20 hours ago
10
Senior Reporter
Along Trinidad’s north-eastern coastline, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the villages of Balandra, Toco and Matelot, lies Rampanalgas, a community whose story has been written by the hands of coconut workers, fishermen, farmers and generations of families who built their lives around the land and the sea.
Today, the village is quieter than it once was.
Some of the estates that provided employment have disappeared, community spaces have declined and many young people have had to leave in search of opportunities elsewhere.
But for Edward Mahadeo, a man who has spent almost seven decades watching Rampanalgas change, the village’s history is not defined by what it has lost.
It is defined by what it once was, and what it can become again.
“This village was a peaceful place,” Mahadeo recalled. “Everybody knew everybody. Everybody looked out for one another.”
Born in 1959, Mahadeo has lived in Rampanalgas all his life. His memories provide a window into a period when the community operated around a simple but powerful economic foundation: coconut, copra and fishing.
“From the time I was a little boy walking to school, all I knew was coconut and fishing. That was the livelihood here.”
When coconut was king
Long before modern development reached the north-east coast, the coconut estate dominated life in Rampanalgas and surrounding communities.
The Balandra Estate, which stretched across hundreds of acres, was once the heartbeat of the area.
Families depended on the estate for employment, with residents involved in every stage of production, from climbing trees to harvesting, cracking and drying coconuts.
“Every family had somebody working in the estate,” Mahadeo said. “If you weren’t climbing coconut, you were cracking coconut, gathering them, or working in the copra house.”
The copra house was central to the process. After coconuts were collected, they were transported for drying before being prepared for export.
“They had a big copra house. People were picking, climbing, cracking, sampling and gathering. Then the donkey would come and carry it to the copra house.”
For residents, the estate was more than a workplace. It was the foundation of community life.
“The estate was the heart of this community. If the estate was working, families had food on the table.”
Fishing provided another important source of income, and even today the fishing centre remains a reminder of that enduring connection between the people and the sea.
A name shrouded in story
Like many rural communities in Trinidad and Tobago, Rampanalgas carries stories passed down through generations.
The exact origin of the village’s name remains uncertain, but residents have preserved several explanations.
One story tells of a man riding a horse who fell while travelling up a hill near the community centre. The phrase associated with the incident eventually became linked to the area.
Another version suggests the name came from the days when cotton was cultivated nearby. According to the story, someone carrying cotton slipped while moving uphill.
For generations, such stories have remained part of the village’s oral history, reflecting the way communities preserve their identity through storytelling.
The name is also sometimes linked to the Spanish phrase “rompe nalgas”, loosely translated as “breaks backsides” or “a place that is hard to cross”, a reference said to describe the rugged landscape, steep tracks and difficult journeys through the area.
However, that explanation remains a popular interpretation rather than a conclusively documented historical origin.
Rampanalgas is recorded as a village in the Sangre Grande region on Trinidad’s north-eastern coast, an area whose place names reflect layers of the island’s colonial and cultural history.
When the community
built for itself
Beyond agriculture and fishing, Mahadeo remembers a Rampanalgas where community spirit was strong.
Neighbours supported each other, residents worked together and local organisations played a major role in improving people’s lives.
One of the biggest transformations came through aided self-help housing projects, which provided better homes for families who previously lived in wooden structures.
“That was a very good thing. People were living in poor conditions, but they came together and built their homes.”
Mahadeo also remembers the role played by former Member of Parliament Glenda Jennings-Smith and community organisations, including the Rotary Club of Maraval, in supporting development initiatives.
A village cooperative was established to produce local products including chow chow, kuchela, vegetable pickles and pepper sauce.
Residents also operated a small roadside outlet selling local goods.
“We wanted people to move away from just surviving. We wanted to create something for ourselves.”
The projects represented a period when residents believed community action could solve local problems.
It was a spirit of self-reliance that Mahadeo believes is still present, even if the opportunities are fewer today.
The golf course that never was
One of the biggest hopes for Rampanalgas came with plans for a major golf course development near Balandra.
The project was expected to create employment and bring tourism investment to the area.
Residents watched as hundreds of acres were cleared and nine holes of the planned 18-hole course were completed.
For many, it represented the promise of a new future.
“When they announced the golf course, people believed Rampanalgas was finally going to change, they spoke about employment, horse riding, tourism and development. People were excited,” he said.
But the project eventually collapsed, leaving workers and residents disappointed.
Mahadeo, who worked as a checker on the project, said many workers never received what they were owed.
“The workers fought for what was owed to them, but many passed away without ever receiving their money.”
Today, nature has reclaimed much of the former development site.
“Where the nine-hole golf course was, the forest came back. Everything collapsed.”
The abandoned project has become a powerful symbol of the hopes and disappointments that have shaped Rampanalgas.
A community losing its spaces
Mahadeo believes the loss of community spaces has also affected the social fabric of Rampanalgas.
The community centre, recreation ground and pavilion once served as gathering places where residents held events, played sports and discussed issues affecting the village.
Today, many of these facilities face challenges.
The pavilion has deteriorated, electrical infrastructure has been removed after power was disconnected, and evening recreational activities have declined.
“The community centre was once the heart of Rampanalgas. That’s where people came together.”
Sports remain one of the few activities keeping young people engaged.
The village continues to participate in football competitions, but Mahadeo says more support is needed.
“Young people need somewhere to play, somewhere to learn and somewhere to belong.”
The search for work
For Mahadeo, the biggest challenge facing Rampanalgas today is unemployment.
He remembers a time when work was available through agriculture, estates and community programmes.
“Employment is number one. The main challenge is unemployment.”
He says the situation has placed pressure on families.
“People are struggling. Young people are looking for work, and families are trying to survive.”
At one time, community employment programmes provided opportunities for dozens of residents, he said.
“This community had 30 people working through CEPEP. Today, only a few remain.”
Mahadeo believes agriculture can once again become the engine of Rampanalgas.
The village still has large areas of unused agricultural land, and he believes investment in farming and agro-processing could create sustainable employment.
“Agriculture built this village before, and agriculture can build it again.”
He points to the amount of produce that goes to waste every year.
“During the season you see breadfruit and mangoes spoiling. Imagine if we had a factory to process those things.”
For Mahadeo, the solution is not simply providing assistance. It is creating opportunities.
“People don’t want handouts. They want an opportunity to earn a living.”
A road to a new future
Poor access roads, Mahadeo says, continue to limit farming and economic development.
“You can’t talk about agriculture if people can’t reach their farms.”
He believes improved transportation links could transform the region, including the long-discussed highway expansion into the north-east.
“That would have created jobs for masons, carpenters, plumbers and labourers.”
For a community that once depended on the movement of coconuts, copra and fish, access remains fundamental to its economic survival.
Mahadeo believes that reconnecting the village to wider markets could give residents the chance to build businesses around the resources they already possess.
What Rampanalgas still has
Despite the challenges, Mahadeo believes Rampanalgas still has the resources needed for renewal.
The land remains fertile.
The sea remains productive.
And the community spirit that built the village has not disappeared.
“We have the people, we have the land and we have the spirit.”
For a village that once thrived on coconut and fishing, the future may depend on reconnecting with those same foundations while embracing new opportunities.
Rampanalgas is not simply a story of what has been lost.
It is a story of resilience, of people who built a community from the land and sea, and who believe that with investment, leadership and opportunity, the village can write another successful chapter.
English (US) ·