Sophia, Georgetown

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Sophia
Ward
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Sophia
Location in Guyana
Coordinates: 6°48′53″N58°07′02″W / 6.8146°N 58.1173°W / 6.8146; -58.1173 Coordinates: 6°48′53″N58°07′02″W / 6.8146°N 58.1173°W / 6.8146; -58.1173
Country Flag of Guyana.svg Guyana
City Georgetown
Population
 (2012) [1]
 • Total3,687

Sophia is a ward of Georgetown, the capital of Guyana. It's a predominantly Afro-Guyanese community, [2] and one of Georgetown's poorest neighborhoods. [3]

Contents

Sophia was where Forbes Burnham presented "Declaration of Sophia" at a People's National Congress meet in December 1974. [4] It outlined the plan for nationalization as a part of a "socialist revolution." [5]

Location

Sophia is bounded by the Downer Street Canal in the East, the Eastern Highway and Ganges Street in the West, the Lamaha conservancy in the South and the railway embankment as the northern boundary. However, Lilliendaal (south), Pattensen (south), Turkeyen (south) and Cummings Park are areas east of Sophia that are all included for the sake of "common ground" whenever Sophia is thought of as a catchment area.

Services

Sophia has a Multi-purpose Community Centre, a Youth Vocational Centre (established by the Catholic Church in 2002), and a small Youth Friendly space serves as recreation for youths. Other facilities are located in the community including a Care Centre for children removed from unsafe homes, a Juvenile Detention centre [6] and a youth Training Centre. [7]

Schools include Nursery, Primary, [8] a Special School [9] and a centre for Children With Disabilities. A health clinic and a police station are also present to serve the community. As of 2017, there is a Major Road; completed under the APNU/AFC Government, that connects four of the aforementioned five Sections/'Fields' providing ease of transportation and reducing traffic congestion in the area.

History

The area developed during 1986, when land previously used for the cultivation of rice and rearing of fish began to be occupied. The area was called "farmers field" since it was used mainly for farming. However, a few years later almost 400 persons had moved into the area. It was all swamp and mud when persons decided to use the area for housing. [10] Even though settling on the land was considered illegal at the time, persons continued to occupy the land and by 1985–1991, bridges creating linkages to other sections east, now known as Liliendaal and Pattensen (south) were constructed.

The area became known as one of the largest squatting settlements, which caught the attention of law enforcement officials who started a campaign to restrict persons from expanding. However, zeal for development and property ownership coupled with predominantly vulnerable, low income women and men who needed land and a place to call home resulted in mobilization and lobbying by "squatters" for the regularization of the area. Persistence and determination resulted in the area becoming one of the largest squatting settlements in the country to be converted into a housing scheme.

While Sophia has benefited from some infrastructural development — limited paved roads, limited electricity supply [11]  — other basics public goods like potable water for households, [12] a community-wide sewage system and regulated sanitation have been slowly addressed. There is no private sector presence in the community other than small neighbourhood businesses to provide services as part of its social responsibility. Even though faith-based organizations have a heavy presence in the community only a limited number of social services are provided by the group to the community.

Declaration of Sophia

On 14 December 1974, a People's National Congress was held in Sophia where Forbes Burnham unveiled his plans for the future of Guyana. [4] The speech was later published as the Declaration of Sophia. [13] In the speech, Burnham stated that "the Party (PNC) should assume unapologetically its paramountcy over the government which is merely one of its executive arms." [14] [15] This included all institutions of state including the judiciary, therefore the PNC flag was flown over the Court of Appeal as a reminder. [16] [17]

Other key points of the Declaration were the ownership of the national resources by the people, the ending of exploitation by creating an egalitarian and classless society, and production for human need instead of profit. [5]

The Declaration resulted in a nationalisation of Guyana's industry, [18] the merger of Party and State. [14] Party membership became important to obtain contracts, permits and benefits, [15] and the Guyana National Service was created as a way to mobilize the youth into a paramilitary organisation controlled by the party. [19]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "2012 Population by Village". Statistics Guyana. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  2. ↑ "PPP/C asks cops to probe alleged attack on campaigners in Sophia". Stabroek News. 2020-01-05. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  3. ↑ "Will Guyana soon be the richest country in the world?". BBC News. 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  4. 1 2 "My old party's Paramountcy – Now a discredited joke?". Stabroek News. 2020-04-24. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  5. 1 2 Chandisingh, Rajendra (1983). "The State, the Economy, and Type of Rule in Guyana: An Assessment of Guyana's "Socialist Revolution"". Latin American Perspectives. 10 (4): 59–74. doi:10.1177/0094582X8301000405. ISSN   0094-582X. JSTOR   2633448. S2CID   145724717.
  6. ↑ "Detention centre juvenile escapee still at large". Stabroek News. 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  7. ↑ "Ministry Of Culture, Youth And Sport - Department Of Culture Home". 2012-03-22. Archived from the original on 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  8. ↑ "'Everybody could do something' Activist seeks to expand Sophia feeding programme, inspire others". Stabroek News. 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  9. ↑ "Stabroek News publishes 116 Region Four Statements of Poll". Stabroek News. 2020-03-26. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  10. ↑ From a squatter settlement to a housing scheme "Gina | Government Information Agency | Guyana". Archived from the original on 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
  11. ↑ "GPL's generating capacity boosted by arrival of six generators". Stabroek News. 2020-12-06. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  12. ↑ "'A' Field water supply restored". Stabroek News. 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  13. ↑ "Declaration of Sophia". Roxbury Community College. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  14. 1 2 "The State under Burnham". Guyana Times International. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  15. 1 2 Rakesh Rampertab. "Forbes Burnham". Guyana under Siege. p. 1. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  16. ↑ "Is the PNCR trapped in the past?". Kaieteur News Online. 10 March 2018.
  17. ↑ Freddie Kissoon (19 July 2020). "African population in 1974- 31 percent; in 2020 – 29 percent". Kaieteur News Online. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  18. ↑ Vibert Cambridge (19 September 2020). "Guyana: Sweet Drink – The Puma Presence". Guyanese Online. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  19. ↑ David A. Granger (10 December 2008). "The Guyana National Service". Stabroek News. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
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