Versailles: a settlement abuzz with joyous people

Oct 27, 2019 News

---

By Alex Wayne

I felt really at ease in this village since it had a quiet peace to it, coupled with the peaceful calm that seemed to engulf it entirely. Here and there residents basked in the shade of jamoon and genip trees, while in some areas villagers longed in comfort outside food stall enjoying, fruit juices, the traditional home brewed mauby, or having mid-morning Creole snacks.

I was in the village of Versailles, West Bank Demerara , one of the French-named places in Guyana, which is bounded by the villages of Malgre Tout and Goed Fortuin, and is situated about one mile north of the Demerara Harbour Bridge.
Versailles is an estate and is located in Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Guyana with an estimated terrain elevation which is said to be one metre above sea level.
This was certainly where I wanted to be…In a village filled with mirth and laughter, where a certain refreshing joy seemed to emit from the conversations and interaction of residents. Everyone I spoke to had a smile and many beamed in delight during conversations…
It was as if the cares of the world brought no burden to the inhabitants and if they did, they certainly knew how to throw it and present happy and contented demeanours.
Versailles is also said to have had a quite large soap factory, and a massive guava grove that disappeared as years went by.
This village is predominantly inhabited residents of African descent, but the strong bond of filial love,

harmony and camaraderie existing between them and the small number of East Indians (and other races) is palpable.
In the early 1990s, what is now the beautiful Roraima Housing Scheme in Versailles actually used to be the location of the Versailles Sugar Estate.
That estate fell into disuse several years ago, and was replaced, in 1995, by an extensive soap factory that supplied the laundry needs of a wide expanse of Guyana. But, in 1996, this soap factory also ceased operating, and the area was then taken over by the now CEO of the Aracari Resort, Sase Shewnarain, who was in control and had responsibility for overseeing the entire location.
At that time, this area was a very large guava grove with thick, wild vegetation, and was not really traversed by anyone.
Shewnarain seemingly invested heavily in this very undeveloped land; and, over time, the formation of land plots could be seen, as well as the bustle of certified individuals measuring and conducting land

surveys at his bidding.
In the late 1990s, the still very bushy area was taken over by established land owners and a community was in the making.
By the early 2000s, the Roraima Housing Scheme began to take form, and indeed became quite a very picturesque location.
As historic facts suggest Versailles Village in Guyana was named (French pronunciation: [vɛʁsɑj] after city in the Yvelines département in the Île-de-France region, renowned worldwide for the Château de Versailles and the gardens of Versailles, designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Located in the western suburbs of the French capital, 17.1 km (10.6 mi) from the centre of Paris, Versailles is in the 21st century a wealthy suburb of Paris with a service-based economy and a major tourist destination as well.

According to the 2008 census, the population of the city was 88,641 inhabitants, down from a peak of 94,145 in 1975.
A new town founded at the will of King Louis XIV, Versailles was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789, before becoming the cradle of the French Revolution. After having lost its status of royal city, it became the préfecture (regional capital) of the Seine-et-Oise département in 1790, then of Yvelines in 1968. It is also a Roman Catholic diocese.
Versailles is historically known for numerous treaties such as the Treaty of Paris, which ended the American Revolution, and the Treaty of Versailles, after World War I. Today, the Congress of France – the name given to the body created when houses of the French Parliament, the National Assembly and the Senate, meet – gathers in the Château de Versailles to vote on revisions to the Constitution.
Soaking up the Harmony
My first stop was in the vicinity of the small jetty used by fishermen who plied their trade in the village.

It was quite a bemusing spectacle as the fishermen sat around at nearby food stall wolfing down egg balls, channa, black pudding and of course roti and curried chicken or beef.
I almost laughed out loud at the slurping sounds they made as they took large mouthfuls of food items, still attempting to fill their mouths more with large gulps of cherry juice, or golden apple drink.
I rolled my eyes heavenward as they took their fingers and wiped up gravy from plate before sucking it off with annoying sounds.
Some of them chased after each other like fun filled children and I just marveled at this spectacle.
I introduced myself and one of the men moved over to make seating room for me on a bench provided. One of them mouthed, “Yuh gon drink something boss man?” and I accepted a cherry juice, readily.
Joseph Hinds, a fisherman, readily plunged into the tale of arson committed at the jetty, and how it affected their trade.
“Boy, we just have to make we self merry. If we tek on anything, we ain’t gon enjoy this life at all. Imagine the other day, we hardwukking fishermen was home sleeping and a stupid junkie bun down this whole jetty. You know how much things we lose?
“Really…really expensive equipment we lose and we can’t get back anything because de police say the junkie is a madman. Now who gon give we back what we lost? Then people had to spend lots of money to repair back de structure because we got to work fuh eat and mind we family… I hope the Government or somebody will look into we situation.”
Desmond Duke spoke of the livelihood of villagers and how they implemented measures to deal with what is lacking in the village.
“This is a very peaceful village and we certainly do enjoy it too. In this village, you will find simple, peaceful and quite happy people. We ain’t get dem fancy thing you would find in the city but we learn to make do…
“We do not wait on nobody to fix anything because they always take ages to arrive or they never come at all. Here we fix our bridges, build our dams, weed our parapets and dig our drains. People here have always adopted the self-help mode and it has been always working for us.
“Many villagers here are fishermen, but we do have few farmers and shop keepers. A few work at the lone sawmill in the village, while others are engaged in various jobs outside the village.
“Here, we would hardly contract outside persons to do cement work and building duties. There are quite a few masons and carpenters in the village, so if you come around often, you would observe that, most times, we engage in… well, let’s say, self-help exercises.”
From conversations and interviews with villagers, we learned that Versailles has always been a purely residential community; and that all residents had to do was take a two-mile trip to Vreed-en-Hoop to be able to fill their baskets and closets with purchases from the many dry goods stores and fashion outlets located there.
Theodore Phillips spoke of the unity and strong bond amongst villagers, and from all accounts, he was relishing in that tale.
“This village operates like one big, happy family. We eat together, wake up together, dwell together and do practically everything together. The love and harmony is quite evident in the manner in which the different races operate.
“Here we accept and embrace differences in culture and beliefs, and in some case practice them too. The love for a neighbour and friend is more evident when we host the annual Mayfair in the small ball field close to the jetty.
“Everyone come out in their numbers, to ‘dine and wine’, and even get drunk together. If a man too drunk to get home, someone will definitely help him. If a woman has nothing to cook, she can go to the door of any neighbour and would surely get help.
“ And if you touch a villager wrongfully, prepare for a big fight because residents will come out in their numbers to represent…”
Priscilla Benjamin (housewife) spoke about the lack of entertainment avenues in the village and how they have adapted.
“We don’t have discos or any nightspots here. This is a very small village, with not much space for massive structures. But we are certainly not missing out on anything since we have several bars in the nearby Goed Fortuin.
“In our village, however, is the Aracari Resort which has quite a family oriented atmosphere. There we can take our picnic baskets and such likes and have a good time in the pool on weekends. They also host several concept parties there as well, so the youngsters will gather there from time to time.
Also not so long ago, another resort called Tropical Paradise Resort has opened at Bagotville and it’s quite nice as well. So now, villagers have choices of where they want to spend the weekends. We are not missing out on anything at all in Versailles.”
Folks at the R. Sukram Lumber Yard refused to talk to the media, and employees at the Aracari Resort did not want to comment as well, running away from the cameras.
The Aracari Resort seemed to be the main entertainment hub in the village, an impressive facility that was established in June 2008…Scattered across a vast 150,000 square feet of historic Dutch plantation land, the resort has 51 units of various types and sizes, which cater to vacationers, professionals, and budget conscious travelers.
I must have noticed about two churches in the village, but the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses seemed to be the facility that is well attended by villagers. Residents explained, however, that several other Christian churches of other denominations exist in nearby villages, as well as mosques and temples for Muslims and Hindus.
The village has its own health centre, but it offers services to persons residing outside of the location. The Versailles Nursery School is the only school in Versailles. Older students attend primary and secondary schools located outside the village, and the top scholars of the area have secured placement in some of the more prestigious schools in the city.
Come mingle with the fishermen and enjoy their joyful banter, or come meddle with the housewives and learn their impressive culinary talents. Come enjoy the clean Atlantic Breeze as you snooze beneath a cascading tamarind tree.
Whatever you do, do not rob yourself of the delights of this quiet and peaceful little village.

 

---

---