De Willem Village: a quiet hub, with thriving economic potentials

Sep 29, 2019 News

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By Alex Wayne

I never realised that the very small village of De Willem was more like a very busy commercial haven until I visited the location on Friday. I was blown away by the striking fusion of very attractive houses, sophisticated commercial buildings, well kept roads, and impressive drainage and irrigation system.
Located on the West Coast of Demerara, De Willem Village is a very diverse location from which many cultures unfurl in a brilliant and arresting showcase. Bordered on the north by the Atlantic Ocean, the village is flanked on the east by Zeeburg and on the west by Meten-Meer-Zorg.
Status obtained from the National Democratic Council office there suggests that the village is presently inhabited by 9,960, all residing at De Willem North, De Willem South, and Area ‘G’.
The village is predominantly occupied by people of East Indian descent. The village is said to have derived its name from the Dutch people who owned it many years ago.
My Arrival
I arrived in the village just after midday as the sun was at its height; its suffocating heat seemingly engulfing everything, as if ready to consume all there was in one big scorching inferno. The village seemed somewhat quiet at that time, with the only buzz of activity centered on persons darting in and out of the popular Madina Restaurant from which the aroma of various Creole delicacies circulated in the air.
As I stood there, I marveled at the number of persons arriving at this facility and leaving with bags. I soon learnt that this restaurant is largely sought after by hungry commuters traveling to Parika, Bartica, Supenaam, and other areas in Essequibo.
I sat down with the owner, Halim Khan, who was eager to talk about the operations and the drive to maintain customer satisfaction.
“The business has been around for many years and has grown from a smaller venture to what it is today. My staff has been trained to go to great lengths to ensure we maintain the highest level of customer satisfaction, so they are always pleasant and courteous, and ready to give service of the highest quality.
“Our restaurant, over the years, has become a ‘must stop’ location for villagers, and also residents from other villages close by.
“Word of our service when we first began, spread like wild fire and in no time we had to expand to meet the needs of our ever increasing customers.
“Hungry travellers depend on us to provide for them so it’s hard work but we ensure. We make finger licking breakfast options for early travellers and lunch orders for villagers, and schoolchildren as well. Then is a wild rush to get the dinner options ready, so the staff here is always on the go, as the facility is most times packed with hungry customers.
“We also take orders for catering and normally prepare for weddings, birthdays, graduations and also corporate functions”
Mr. Khan also quelled the notion that De Willem Village is perceived to be a location where racial discrimination is prevalent.

“There is a stigma indeed to this village, but those rumours would have been circulated by folks who are mischievous and have nothing constructive to do with their time. If you check in this village, you will see people of all races living at peace with each other, exchanging and embracing cultures, and living like one big family.
“I think people are taking simple incidents which would have happened in other villages as well and blowing way out of proportion. This village is a peaceful quiet place with very happy people.”
What really amazed me is that although the village is small, one could find almost anything they desired for household uses. There were variety stores, furniture outlets, boutiques, ice-cream parlours and many small sports bars.
In every little nook and cranny of the village was a business place of some sort that offered something that was a necessity in the kitchen or elsewhere. One could get just about anything you need to purchase

in the village, which certainly boasted of its economic potentials.
Just around 15:00 hrs, the village came alive with a burst with activity, as schoolchildren tumbled into the streets with their ceaseless chatter like the happy buzz of bees as they paraded along the road shoulders. Here and there, fussy mothers hurried into vehicles with young students clinging to their skirt tails, while the boisterous guffaws of young men could be heard all around and they seem to emerge from every corner.
Employment
There was a certain aura to this village that really stirred up my insides. Villagers exuded a certain humility that definitely perked my interest. There seemed to be a smile on the face of everyone, even when disagreeing over products and services rendered in a few stores that I visited.
All around, it just appeared as though villagers are more prone to coming up with alternatives to life’s many blunders, rather than succumbing to them.

Many villagers are said to be working in various offices in the city of Georgetown, while a large percentage of villagers are engaged in the fishing industry. That aside, many are vendors, while others operate shops, boutiques, hair salons, or grocery stores. Others are employed as drivers at two seemingly thriving taxi services in the village.
Academic institutions in the village include De Willem nursery, Sarsawat Primary and Zeeburg Secondary Schools. The nursery and primary schools are actually in the village, while the secondary school is a short distance away in Zeeburg Village. There is also a Baha’i centre, a Hindu temple, a mosque and three churches in the community.
De Willem Village of old
This village was not always the striking location it is today, and to tell that tale, was elderly resident Ganga Persaud.
“Me bin ah live hay since a lil bhai, and dis village bin ah nevah look like it ah look today. Dem street was full ah sand and when rain fall, it was a real mess. We used to get flooding because of bad drainage and de village was very underdeveloped.

In dem days dah, me can remembah how we used to run around in de rain and playing in dem muddy puddles. We used to fetch water from a few standpipes only some people was lucky to have, while in most homes, we use trench water sometimes.
In dem days, we didn’t had such fancy buildings like today, and since almost everybody was wukking at dem sugar estates, it was thatched roof small houses we used to live in. Some had mud walls and all dat, and the place was very bushy in many areas.
We use to have a nice time though, catching fish in de back dam, and wukking in dem cane fields. But today things change. Modern times step in and everything just get different…”
Today the village looks modern indeed, but in some areas traces of yesteryear still however remains. In some sections of the village, the scenery of fruit trees and dainty little cottage houses certainly brought back recollections of that familiar ‘country feeling’.
The scenery was so breathtaking that it had me wondering why someone hadn’t discovered the brilliant spectacle that was this very beautiful, almost pristine and quaint village. How I marvelled at the ‘spic and span’ appearance of the apparently white-washed surfaces under the houses, but investigations revealed that to avoid cracking, the earth beneath the houses had actually been daubed with a mixture of cow dung, water, and a special type of mud.
When that mixture dries, it gives the earth such an inviting appearance that one cannot help feeling inclined to lie down and curl up on that surface.

And believe me, readers: when that mixture dries, it has a strangely alluring scent that seemingly infects one’s senses with what I can only describe as ‘a cozy magic’.
I looked longingly at a few trees that seemed to be groaning under their weight of ripened mangoes, while the branches of breadfruit trees were almost sweeping the earth with the weight of the large healthy looking fruits upon them.
I passed a few yards where bare-backed youths frolicked in the sand or were engaged in fiery clashes over who were the winners in the games of marble and hop-scotch that they were playing. The sight of these children having such fun, was certainly taking me way back in time.
Sheep and cattle grazed lazily in open fields, seemingly savouring their afternoon meals with relish, assured that there was much to serve around for a long time to come.
From open spaces between the trees, I caught glimpses of the cattle farmers rounding up their herds that were bellowing their protest at being disturbed from their ‘grassy munching.’
Challenges
Just like any other village, De Willem has its own share of setbacks and Halim Khan was quick to share those.
“Drainage and irrigation are not as bad as in many years gone by. The NDC is really trying their best but residents need to help out as well by properly disposing of their garbage. Each resident should also ensure they clean their immediate surroundings and this will help to make our village even more attractive.
Careless disposal of garbage by some residents has resulted in clogged drains in some area, making the work of the NDC even more difficult.
However our biggest challenge here is with the Guyana a Power and Lich (GPL) who for weeks now have been doing maintenance works whenever they please without warning villagers. Many times the maintenance work is conducted all day which means we are without electricity for long hours. Many businesses have perishable products and have suffered losses as a result.
Farmers have reported considerable losses in the same fashion. That aside, GTT service to the area is very unsatisfactory. We are often without internet for hours as well… Villagers are certainly not satisfied especially since we have to pay for the sloppy service we receive.”
Striking cottage houses, sophisticated transformations, jolly, happy people and great camaraderie all make up a very picturesque De Willem Village.
Next week we set our focus on the community of Anna Regina, in Essequibo.

 

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