Belizean Beats Hit Global Stage at Japan Expo

Belizeans are showing up and showing out on the international stage at the 2025 Japan Expo. Over the weekend, world leaders travelled to Osaka, Japan to participate in a showcase of cultures and talents from across the globe. A team of talented Belizean delegates wowed the audience with a dazzling display of music, dance, and song. To hear more about the weekend’s festivities, we caught up with musician Alex Evans, one of the talented performers who helped bring Belize’s spirit to life on the big stage. News Five’s Britney Gordon has the story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

It’s a dream gig for any artist, and this year, one Belizean is living it. The Japan Expo, a global showcase of culture, creativity, and innovation, is back, and Belize is on the map. Musician Alex Evans is among the talented few representing our country, bringing the rhythm and spirit of Belize to an international stage.

 

Alex Evans, Musical Performer

“We had Mr. Ian Yacab on the marimba. We had Josh Arana on the Garifuna drums. We had Emelio Thomas, who was also a prominent Garifuna artist. We had Cocono Bwai, the Brukdown Prince of Belize. We had Ernestine Carballo, the Soca Queen of Belize. We had myself playing the steel pan but also playing several different instruments and just filling in to support the other artists as well. And we had a group of dancers led by Christelle Gabriel and the other dancers were Mr. Philip Ramsey and Adana Mendoza. And together we were able to showcase the Maya, Mestizo, Creole Garifuna cultures, as well as to give a little bit of carnival.”

 

Each nation was given a national day, where the respective delegations showed off the industries that are integral to the nation. The Belize pavilion focused on three main areas, the blue, green and orange economies. Evans was selected for the trip to highlight Belize’s orange economy, which includes the creative arts. While being able to showcase their talents on such a global stage was an exciting opportunity, Evans shares that one of the best parts of the experience has been connecting with other cultures.

 

Alex Evans

“The opportunity to walk around and interact with our brothers and sisters from neighboring Caribbean countries, Latin American countries, and even some of the West African countries. I definitely personally took advantage of having that opportunity to the Trinidad and Tobago booth and to play a little bit of steel pan with them. Same thing with Antigua and Barbuda. And to go to some of the West African countries like Guinea and Mali and Burkina Faso and to just pick up a drum and to converse with people from these other countries that have a shared historical experience and a shared cultural experience and to communicate in that way.  That was definitely one of the highlights for me personally.”

 

The delegation was carefully curated to display the diverse range of ethnicities Belize has to offer.  This melting pot of cultures is something that continues to set Belize apart from the rest and deserves to be highlighted on this grand stage.

 

Alex Evans

“This experience gave me a lot of perspective because a lot of the other countries that were here and for their national day and for their performances and the way that they chose the things that they chose to represent, they were able to represent their culture in some instances in a very specific way. But for Belize, we are very diverse. So for us to say that we’re representing Belizean culture, but to only just put a Garifuna performance on stage or a Creole performance on stage, or a Maya performance on stage would not do justice to the thing that I believe is the thing that makes us most powerful, the thing, the best thing about us, which is our diversity.”

 

Evans says that this experience has put into perspective just how important it is to understand how beautiful Belize’s diversity is and recognize the strength that unity brings. Britney Gordon for News Five.