Surama, Guyana - Residents of a rainforest village in Guyana, Surama, gathered together for a community event that combined grateful devotions and prayers for peace amidst an ongoing territorial dispute with Venezuela. The village, located in the Essequibo region, is part of a territory larger than Greece, which Venezuela claims as its own and intends to decide the fate of through a referendum on Sunday.

During the community event, which resembled a harvest festival, congregants of an Anglican church bid on a variety of produce, including bananas and squash, and sang hymns and rang a bell after each successful bid. However, their celebrations were tinged with anxiety as the referendum casts a shadow of uncertainty over their peaceful way of life.

Loreen Allicock, who led the congregation during the festival, expressed the community's hope and faith that nothing negative would come out of the referendum. "We want to continue living a peaceful life in this beautiful land of ours," she said.

The referendum, orchestrated by the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, aims to answer five questions regarding the Essequibo region, including whether current and future area residents should be granted Venezuelan citizenship. However, the practical and legal implications of the vote remain unclear.

While Guyana views the referendum as an act of annexation and has sought intervention from the International Court of Justice, Venezuela remains determined to hold the election, despite the court's pending decision. The Essequibo region, which accounts for two-thirds of Guyana's territory, has been a subject of dispute since the Spanish colonial period, with Venezuela claiming it as its own due to a border decision made in 1899.

The current dispute gained renewed attention in 2015 when ExxonMobil announced significant oil reserves off the coast of Essequibo, sparking further interest from Venezuela. The anger and frustration among area residents, who are predominantly Indigenous people, have mounted against Guyana's government, with misinformation spread through social media exacerbating confusion among the populace.

Michael Williams, an Indigenous leader from the village of Annai, expressed a sense of neglect from the government, stating, "We feel neglected as the people of this land. Nobody is here to tell us, 'These are the issues. This may come. Let us prepare for it. We are negotiating. We hope for the best.'"

While Venezuelans will soon have the opportunity to cast their votes, no concrete plan has been put forth by the government regarding the practical steps to turn the Essequibo region into a Venezuelan state and grant area residents citizenship if the proposed measures are approved.

The International Court of Justice is expected to issue a decision this week on Guyana's request to halt parts of the referendum, although a final ruling on the broader request to validate the 1899 border decision is still years away. In the midst of the uncertainty, Jacqueline Allicock, a resident of Essequibo, poses a thought-provoking question to Venezuelan voters: "Why would you want to take away something that doesn't belong to you?"

As Surama and other Guyanese villages continue to stand strong against the potential upheaval caused by the territorial dispute, they hope that their prayers for peace and a peaceful resolution will be answered.