r/Guyana • u/Knowallofit • 2d ago
Do you all think that the Guyanese diaspora may return back in large numbers as the economy develops rapidly
I am not from Guyana, but a friend and batchmate of mine in Canada seeks to return back and try his hand/luck in Guyana as it dramatically going from third world to first world. Do you all see a large diaspora return as your economy develops and wealth starts spreading, bringing their expertise and ideas to Guyana, as they are not very far removed from their roots yet most either first or second gen.
27
u/Capable-Mode-326 2d ago
Im living in the UK and it has been considered. I think Guyana is in a very early stage of economic development and I’m quite young myself aswell so still lots of the world to explore and it’s a bit easier from where I live so maybe when I’m more mature and financially stable it may be the next progression.
6
u/Knowallofit 2d ago
Yes, even my friend sees himself returning within the next ten years, but it is not a strict timeline for him.
18
u/Conscious-Safe-9891 2d ago
Absolutely not. Guyana will still be a backward country for a very long time. Money can change infrastructure rapidly but not culture. There is corruption at every level of Guyanese society.
10
u/GoodEggplant3484 2d ago
As a GT-American, I yearn to have secondary property there for at least a cultural connection. I am not too concerned about the economic aspect, even though I want Guyana to prosper. I hate that people are so pessimistic about returning.
2
u/Knowallofit 2d ago
I agree it looks like Guyana still has a long way to go, but I would still hope to be optimistic. My own home country wishes for an oppurtunity like this, I hope the corect decisions are taken and the oil curse/dutch disease is avoided.
22
u/Master_Zeng 2d ago
Honestly I don't believe so, the main reason being pride, I've seen a lot of people who left here and went to America and their financial situation has become worse and they refuse to come back because of too much pride
14
u/Confident-Cod6221 2d ago edited 1d ago
this is a good point, however idk how many people this applies to, but my mom is certainly one of them, lol
my dad would happily move back (in a heart beat. in fact, he visits often). my mom however is a bit a cunt. She always looked down on people in Guyana who didn't live in Georgetown. She was always a "city girl" as she claims (her words, not mine). my dad is from the country side. my mom is pretty self hating, i've never seen her take pride in her culture. i don't think she'd ever move back b/c now she's "american". my mom is broke af rn, lol. she has no place to live so she stays with my aunt (her sister) and rents a room. it's ironic b/c my mom owns not 1, but 2 houses in Guyana, but still won't go back. Make it make sense bro, plz. like wuh de ass is dis budday?
edit:
just wanted to add my mom is the type of person to openly judge and hate other Guyanese people. She genuinely looks at them as "low class" (she uses these exact words/phrase). I understand Guyanese culture has issues like alcoholism, abuse, etc. but shaming people for their issues won't encourage them to change. in fact, it encourages them to double down on their vices.
my dad recognizes these same issues in Guyanese culture, but he doesn't judge anyone for it. he understands "the why", and "the how", behinds issues like alcoholism. he knows it started due to slavery and he understands that Guyanese folks don't have the treatment they need/deserve to take control of their health and better manage the issue b/c Guyana is super poor (also not the fault of Guyanese people b/c my dad knows about the coup that was carried out in the 60's by the Americans and the British which led Guyana to experience a 20 year dictatorship).
7
u/duckie4797 2d ago
Not me. I just went to visit and was shocked. Corruption abounds. GT is filthy, crime is rampant. Blackouts often, so much poverty. Garbage filled seawall. No thank you. ☹️
1
1
u/Knowallofit 2d ago
Yes, my friend while bieng born there, moved out when he was very young and he/sister never lived there. Idk, if they actually ever even visited. I myself am a migrant and my country is very similar, I understand but difference I spent my entire childhood there so I know the ground realities, though it was not as bad as it sounds here. I really hope things improve and Guyana turns itself around
3
u/duckie4797 2d ago
I was born there and migrated as a teen to Canada. Moving back would mean a huge downward trend in my current standard of living. However, my older brother retired there. His status was different, though , he went thru a nasty divorce and lost everything. Could not afford a house here in Canada. So it made sense for him to move back. He has a good life there with his CAD pension from his job. Definitely depends on your life circumstances.
1
u/Knowallofit 2d ago
Yes it's the same , though nowadays most NRIs want to settle back home or cities like Delhi, Mumbai or Chandigarh after earning well there and maintain their citizenships of theeir work country. I think difference is that despite our faults and poverty we are a massive consumer base so their are a lot of upmarket, nice areas all over the country along with shithole areas and horrible dumps. Guyana if it utilizes it's wealth can achieve wonders. Guyanese people in Toronto have been very kind to me, when I first came there and invited to their homes for Diwali and pooja, I would like to visit the nation someday.
1
u/Assassin217 1d ago
Is pooja what I think it is ? Never heart of it. Cause I'd like some sweet pooja. And not every Guyanese in Toronto is that nice.
1
u/Knowallofit 1d ago
Pooja is like a hindu prayer ie like mass except it it takes place at home and consists of prayers and giving offerings to dieties. My friend's parents are devout Hindu Indo-Guyanese and after we became close he and his parents invited me to their house during Hindu religious festivals. I met an Afro-Guyanese guy as well and he was really sweet as well but I was not very to close to him. Obviously not all Guyanese people in Toronto are nice there must be assholes as well but that is true for every community out there, including mine - Punjabi assholes are dime a dozen all over Canada but many nice people as well.
10
6
u/The_Infinite_Cool 2d ago
The governmental corruption and embezzling of national resources (instead of providing real wealth for the people) will stop any real progress into the first world.
9
u/crxcked_ 2d ago
I haven’t looked into returning, but have spent a considerable amount of time buying land over the last few years. Maybe even building a large house and use it for rent profit. It would just be tough to manage it from abroad, but I know people do this as a mainstream of income.
If the economy continues booming this way, land that was worth just $10,000 USD is going to head towards being worth $50,000 USD or more. A 5x return is nothing to sneeze at.
3
u/Chhanglorious_B 2d ago
I think there are certainly a lot of people currently registering their overseas birth certificates and getting passports in order to hedge their bets in case things are properly managed and we see middle east level benefits coming to citizens. Otherwise, i dont think people will move back unless they can easily make a comfortable living and do well with a good lifestyle (think 1950s America). If all boats aren't rising - meaning a strong middle class - then I really doubt anything much past speculative foreign investors or retirees will really make any moves in Guyana.
3
3
u/shaka_alpaca 2d ago
There's lots of opportunity and I certainly hope so. The influx of foreign capital and experience would only accelerate growth. I know several people who are currently making moves to return. Some permanently, some plan to split their time.
3
u/Outrageous-Juice580 2d ago
Great question! I would return to assist in improving the economy there.
2
u/Confident-Cod6221 2d ago
i think as the police force becomes more trustworthy, the government becomes less corrupt, and healthcare becomes better people will 100% move back.
these things don't necessarily need to change overnight, but a positive trend in these areas would be a big help. i think the police force in Guyana is soon to implement body cameras so that's really good, a big step forward.
2
u/ModernMaroon Overseas-based Guyanese 2d ago
I’ve been making small steps to come back. I’m a bit behind schedule but the last two steps in my plan are to build my house and start my business. It could be as soon as five years but hopefully sooner. Depends on how income from my business goes.
7
u/dhakdhakboy 2d ago
Go to Guyana?
Id never leave Canada to even step foot in Guyana, from all the suicides, crime, theft, domestic violence, drinking and driving, police corruption. Guyana is a dump, no proper road, starbroek stinks so bad, you feel to vomit and all de fat fat flies. Its like hell on earth plus so expensive who in their right mind thinks Guyana will ever have anything together? Its a joke
2
u/Knowallofit 2d ago
Canada isn't doing that well rn, but yes miles better than Guyana in it's current condition.
1
u/OmxrOmxrOmxr 1d ago
Idk which Canada he in that's so much better. Guyana is improving, and I for one am likely to move back in the coming years provided a few things I'm working on fall into place.
2
u/Shonen_Fan 2d ago
Yes but not in the near future. Not under the two parties that dominate Guyana currently.
There will come some major tipping point in which Guyanese will realized the wicked corruption from both main parties is stringent while the country’s wealth continues to grow, the gap between the rich and the poor will continue to grow as well and people will get frustrated with substandard development. A new party will start to gain traction and bring true change.
Bringing your expertise as of right now is useless in my eyes, the wages are still low and Guyanese institutions are riddled with corruption from the government down to the simple office worker.
The only way to get things done both properly and swiftly is to bribe your way through or to know someone. I wish good luck to your friend if he plans on coming back to Guyana to live.
1
1
u/Royal-Length6296 1d ago
My family and I are getting the fuck outta here next year. Guyana looks and sounds good on paper. It ain’t shit and it’s all because of the PEOPLE.
1
u/probnotarealwizard 1d ago edited 8h ago
Mind elaborating further? I'm genuinely curious
2
u/Royal-Length6296 8h ago
Fastest growing economy all over the news. On the ground let’s take a look: Yea new roads and buildings. A lot of the new roads in communities are very narrow, contractors are saving in on the ca$h. As for the contractors…most of them gain their contracts through favors. When fixing potholes…the job is so poor that the potholes gradually reappear after a few months. We had some concrete lantern posts put up in Aubrey barker road…all fell about 3 weeks ago. Our culture here is still a very ghetto one. Lots and lots of robberies (most don’t make the news) and the police doesn’t seem to have anything in place to help counter it except carrying out car window tint campaigns to harass citizens and collect bribery. The police would literally pull you over the beg for money. Police are above the law btw, if you get into a car accident with one of them, good luck on getting anything out of it 😂. We are STILL subject to blackouts (power outages) on a regular basis. Every corner of the globe has its problems but it’s just the small things that matter. Guyana will be a much better place 20 years from now, but I still wouldn’t live here. Ghetto culture and small minds. There’s a much better life to live and experience fully.
1
u/Um_No_Bush 1d ago
I was born in Guyana, but my parents left Guyana in the 80’s. Majority of my families have left Guyana. I’ve been back several times as my wife came to NY for college and she still has majority of her families there. In the next 10 years, both my wife and I be 53 and we are thinking of retirement. I don’t mind coming back to Guyana, but it’s a hard ‘No’ from my wife. At the moment, we are planning to retire in Belize.
1
u/Ambitious-Pepper8566 1d ago
Some of us would like to return home. However, even as the economy develops, it's only the chosen few who are benefiting. Where are the jobs for current residents much less remigrants? Our experience and higher degrees don't mean anything unless we belong to the PPP. Yes, we would love to return home if it would be viable.
1
u/chickencurrybaby 1d ago
I’m a young professional (1st generation American, both parents are Guyanese) I have actually decided to move out of the US, quit my job, and live in Guyana for the first time ever! I plan to start a property management business and I’m really excited. Yes things in the country are not perfect but I’m excited about the possibilities. Besides USA is not doing well in terms of economy, crime, maternal mortality, government corruption, gun violence, you name it!
38
u/zerozingzing 2d ago
Health care is a HUGE reason for my no.