There is no escaping the sea in Wakenaam. Here the Essequibo River and the Atlantic Ocean clash and mingle, threatening to overrun the fragile defences of the island as they have done in the past. The sea is both friend and foe: a source of fish but also of floods. Wakenaam is only accessible by boat; an airstrip was built there recently, drawing the ire of residents who said the island has other pressing needs, but it still has not been opened.

On a July morning, the breezes rolling off the Atlantic do little to cool the island, steaming under the heat of a midday sun. Guyanese should be used to it and the islanders certainly do not seem to feel it, …..