Shipyard: The End of an Era
The fine chalky white dust of the bumpy limestone roads in Shipyard infiltrated the vehicle as our Canadian driver carefully avoided the potholes. Other drivers, Belizean to the core, whizzed past us as though a bumpy road was the last thing on their minds. Here and there we passed horse-drawn buggies and flatbed carts, steel-wheeled tractors and combines. Scattered over the low hills were low-roofed metal frame homes and sheds with odds and ends of farm machinery on the yard. Windmills towered over some farms. In one yard heavy construction equipment was being repaired; in another a barge was being welded.
We were in Shipyard, an Old Colony Mennonite community which has been featured in countless magazines and Youtube documentaries. A land of stark contrasts where it is a sin to drive a passenger vehicle yet necessary to own one. Where government electricity is forbidden but solar panels are allowed. A community that outwardly shuns technology yet is helpless against the onslaught of smartphones and social media.
My relative's destination was a metalworks shop. My aim was a little different: to enjoy the countryside and gather information about the community itself.
I discovered a not-so-surprising turn of events. According to a carpenter I spoke too, last year alone around 80 families left for the jungles of Peru where large tracts of land are being cleared for new settlements. However due to conflict with indigenous peoples who claim that the Mennonites and the Peruvian government are robbing them of their land, some Mennonites are now turning to Suriname, formerly a Dutch territory on the east coast of South America. A delegation of Old Colony Mennonites met with an official from Suriname to discuss the purchase of land.
The carpenter shook his head in frustration as he explained that the departing families created a shortage of efficient Mennonite workers for the colony to the point where they were beginning to rely much more on "spanish" (Mestizos) laborers. He declared that he did not mind "spanish" Belizeans working for him; in fact he had 1 at his shop for a few years already. Based on his opinion, the problem is that a great majority of the younger non-Mennonite generation (millennials) simply do not have the work ethics that these Mennonites are raised with. On top of that are the patriotic holidays which mean nothing to the Old Colony Mennonites but must now be observed and paid out to the new "spanish" workers. He sighed and wondered if there was any legal way to bring in Guatemalans and Salvadorans.
"Why?" I asked.
Again going by his opinion, he said he had heard and observed that they were far more efficient workers than the average Belizean and willing to work long hours for a much lower yet still legal rate. He rambled on but I decided I had heard enough. I later spoke to another farmer/carpenter. Same story. In fact, he had recently hired his first "spanish" worker. I could see the frustration on his face as he complained that unlike Mennonite boys who seem to have a born knack for running and repairing machines, this new worker had to be trained how to run the most basic equipment.
Not long afterwards I chatted with a young woman who had left the old pasture for the greener grass of the EMMC fellowship. She nodded her head, confirming the fact that scores of families had already left for Peru, with the goal of relocating to Suriname should the doors open. She said "spanish" workers were slowly becoming more common in Shipyard compared to when she was a school age girl.
Does this mean Shipyard is becoming more empty? Are there farms and lands sitting in an abandoned state? Will the colony collapse? Certainly not, according to a wealthy store owner. The younger couples starting out now have a better opportunity, farmers looking to increase their crops or cattle have more land available. "Todavia hay mucha gente" (there's still a lot of people), said an elderly gentleman.
A. Mendoza
