The sinking of the MV Barima puts Guyanese inequities under a global spotlight

The MV Barima ferry in July 2004. (Kevin Gabbert/WikiMedia) , CC BY

The MV Barima — an 87-year-old ferry owned and operated by the state of Guyana — recently sank off the country’s coast on its way from the country’s capital of Georgetown to Port Kaituma, a journey of about 18 to 24 hours.

Port Kaituma is a gateway to what’s known as the North West District that borders Venezuela, where outsider gold and manganese interests dominate Indigenous territory.