Belize Bades Goodbye to Carnival Legend Leroy Green

Carnival season is almost here, but this year, the celebrations come with a heavy heart. Belize is mourning the loss of one of its most iconic carnival figures, Leroy Green, who was found dead early this morning on the veranda of his home. Known for his vibrant spirit and unwavering dedication to the arts, Green was a champion of creative expression and community pride. He was also a carnival legend. News Five’s Britney Gordon takes a closer look at his life, his impact, and the legacy he leaves behind.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

If you’ve ever been to Belize’s carnival, chances are you’ve seen Leroy Green, decked out in full costume, bringing energy and joy to the streets year after year. He was a staple of the celebration, a familiar face who lived and breathed the spirit of carnival. But this year, the festivities will feel different. This morning, the country woke up to heartbreaking news, Leroy Green passed away. Patrick Thompson, President of the Belize Carnival Association and one of Green’s longtime friends, remembers the first time they met, when Green invited him to be in a play. From that moment on, he became a mentor and a guiding light in Thompson’s life.

 

Patrick Thompson, President, Belize Carnival Association

“He introduced me to Carnival through that same production. And after the production, I decide to hey, say let me take a try to be a part of a carnival group and Mr. Green and the other people welcome me. And from there, my carnival life started. That was way back in 19 I don’t remember how long, and over the years I have developed that friendship with Mr. Green. Mr. Green was like a mentor to a lot of us. He would. Tell us right off the bat what he like and what he don’t like.”

 

Green was known to support several carnival bands, but one band was a home to him, Mother Nature’s Creations. Owner Carla Flowers shares the special bond they shared.

 

On the Phone: Carla Flowers, Owner, Mother Nature Creation

“I know Mr. Green from a childhood days. We are neighbors. And when I started my carnival band, but he was the closest person for me to go and asks question about joining Carnival, and then we started to get closer and closer. So he’s my friend for over seventeen years.”

 

Flowers shares that Green’s love for education poured over into every faucet of his life.

 

On the Phone: Carla Flowers

“Oh, as a mentor to us, man. He’s everything I will say. Everything, people that come around and need help with education, whatever, art education. He always there to give a hip pain hand.”

 

Leroy Green wasn’t just a carnival icon; he was a passionate advocate for the arts and creative expression in Belize. Beyond the feathers and fanfare, Green spent years shaping the country’s cultural landscape. He served as Program Director at the Institute of Creative Arts and later as the national coordinator for Expressive Arts at the Ministry of Education. About sixteen years ago, he crossed paths with Kim Vasquez, now the Director of ICA, and the two have been working side by side ever since, sharing a vision for empowering artists and inspiring the next generation.

 

Kim Vasquez, Director, Institute of Creative Arts

“He was very much committed to our National Festival of Arts as well. He was my counterpart for many years and I would often speak of this and I still do, of the partnership with the Ministry of Education that allows us to have a National Festival of Arts. And so he was my counterpart for many years me here at the Institute of Creative Arts and he’s in the Ministry of Education. And we would work together every year for the Festival of Arts and we also would work together for what was our summer arts immersive back then it was called the Summer Arts Institute, and we would have the summer camp here at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts. In many ways I inherited those efforts from Leroy where the summer camp was concerned.”

 

Above all, Green was an artist, a writer, poet, dancer, and performer. Thompson says the association will do its part to honor his legacy as carnival season approaches.

 

Patrick Thompson

“From Mr. Green, we will just continue to do what he’s here. He would always ask us to do. Just do the right thing and go by your books.”

 

While Leroy Green won’t be around this carnival season, his influence on the culture will continue to be felt for years to come. Britney Gordon for News Five.