Trip To The Upper Mazaruni
on Derek and Trudy (Guyana), 15/Jun/2009 12:51, 34 days ago
A long time has passed since I updated this blog....No internet at home now because Inti the provider was 'stealing' the satellite signal apparently/alledgedly without paying his dues and my work load has been stepping up so it has been more difficult to update the blog.For 2 weeks at the end of May and beginning of June we were in the Upper Mazaruni region, an Amerindian area populated by the Aracu close to the Venezuelan and Brazilian border.I went up several days before Trudy to visit the headteachers of 7 schools to discuss how they might use a School Improvement Plan grant to best use and to observe the teachers on our Literacy Professional Development course.This remote area is only accessible by an hour's flight from Ogle Airport in Georgetown and the grass strip I landed on at Paruima was only feet from the steep bank of the River Kamarang.(see above)Paruima was a surreal experience in many ways...I spent three nights there ( no electriity and a standpipe for water in the middle of the village) but a beatuiful village where litter was rarely seen and the in large part the houses and compunds were very well maintainedHere there was no alcohol but a strong 7th Day Adventist presence which infused the lives of almos all the community. They played sport every evening (football,volley ball,cricket,swimming - both men and women)very well and supported the village activities with zest and without rancour). Yet where is their Amerinindian culture...In their language , of course, which they use between themselves and in Village Council meetings , even on Independence Day there was little evidence. One old boy offered to dress up for me in his costume and dance but I declined (A fee was involved!)Audrey Robertson the head (See the first picture) is a strong leader and a great force for progress. She has the loyalty and devotion of her staff.The region has several rivers -the Mazaruni,the Kamarang,the Kako and so I travelled on several boats during the stay. Fuel is over twice the price of that in Bartica and this restricts the movement around the region.You can see by the picture of the maccaw and the yellow tailed snak that we did ncouter some of the local wildlife but it was the sound of howler monkeys inthe middle of the night in the darkest hour before the dawn that was unforgettable- an eerie wind that comes and goes howling in the centre of the night..