Byderabo is a picturesque community on the outskirts of Bartica. Its diverse population, a large percentage of whom depend on gold mining for their livelihoods, is made up of at least five of the six Guyanese ethnicities.
On arrival I was greeted by the sight of men at work on their boats on the beach, while their friends looked on. Old rotting boats lay sunken in the sand. There are old sawmills as well, all of which add character to the scenic, hilly village.
Stella Allicock grew up among the hills playing with the children of Byderabo. “I grew up in a home where we used fireside,” she said. “We didn’t have stove and them things at that time. We normally made breakfast and lunch in the morning, so we didn’t have to cook again at lunchtime. That time we had salt fish and salt beef that we used to buy from the shop.”
