Voices of the Village

GRACIE ROCK
Elizabeth Pridgeon

Many people consider Gracie Rock to be home to the national youth Cadet Service Corps and not much else.  But this couldn’t be further from the truth: Gracie Rock is a vibrant yet staggered village nestled between the Western Highway and the banks of the Sibun River, stretching all the way between mile 19 and mile 25 of the highway.

The layout of Gracie Rock is such that neighbours may live literally miles apart, but there is still an unlikely sense of community solidarity among residents.  The church (of Anglican denomination) meets every two weeks, encouraging the congregation to foster a deeper sense of community spirit.  The school also used to fulfil this purpose among younger generations, but since the UDP administration was elected into government, they closed down the village school and forced the young residents to attend primary school in Hattieville.  [The school facility, which is in the same building as the church, remains maintained as much as possible by nearby residents in the hope that one day, villagers will have their prayers answered and will once again be able to educate their young within their own village environment].

Gracie Rock is a favourite bathing spot during the summer months, when the river runs clear and beautiful, and is easily accessible from the gently sloping banks that stretch the length of the village.  Local residents also try to cater to this leisure traffic, offering a range of food and drinks for sale.  At least one resident even acquires a licence to sell liquor during these summer months in order to better satisfy the demands of visitors.  However, during the current winter months, extra sources of financial revenue are few and far between, and many residents struggle to make ends meet; the sale of vehicles, land and household appliances is sometimes all that enables residents to survive these times.

The village used to be well reputed as one of the agricultural strongholds of the Belize district, with plantations of citrus fruits, cassava, coco, yams and plantain planted alongside subsistence crops of rice, beans and corn.  However, residents report that such farming is principally maintained by village elders, with younger generations showing a lack of interest in such livelihoods.  Many younger families have moved from the traditional residencies beside the river, and now prefer properties lining the Western Highway, for improved access and infrastructure, despite relatively modern facilities even at the secluded village centre. Former Minister, Ralph Fonseca, during his term as Area Representative, facilitated the extension of electricity lines for village residents right up to the river, and the majority of the village’s 50-odd families now take advantage of this utility.

However, despite modern facilities, many of the village residents sustain lifestyles which are still very much attuned to the cyclical rhythms of nature: villagers consider that there is a ‘season’ for everything, such as when the river level is low, deer, gibnut and ‘peccary’ are hunted and cooked: something which is frowned upon during the mating season for the animals during summer months.  Residents express a concern that they are perhaps more deeply affected by climatic changes than other villages, and they still remember the fear that besieged the village in 2008 when the Sibun River burst its banks and the village was flooded for several weeks without any real assistance.

Those villagers who voted against their party in the last elections are now deeply regretting it.  Whereas Mr Fonseca was already undergoing negotiations regarding structural repair and improvements to the Community Centre, for example, since the UDP administration has taken power, no such discussions have been facilitated, and the Community Centre now lies in a near state of disrepair behind closed gates.  Similarly, when the announcement was made that the school would be closed the villages united and requested a meeting with Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, to reconsider the decision: even though the Minister promised to attend, he made no such appearance, and allegedly has not set foot in the village since.

The final word from the villagers is that they are willing to donate their time and resources to better the village, if only they receive similar support from the government.  Which, sadly, looks unlikely, at least until 2013, when the villagers (almost unanimously) hope for a change in administration to a more “people-friendly” party.

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