Dear Editor,
Agricola is historically one of the earliest villages in Guyana. Having been known for its troubles and its sordid past in the early 2000s, Agricola, as a community, has turned a new leaf. The village is essentially redemptive and spiritual, rather than political and physical.
After Emancipation and Indentureship, 177 plots of land were purchased by the newly-freed Africans on the southern boundary of Plantation Rome, later known as Agricola. The streets of the new village: Remus, Romulus, Caesar, Cato, Titus and Brutus, were named after outstanding Roman Conquerors.
After its establishment, it is said, Agricola had a good community spirit, which aided in its growth and sustained development. The village thrived socially, economically and culturally. The village grew and became diverse, welcoming a rainbow of ethnicities, which obtains to this day.
In the 1970s, the community was incorporated into Greater Georgetown, and due to migration and Guyana’s economic travesty, the once-thriving village started experiencing unemployment and instances of crime, which plagued the community for generations. However, while the community is not without its social issues today, crime, and its association and involvement therewith, have significantly decreased to an almost non-existent state. The village is considered as being on the rise. Last month, Agricola received its first-ever visit from a Head of State, with President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali meeting with residents to address the concerns of the villagers to better their lives. Promises were made, and we await their fulfillment. The Government has vowed to work alongside the village and its residents to accelerate their development. The President has also promised to promote opportunities that would foster a future that would give the young people of the community the best possibilities as well as transforming the community is concerned. We look forward to this, and hold President Ali to his word.
We desire opportunities, in particular for the training of our young people in construction as well as the development of technical skills. We have skillful athletes across all the sporting disciplines. The Agricola Red Triangle football unit remains a heavyweight in the East Bank Demerara Football Association from the under-13 to the senior levels. More assistance is needed to better develop the village’s talent.
This new generation of young people has been completing school, passing with good grades. We, the future of this community, strive to aggressively find solutions to our social problems, as we strive for self-empowerment and social development through much-needed incentives. We implore everyone with a willingness to partner with us as we strive for better.
We are keeping our faces to the sunshine, thus we cannot see the shadows of the past. We look to the future being productive and prosperous.
As a community, we believe firmly in the words of Barack Obama, who said, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
Sincerely,
Nkosei Williams
Resident of Agricola
