Sometimes you have to wonder if the folks responsible for naming the villages in Guyana ran out of names :). Perhaps a few officials had to come up with a name for this village and as they were pondering, someone said: “come on guys, it’s now or never, let us get a name!” And then someone with a bright prospect on life says “hmm, Now Or Never does not sound too bad, let us call it ‘Now Or Never‘.” Whatever it is, we would love to hear the true story, perhaps someone can leave the true version of how the village got its name in the comment section below.
Nevertheless, there is a lovely little village in Guyana by the name Now or Never.
The village is located some 44 km from Georgetown and is flanked by Bushy Park to the west and Sarah to the east. This quaint village has just over twenty households with an estimated population of 133.
“Now-or-Never In Times Gone By
Way back in the 1960s, this village was a ‘very bushy settlement’ according to the elderly Dorcelle Welcome. And in those days one had to climb a tree to view certain features. The village was separated from other human existence by towering trees and dense foliage.
According to a village elder, Mrs. Welcome, the village was ‘pitch black’ at nights and residents were forced to use ‘lamps made from kerosene in glass bottles to see in the night. No one dared venture outside for fear of snakes and other ‘bush creatures’; and the village was mostly dismal during day time.
“Villagers were forced to go to other villages to obtain proper drinking water and they were relieved when ‘Mr. Fraser’ a very old resident got his first standpipe. The crowds gathered there daily and many times arguments would erupt and even fights as residents bicker and scuffle to obtain the precious liquid.
“Mothers then would use water from ponds and trenches for washing of their laundry and of course for bathing.
“Today the village has evolved into a cluster of cosy colourful houses, sandy dams and enticing alleys that twist and turn into the backdam areas. There are at least two shops there and one allows for the sale of clothing and accessories.
Gradually, this village is taking shape and still holds that special yesteryear aura, even as it slowly comes to grip with the changes of modernisation.
“There are no churches there and the Christians who reside there would attend one of the two churches present in the nearby Perseverance, or those at Central Mahaicony.
“Village Camaraderie
Everyone lives as one in this village, and the high level of love and harmony amongst residents is very evident.
“It was very apparent in the jolly laughter of school children heading home from school, in the gossip of housewives as they purchased over the counter groceries and other supplies. And there it was again in the raucous guffaws of young men playing cards by the small shops or having a few beers under their houses. This village was a bundle of joy showcasing cheerful residents, doing their best to keep abreast with the changing hands of time.
“Well folks there are enjoying potable water made possible by the GWI, and there is ab abundance of the precious fluid flowing in the trenches for them to keep their crops and livestock alive.
What is also evident is that villagers do not bear forlorn appearances since ‘things are looking up’ and they are seeing the signs of ongoing development there.
“Come prance under moonlight clouds on a starry ‘Now-or-Never Night, or climb into a guava tree and drink in puffs of pure of Atlantic wind. Give heed to adventure and catch ‘bush fish’ in the muddy back dam trains, or savour the ecstasy of pickled country mangoes, made fresh from trees right in the back yard. Drink your fill of fresh, cool water coconuts, or gather all you can take of genip, mangoes, and tamarind. Whatever you do, it would be a shame not to visit and soak up the bountiful treasures of Now-or Never..”
This article is adapted from the Guyana Chronicle (2014), http://guyanachronicle.com/now-or-never-a-cozy-little-alcove-where-residents-frisk-about-with-festive-merriment/
Picture: Little house in Now or Never by Girendra Persaud/GxMedia
