Life Along the Demerara
Victoria Village, Guyana
Also featuring towns Georgetown, Campbellville, Diamond, Cove and John, Nootenzuil, and Skeldon. The series explores the return of the Weatherspoon family to their childhood home in Victoria Village for the funeral of their eldest sister. The family was last reunited some 30 years after the death of their mother Lucille. The work documents the family's process of reclaiming identity while shedding light on the unique country of Guyana. Simultaneously insiders and outsiders, Guyana remains the only English speaking nation in South America oscillating between cultural roots of Amerindian, Black (African), East Indian, Caribbean and colonial ties with British, Dutch, French, Portuguese and Spanish influence. Surrounded by predominantly Spanish speaking nations, Guyana finds itself ostracized from the Latin identity of South America and so too does its people who are often characterized as Caribbean. Once torn apart by its cultural difference, the series champions the nation's growth and slogan: “One People, One Nation, One Destiny”
This series is dedicated to my late aunt, Dawn Weatherspoon-Sandiford.
35mm, Olympus Stylus Epic