Barama hands over ‘long house’ to Kariwab

Barama hands over ‘long house’ to Kariwab

THE 16-room house Barama handed over to the St. Monica/Kariwab
communities yesterday. (Adrian Narine photo)
LOGGING giant Barama, ordered last Monday by the government to pay over
G$96M in compensation for breaching forestry regulations, handed over
its ‘long house’ at the village of Kariwab in the Pomeroon River for
use by the community.


The house, built with 16 rooms to accommodate Barama’s workers, is no
longer in use by the company, since it was evicted from the
neighbouring village of Akiwni by angry villagers who claimed they were
being exploited. Barama ceased operations, and according to the
company’s Worker’s Welfare Officer Maurice Torres, the workers were
taken to Barama’s operations at Buck Hall and Cuyuni, both in the
Essequibo River.

Village Captain Mr. Raymond Miguel whose Council also manages the
village of St. Monica, said his Council did not have any quarrels with
Barama. “It was nice when Barama was here,” he said yesterday after he
was handed over the keys to the building by Torres.

Miguel said 18 workers of the village were employed by Barama.
According to Barama’s Stakeholder Liaison Officer Mitzy Campbell, the
house is valued at 5.5M, and Barama saw it fit to continue the good
relationship it had with the community.


The Village Captain said, in consultation with the regional
administration of Region two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), the village hopes to
develop into a tourist destination, and will occupy the house for this
purpose.

Barama also donated a computer, complete with printer, to the Ulele
Primary School in the adjoining village of St. Monica.

One of the students said the computer will help the students of the
school to be “on par with the world out there”.

The villages of St. Monica and Kariwab are inhabited by some 1,100
Caribs. Barama operates a 1.6 million hectare forestry concession in
Guyana.