By Amos Sarrouy
After I told my friend in Puerto Ordaz that I was in search of Guyanese living in Venezuela he took me to meet some people that he knew. My interest in Guyanese living in Venezuela derived from the territorial controversy between the two countries. For over a century and a half Venezuela has claimed about two thirds of Guyana as its own. Termed the “Zona de la Reclamación,” the area claimed by Venezuela includes all of the territory between Venezuela and the Essequibo River. The area is marked on that country’s official maps as part of Venezuela.
I had been staying in Guyana for several weeks prior to travelling to Puerto Ordaz and I wanted to know what Guyanese living in Venezuela thought about the territorial claim. My investigation brought me face to face with Guyanese whose interest in Venezuela had much more to do with business than with the territorial claim. Indeed, what I discovered was that for all the sabre rattling on the Venezuelan side and the much milder insistence in Guyana that the territory is theirs, there is benefit to be derived for both Venezuelans and Guyanese for simply trying to get along.
The Guyanese I was supposed to meet were to be found by the ferry terminal. Two or three vessels that
