Like any other community, Masakenari has received tremendous support from Government, and over the past five years, this very remote village has seen $37M being expended in various support areas to further develop the community and its people.
Masakenari, a Wai Wai community located in the Deep South Rupununi, has a population of about 280 and is equipped with a school which houses over 56 nursery, primary and secondary students, a health centre, benab, women’s centre and water systems, and an airstrip located nine kilometers from the village.
During a visit on Saturday, Minister Sukhai lauded the residents for the successful completion and excellent management of their community projects.
“ In a very short number of years, more than $37M has been expended in various support areas to Masakenari, and that is more than any other village and that is not because you are special, but in the past this village has not had much support and we have to bridge that gap,” Minister Sukhai noted.
She said that while Government would like to do more, over the last three years it was faced with tremendous challenges at the level of Parliament, and all Guyanese, more so Amerindians, their livelihood, development and support interventions by government have been greatly threatened.
A beautiful benab in Masakenari, Region Nine
She acknowledged that it has been a struggle where Amerindian development is concerned since the combined Opposition slashed monies earmarked for the Amerindian Development Fund (ADF). “This Government has taken a bold step to ensure that all the legal requirements are in place and even though we have been told that we ought not to take monies from the treasury to invest and spend on Amerindian communities for the betterment of Amerindians, this government has said that we will continue to develop Amerindian villages,” Minister Sukhai stressed.
Masakenari is also one of the villages that are currently in the process of being demarcated under the Ministry’s Land Titling and Demarcation project.
Some of the residents of Masakenari who came to meet Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai and her team
Minister Sukhai mentioned the importance of demarcating Amerindian lands which will conclude the titling process, thereby granting ownership to the area that Amerindians occupy. This will also allow for better management, to deal with encroachment, and assign lands to residents and for investments.
“Therefore demarcation is an important aspect of titling and this Government has over the years provided the funding to complete demarcation in many communities. The demarcation has begun; there are some procedures that have to be followed….the villagers will accompany the surveyors with respect to the demarcation,” the Minister noted.
Grapefruits in abundance in the community of Masakenari
While there will be challenges, Minister Sukhai urged the community to collaborate with the surveyors in this regard. There will be about 16 villages benefiting in this regard during the first quarter of this year.
“I am happy that there was no objection by Masakenari because there are groups of people who claim to represent Amerindians and who continue to try to influence Amerindians that demarcation is not a good thing and that is because they do not want Amerindians to be true owners of their lands,” the Minister added.
Minister Sukhai presented financial assistance to the village’s toshao Paul Chekema towards the development of the trail that leads to the village.
Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai handing over a cheque to Masakenari Toshao, Paul Chekema for the development of the trail to the village
The community has also applied to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a portion of their land to be a protected area.
Masakenari can be classified as having a subsistence economy; the primary economic activities in the community are farming, hunting, and fishing. Through funds provided by Government, this community benefited from a tractor and trailer along with an all terrain vehicle to assist in transporting goods and services. Residents receive electricity via solar panels provided by government.
Smiling young ladies at Masakenari
The hot meal kitchen was completed and the ministry provided utensils, while the computer hub is currently under construction.
The Masakenari community, Region Nine.
This community is one of many in Region Nine that has maintained their rich culture. The community will be embarking on the establishment of a museum as their Community Development Plan, to further preserve their culture.
