Since I've spent the best part of a year explaining to people that I am, in fact, going to Guyana, and not Ghana, I thought I'd make the country its own page. I hope to educate, entertain and refute the assertion that I'm simply chilling on a Caribbean beach for a year. Whilst culturally Guyana is considered part of the Caribbean, geographically it is very much South American. Want to see a picture of a Guyanese beach?
And I'm based in the interior, so I won't even be near that.
This page is already coming off as angrier than I intended. Sorry.
Anyway. Facts hoy!
The Co-operative Republic of Guyana, formerly British Guiana, is a country - roughly the size of the UK - in the northwest of South America, bordered by Venezuela, Brazil and Suriname. It is split into 10 administrative regions, each overseen by a Regional Democratic Council, and has a population of around 760,000 (of which 90% reside on the narrow coastal strip).
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| Wakapoa is in region 2, and Orealla region 6. The capital, Georgetown, is in region 4 |
History
In the 17th Century Guyana was a Dutch colony, and by 1815 was in possession of the British, only achieving independence in 1966. The abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the consequent importation of indentured labourers from India to work on sugar plantations. This ethnic divide has persisted and led to the turbulent political situation seen in recent years. The current president, Bharrat Jagdeo, has been in power since 1999.
Geography
Guyana's terrain is mostly rainforested highland, with low coastal plains and savannah constituting the rest of the landmass. The climate is tropical, and moderated by northeast tradewinds*. There are two rainy-seasons: May to August, then November to January. During these monsoons mosquitoes are rife, accounting for Guyana's position as having the highest malaria and dengue fever rates in the whole of the Caribbean.
*Dave Martin and The Tradewinds is, for any interested, a West Indies band with a Guyanese frontman singing insightful calypsos about Caribbean life 40-odd years ago. Worth a listen.
*Dave Martin and The Tradewinds is, for any interested, a West Indies band with a Guyanese frontman singing insightful calypsos about Caribbean life 40-odd years ago. Worth a listen.
Economy
Although Guyana is rich in natural resources (its main exports being sugar, gold, bauxite, shrimp, timber and rice), years of colonial exploitation render Guyana one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in South America/the Caribbean. With a huge international debt and an ongoing exodus of skilled workers, development is hindered yet further, and Guyana's GDP is amongst the lowest in the Caribbean.
Language
Guyana is, officially, the only English-speaking country in South America, although there are nine Amerindian tribes and therefore many indigenous languages and dialects. Since colonisation, the number of people fluently speaking these languages has dwindled, and now only isolated pockets of true speakers exist. Caribbean-English Creole, however, is spoken throughout Guyana.
Wikipedia (good ol' Wikipedia) defines it as "English-based with African and/or East Indian syntax. Grammar is not standardised", and I will probably be expected to speak it.
Wikipedia (good ol' Wikipedia) defines it as "English-based with African and/or East Indian syntax. Grammar is not standardised", and I will probably be expected to speak it.
"Evri de mi a ron a raisfil", once again according to Wikipedia, means "Every day I hurry to the ricefield."
Of course, in my case it will be "evri de mi a ron a sandwich", OWTTE.
Creolese personal pronouns are irregular, but other than that it's essentially the same as English, meaning, for example, that instead of saying "that dog belongs to him/her/us" you'd say "that dog belongs to he/she/we."
Religion
A 2002 census indicates that approximately 57% of the population are Christian (owing to both colonisation and the sheer number of missionaries that frequent Guyana), 28% are Hindi, 9% are Muslim and 2% practise other beliefs (such as Rastafari). An estimated 4% of the population does not profess any religion.
Education
The Guyanese education system is simular to that in the UK, and was, until the '80s, considered to be among the best in the Caribbean. Students are required to attend school until 16, at which time they sit their CSECs (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate - the equivalent to GCSEs). Students then have the opportunity to study for a further two years to obtain CAPEs (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations), which will enable them to enter tertiary education.
There are, however, several different tiers of secondary school: senior secondary schools, which tend to be more academic in orientation, junior secondary schools, community high schools and secondary departments of primary schools (meaning I'll technically be teaching in Wakapoa Primary School). In order to take CAPEs, students from the latter two categories must transfer to institutions from the former.
Population drain - mainly to the US, UK, and Canada - has severely reduced the number of educated citizens of Guyana, as few are prepared to live in such remote areas. Crime is also cited as a reason for this "brain drain", and roughly 80% of graduates have emigrated.
Guyana's interior regions especially are so in need of teachers that they ask for Project Trust Volunteers to be sent to their schools. In August, an army of sixteen 18-year-olds, armed with a handful of A-levels each, will turn up in Georgetown as some of the most qualified teachers in the country. It's not unheard of for PTVs to become the heads of department in their school, simply because there's no one else.
Population drain - mainly to the US, UK, and Canada - has severely reduced the number of educated citizens of Guyana, as few are prepared to live in such remote areas. Crime is also cited as a reason for this "brain drain", and roughly 80% of graduates have emigrated.
Guyana's interior regions especially are so in need of teachers that they ask for Project Trust Volunteers to be sent to their schools. In August, an army of sixteen 18-year-olds, armed with a handful of A-levels each, will turn up in Georgetown as some of the most qualified teachers in the country. It's not unheard of for PTVs to become the heads of department in their school, simply because there's no one else.
