

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