Phoenix: The village with no residents

Mar 17, 2024 News

By Anasa Williams

Kaieteur News – Over the stomach churning, Abary Bridge, a few miles away from the Weldaad Police Station, headed east out of the busy city life, past the green cattle pastures and lush rice fields, sits a village which has no residents.

Sections of the village.

This rural space called Phoenix, West Coast Berbice, is said to be owned by just one person, Justice Retired Claudette Singh, but it has no permanent residents.

In Guyana’s colonial era, most of the area including surrounding villages like Kingelley and Litchfield West Coast Berbice were all part of an estate which originally produced cotton but as slavery was abolished, civilization crept in.

Most of these villages were developed for housing and in a few cases cash crop farms and cattle rearing. A lot changed for them but apparently not much for Phoenix.

The Waterfalls visited the little village on Tuesday morning. At first glance, it appeared that there was nothing else but coconut trees and overgrown vegetation.

Upon closer inspection at the eastern end of the village was a house and what looked like a caretakers quarters some distance away. Inquiries revealed that the owner would visit on some Saturdays and there is someone who looks after the place during the week, cleaning and allowing fresh air in.

According to residents of nearby Kingelley, there is always a rank of the Guyana Police Force present to keep an eye on the place, since during the last general elections; there were concerns of threats of arson.

Since it was a week day and the morning hours, it was very quiet as most people from the surrounding areas were either at work or at school. A walk through of the village proved interesting. There were near rows of towering coconut trees and you could hear the chirping of birds. There was the occasional goat and cow skittering across the public road trying to avoid being hit by traversing vehicles.

Even though much hasn’t changed, this publication wanted to have a walk down memory lane on what the place was like 100 years ago. The village was formerly a plantation and around the year 1818 it was owned by one Alexander Tulloh.

Some research revealed that at the time, he owned the plantation there was 194 enslaved people, according to the records of the Center for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery.

A shy resident of the nearby village informed this magazine that the area is normally a quiet place. “We don’t get robberies and them things so. Everybody does live like a family. Nobody doesn’t live over there (Phoenix) but ah police does always be guarding since they had the whole problem elections time couple years back.”

She added that you could walk through the village of Phoenix anytime and not be troubled since no one resides there but the only issue is that after the six o’clock hour the place gets really dark due to a lack of adequate lighting. While she couldn’t comment much on the history of the place she did say her grandparents told her that the area was once a cotton plantation before the coconut estate was established.

The next time you want to get out of the busy city life and enjoy some fresh country air. Head on up to Berbice and have a look at Phoenix. See you next week folks!!!

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Berbice, coconut, permanent, Plantation, Residents

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