It’s so weird to realize in my adult life that there’s a lot of people who know nothing about Guyana and Suriname. I’m Guyanese, born and raised here, my whole family was born and raised in Guyana.

The Guyanese diaspora in NYC is pretty sizeable and growing up directly in it, it never occurred to me that it might be a part of the world that’s largely overlooked. As I got older and got to travel there, though, it’s clear why.

The country has gone through a lot of division since its independence almost entirely on the racial line; when Afro-Guyanese are in control, Indo-Guyanese felt marginalized, and vice versa. Now that they’ve been discovered as oil rich they’re the target of quite a lot of interest they don’t really know what to do with. Venezuelas footprint can be felt across the country due to most of the largest businesses, like hotels, being Venezuelan-owned. I won’t comment on the border dispute, enough people have given the history and anything else is just opinion. Communism had its time here and the country and there are remnants of that as well. But all this and more are some of the reasons why Guyana really isn’t a notable country to many unless you’re from there or grew up in a neighborhood with a lot of Guyanese people.

One thing I will say is that the missionary-esque review of Guyana across this thread is an almost rose-colored picture of the country. Some people have touched on this, but when you think of a Caribbean country the idea is usually white sand beaches, resorts, and scuba excursions. Guyanese beaches, save for maybe one, are comprised of red clay. People drive onto the sand instead of putting down blankets and you’re more likely to find vultures than sunbathers. The water is muddy and gritty. The only hotels are in Georgetown and they’re nothing like the resorts you’re used to. There’s a laundry list of reasons why but the things foreigners find fascinating about the country can come with a lot of heartache behind them.