Teacher in Bermuda describes 'nerve-racking' Guyana stand-off - Royal Gazette

Shimaine Furroze, a CedarBridge Academy teacher who comes from the disputed Essequibo region of Guyana (Photograph supplied)

A Guyanese teacher in Bermuda who hails from the region at the centre of a dispute with neighbouring Venezuela has described the tensions hanging over her home country.

Shimaine Furroze, who teaches history and geography at CedarBridge Academy, spoke to The Royal Gazette during her visit home to the Essequibo region — a substantial portion of Guyana overshadowed by a longstanding territorial dispute with Venezuela, its neighbour to the west.

“People near and far became very, very scared. It’s been nerve-racking for people,” she said.

“However, there was a meeting of the International Court of Justice saying for Venezuela and Guyana to hold their ground and let peace and diplomacy prevail until there is a judgment.”

Ms Furroze said there had been “no violence and unrest in the area”, where her family owns farmland.

However, there has been palpable unease since the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, sparked a diplomatic crisis after a referendum on December 3 signalled approval for Venezuela seizing Essequibo.

Ms Furroze said: “Maduro and the way he acts is very alarming.

“One day he says something, another day he says something else. He is very unpredictable.

“I hope that common sense and diplomacy prevail, but I do not know.”

She added: “We do not have any army, but we do have allies. We are a member of Caricom, a member of the Commonwealth, and the United States has a vested interest.

“We are a former British colony, although with that said, we inherited this problem from them. But they have all given their support to Guyana should there be any form of violence or provocation from Venezuela.”

Ms Furroze has lived in the Guyanese capital, Georgetown, where Caricom is headquartered, and has lectured at the University of Guyana.

She came to Bermuda in 2017 and teaching posts here have included Whitney and Clearwater middle schools before CedarBridge.

Ms Furroze called it “noteworthy” that Venezuela, with a population of 28 million, had a poor turnout for the five-question referendum.

“On the fourteenth, there was a meeting in St Vincent with our President and Maduro, and during that dialogue there was a declaration of peace,” she said.

“But Guyana has still stood her ground. This can only be resolved by the ICJ, although of course Venezuela is saying no.”

She said the dispute over Essequibo dated back to the 1800s. The Dutch were the first colonial power to claim the area.

The country became British Guiana in 1831, but the demarcation of its borders was “not very clear”, with its western boundary set by the so-called Schomburgk Line.

“That is how we inherited this problem,” Ms Furroze said. “Venezuela said, ‘we’re not having this, we don’t believe this, we think our territory extends to the River Essequibo’.

“Essequibo makes up about two thirds of Guyana. It is home to about 125,000 people, with a very, very rich biodiversity. It has a wealth of natural resources from forestry and gold and diamonds, and now this new-found oil.”

The border dispute with Venezuela flared up on several occasions before and after Guyana’s independence from Britain in 1966.

Ms Furroze said: “In 2015, there were large deposits of oil discovered. In 2018, we wanted a peaceful resolution to put an end to this ongoing conflict, and we went to the ICJ.”

She said the international court “clearly stated this year that there should be no provocation until they give a final answer”.

However, sabre-rattling from Venezuela, riven by an economic crisis, has left people in Guyana “very perturbed”.

“When I got here, the place was desolate — no shopping, nothing. But after the fourteenth, now you’re seeing people walking about like normal. Everybody is in the festive spirit again.”

Although Venezuela has vast oil reserves, Ms Furroze said: “Theirs is heavier oil and ours is the sweet oil that requires less refining.

“My take on this is, the world is going green. We are going to clean sources of energy. Leave the oil where it is. Through our greed will come our demise.”

In the meantime, she said the dispute was being watched closely by the small community of Guyanese in Bermuda.

Ms Furroze described the mood at home as “a cautious Christmas”, adding: “You can feel the tension.”

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