Culture Minister Defends Controversial September Tenth Holiday

More than two hundred years after the cannons fell silent, the Battle of St. George’s Caye is still stirring debate. Every September, Belizeans celebrate the historic event, but the same difficult question returns: does the Tenth represent a proud moment of national unity, or does it preserve a colonial version of Belize’s past? Culture Minister Francis Fonseca is firmly defending the holiday. He says the commemoration remains an essential part of Belizean identity and continues to hold an important place in the country’s September Celebrations. For Fonseca, the controversy does not weaken the observance. Instead, it shows why Belizeans must continue examining their history while recognizing the events that helped shape the nation.

 

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Culture

“We gather today, the tenth of September to celebrate St. George’s Caye Day. A day burned into the heart of our national identity. On August first, we observed Emancipation Day. On August first, we observed Emancipation Day, honoring the freedom of the enslaved Africans, who’s labor built the foundation of this land and who’s resistance laid the groundwork for our national sovereignty. Emancipation taught us the price of human dignity, the battle of St. George’s Caye taught us the power of collective resolve. But honor is not found merely in remembering history, it is proved by how we build our future. For generations, the dark cloud of the Belize Guatemala territorial cloud has hung over our nation, but we did not retreat. We chose the oath of peace, rule of law and international justice.”

 

But former Prime Minister Said Musa sees it differently. He describes the holiday as a colonial construct and encourages Belizeans to reconsider what it represents.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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