Guyana

Nothing makes you appreciate the United States as much as traveling in the third world. Guyana is a great example. Not many Americans have even heard of Guyana: upon hearing of my upcoming travels to Guyana, many people assumed I was referring to Ghana, in Africa. Those that have heard of it wittily advised me “don’t drink the Kool-Aid!” It is unfortunate that the only fact many people know about Guyana is that Jim Jones, cult leader born in the U.S., persuaded over 900 of his followers to drink a cyanide-laced beverage in Jamestown, Guyana in 1978. A U.S. Congressman investigating the Jamestown compound and several other officials traveling with him were murdered, presumably by members of the cult, earlier on the same day. This mass murder-suicide brought Guyana to international attention. Fortunately, there is much more to Guyana than that infamous day in 1978.

Guyana is the third smallest nation of South America and is bordered by Suriname, Venezuela, and Brazil. It is a predominantly English-speaking country since it was formerly colonized by the British, and there are pockets of Amerindian and Creole dialects scattered throughout the country. The tiny nation has been plagued by years of civil unrest, but finally achieved the status of an independent republic in 1970. Culturally, the nation is similar to Trinidad, Tobago, and Jamaica, the other English-speaking nations in the area, and this is reflected in the rhythm and dialect of the speech of its citizens. Guyana’s people are a mix of the races exploited during the years of legalized slave trade, so the ethnic mixture is primarily black, Portuguese, and Amerindian. Its coast is dominated by muddy salt flats, and since the lack of any sandy beaches makes it an unlikely destination for tourists, it is the poorest of all the Caribbean nations.

However, the riches of the nation are found in the interior, where miles and miles of unspoiled rain forests exist as they have been for generations. It makes an interesting destination for scientists hoping to discover an as-yet undocumented species or a novel plant with potential pharmaceutical benefits. In the interior, there is no electricity, no running water, no access to health care, and it affords a glimpse into a difficult life most of us Americans can barely envision. The wide, tidal rivers are the backbone of the scanty transportation system, and are navigated in handmade, and often leaky, rowboats. Daily life here is approached with fishing nets and a machete, or perhaps spent on one of the dangerous gold-panning sledges that claim the lives of so many of Guyana’s young men. Malaria and yellow fever are endemic, and there are no clinics or medications available. But here you also awaken to the calls of parrots and the shuffle of monkeys through the rain forest canopy. There is the peculiar anxiety of bathing in a river with the piranha the locals assure you are “friendly,” and the rich, peaty smell of the soil after an afternoon downpour. And the other worldliness of witnessing iridescent blue butterflies the size of dinner-plates drifting through the tall tree trunks of the rain forest make a visit here an experience that leaves an imprint that lasts a lifetime.

Living here is a human-versus-nature experience few of us can appreciate as we drive in our cars along six lane highways drinking our $6 lattes and toting our laptops. But a visit here can change our perception of the human condition and instill a sense of just how fortunate we are in the developed world. Even amid our current global economic turmoil, most of us still have running water and toilet paper. Thank you, Guyana, for the reminder.

---

---