Fourteen years ago, when Naline Singh got married she left the busy village of Goed Fortuin to live in the quiet countryside village where her husband grew up.
Lookabu is an Essequibo farming village behind Parika, bordered by Present Hope and Naamless. It has a population of approximately 100, the majority of whom till their own farms, work as labourers on other farms or sell crops produced in the village.
The eastern side of the village is farmland and to the west is the river and Hog Island, which is situated opposite; to the north west is Fort Island, in the middle of the Essequibo River, and just a 10-minute boat ride away.
It was a rainy day for the most part when I visited, although the sun peeked through the grey clouds and intermittent drizzle. It was Emancipation Day and the market was closed. While a few farmers remained at home, many were in the backdams. Children were scattered around the community, mostly playing. Some amused themselves with a game of marbles, which they called “pools”; the older ones were playing together, while the younger imitated the game nearby.
