N|uu, a language that has been around for over 20,000 years, is now at risk of extinction, with only one fluent speaker remaining—Ouma Katrina Esau. As a young girl in South Africa’s Northern Cape, Esau stopped speaking N|uu after being mocked and told it was an “ugly language.” Now, at the age of 90, she is the last known speaker of N|uu, a language nearly eradicated by the impacts of colonialism and apartheid.
N|uu, pronounced with a clicking sound between the ‘N’ and the ‘uu’, is the most endangered language in the world. It originated from the ǂKhomani people of the southern Kalahari, an area on the modern-day borders of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. The language has little written history due to its oral tradition and the violent suppression by the British Empire during the colonization of Africa in the 19th century.
The language went underground as people were beaten and even killed for using it, until the 1990s when Dr. Nigel Crawhall, a sociolinguist, and the United Nations initiated efforts to revive it. Initially, 25 people claimed fluency in N|uu, but by December 2021, only Esau remained.
Dr. Kerry Jones, a linguist and director of African Tongue, a professional linguistic consultancy working with contemporary speakers of endangered languages in southern Africa, highlighted the historical significance of the language. She explained that the 1990s marked a turning point when people began to feel safe to come forward and reveal their true identities and languages.
Esau recalled the challenges of her youth, stating, “We became ashamed when we were young girls, and we stopped speaking the language.” Instead, she spoke Afrikaans, the language promoted by South Africa’s white minority rulers.
Two weeks ago, the Millenium Challenge Corporation approved a two-hundred-and-fifty-million-dollar investment grant in education and energy in Belize. The government-funded institution’s priority is to reduce poverty through sustainable and inclusive economic growth. G.O.B. is expected to sign the agreement in September, but it must first establish the Millenium Challenge Account Belize Authority which will be the implementing agency for the education and energy projects. That is the primary reason why today’s Special Sitting of the House of Representatives was called. P.M. Briceño says it’s free money and an opportunity that the nation must take advantage of.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I must commend the people from within our government that were directly targeted with this. I have to commend the minister of education because they were going to go through a lengthy analysis and discussion to try to find out what our top five priorities. We said we know we don’t need to do any studies. We want to look at education, education, education, that we have to prepare our children with the economy of the future. At the same time realizing we want to grow the economy we have to look at addressing the energy of the country. This is the one time the opposition could not open their mouth because they are seeing we have been working on this from the day we got into government as to how we can address these challenges we are facing as a growing country. We went through the consultation and the analysis was undertaken. A proposed M.C.C. compact program was drafted, and negotiations were completed on the grant agreement in April this year. Two weeks ago the M.C.C. board approved two hundred and fifty million Belize dollars, a grant investment. Free money, two hundred and fifty million dollars. More than twenty percent of our entire national budget, to be invested in education and energy. This could have never happened under the thirteen years of the U.D.P. administration. Why you think they pick this government and not the next government?”
Prime Minister Briceño went on to explain that the Millenium Challenge Account Belize Authority will be led by a board of directors from government and civil society. P.M. Briceño noted that the Belize National Teachers Union and the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry will have representation on the board.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“The M.C.C. Belize Authority will serve as the implementing agency on and behalf of the government of Belize for education and energy projects. We expect to sign the compact agreement in early September, so it is important we get this bill to ensure we get the implementing agency when signing. All of the two hundred and fifty million dollars of the monies and the compact development funding and government country contributions will be directed through this authority to fund the projects. Given that the authority’s focus will be on education and energy, we have reached an agreement with M.C.C. that the authority’s board will not only include members of the government. It will also include representatives that are relevant to the projects. The B.T.N.U. representing teachers in education as well as the B.C.C.I. representing the private sector will have representation on the board. Given that the bulk of the funding will be education we have also provided for a representative from civil society relevant to education as well as a nonvoting member representing academic and educational organizations.”
Leader of the Opposition Moses “Shyne” Barrow also weighed in on the M.C.C. grant. He expressed that it is a moment of bipartisanship in parliament because investments are needed in both priority sectors. On the other hand, he called out the Briceño administration for not including a seat for the opposition on the M.C.C. Account Belize Authority’s board of directors.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“One of the primary concerns as I rose, I said I join with the prime minister. This is a moment of bipartisanship. We need this money. We need this investment for education and energy. But if you listen to the prime minister earlier, typical old school politicking. He threw the opposition under the bus. He threw the former minister of education on the bus from the U.D.P. as if it had something to do with his incompetence or inability that we did not get the Millenium Challenge grant. It has nothing to do, I will almost bet if you do the research that the conversation for this started under the U.D.P. Madam Speaker I have to correct the prime minister that the G.D.P. was growing about four percent, right before COVID, early 2020, 2019. This Briceño administration has not seen that type of growth. Now you look at the composition of the board, I direct the house to part three section eleven one. You look at the composition of the board, there is no seat on the board for the opposition. This is an afront to continuity, to transparency, an afront to good governance, the inclusion of the opposition, the top stakeholder of all the stakeholders has to be the opposition. We are the government in waiting.
The University of Belize has been made aware of a fraudulent post by Best Service promoting free online courses falsely associated with the university. UB clarifies that there is no affiliation with Best Service, and they are not authorized to represent or offer courses on behalf of UB.
In a press release, the university said, “We would like to clarify that there is no affiliation with the organization in question, and they are not authorized to represent or offer courses on behalf of our university. Upholding the trust of our UB community is paramount, and we are committed to ensuring accurate and pertinent information is readily accessible.”
On Wednesday morning, a wooden house in the St. Martin’s area of Belize City caught fire. The house was destroyed. Although no injuries were reported, the incident left the family with no shelter, food, or clothing. The family which includes three children continues to seek assistance.
On Facebook, KJ Trujeque called on members of the public to assist the family. She said, “My babysitter’s home caught fire today and she lost absolutely everything. Asking anyone with an open and kind heart to help her out in any way possible. She has a 1 year old baby girl and two boys; 4 and 6 years old. If you have clothes, shoes or anything that can be used in the household that you no longer want and would like to pass on to her or the kids it would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to make a monetary donation or even assist with groceries it is welcomed.”
In a few days, Belize will compete in the U21 Women’s Volleyball Championship, facing Central American teams. The tournament starts on July 16 at the Belize City Civic Center, with Belize’s first match against Nicaragua. Britney Gordon from News Five visited the Civic Center to observe Team Belize’s preparations.
Captain Gareth Bruce shared their rigorous training schedule, highlighting the team’s readiness and mixed feelings of nervousness and excitement about playing before a home crowd.
“We’re nervous and excited because we’re playing against our home crowd. I feel like all of us are well prepared, we’re well developed and experienced since our past tournaments,” said Bruce.
At 14, Sara Safa, the youngest player, expressed her enthusiasm and gratitude for the support from more experienced teammates. Middle blocker Jevia Leslie conveyed her eagerness and confidence as the tournament approaches.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), as part of the United Nations Emergency Technical Teams (UNETT), is deployed in the areas affected by Hurricane Beryl in the Caribbean to advance rapid needs assessment and preparation of proposals, under the leadership of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), to restore production and livelihoods.
FAO is supporting through damage and needs assessment using drones and satellite remote sensing. This information includes ground-level data collection through surveys and key informant interviews. All of this will guide response and recovery planning. Through the Ministries of Agriculture and CDEMA, governments continue to assess the full extent of damage caused.
According to the assessments carried out so far, the primary humanitarian needs for the food security sector are focused on restoring the fishing capacity of artisanal fishermen and actors involved in the value chain, including processing, conservation, and transformation equipment and infrastructure; providing planting materials to recover affected crops as well as inputs for short-cycle crops that serve as an alternative source of food and income; cash transfers and other mechanisms so that the most vulnerable fishermen and farmers can access basic needs; and food assistance for the affected population.
Preliminary indications are that approximately 60,000 people require humanitarian assistance in Grenada, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines. Loss of fishing capacity, including damage to vessels, support infrastructure, and fishing equipment, and damage to crops and livestock, have been reported.
Agriculture in Jamaica has also suffered damage, with preliminary assessments indicating that several crops have been affected. Access to rural areas remains a challenge, and authorities estimate over US$6.4 million in damage to the agricultural sector, raising concerns about food security and livelihoods. Damaged crops include vegetables and fruits, which are sources of food on the island. In addition, the livestock and fisheries sectors have also experienced considerable damage.
FAO immediately mobilized technical assistance through its Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities (SFERA) to support its coordination and response capacities in the affected countries. This includes the recruitment and rapid deployment of staff, field missions, logistics, partnerships, resource mobilization, and technical assistance activities.
Mario Lubetkin, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, said: “We at FAO express our commitment to the Caribbean countries and reiterate our support for mobilizing international cooperation for the response and the recovery of agricultural, livestock, and fisheries production in the affected countries.”
In addition, with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), FAO is working on a response plan that includes the needs identified, highlighting the needs of producers and fishermen. This approach seeks to mobilize international attention on the need to support rapid response in a region where the hurricane season is expected to be very intense.
To date, the Ministries of Agriculture of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada have officially requested FAO to support the recovery of their food production systems through emergency agricultural interventions critical to safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable. Requests for assistance include the distribution of seeds, fertilizers, fishing inputs, repair of boats and critical processing, preservation and transformation infrastructure, and support for subsistence livestock farming, among others.
The Belize Taiwan Career Forum is an annual event aimed at providing Belizeans in Taiwan with opportunities to connect with industry professionals. The 2024 forum will include segments on medicine, international affairs, IT, education, engineering, and international business. It is scheduled for July 14-15 (Belize) and July 15-16 (Taiwan), with sessions held in Northern and Southern Taiwan, and available online for those who cannot attend in person. The forum features mentor speakers from various fields, offering guidance on joining the workforce in Belize and Taiwan.
Adriel Moh, a member of the steering committee spoke to News Five via Zoom:
The Ministry of Investment, through its Investment Policy and Compliance Unit (IPCU), in collaboration with the Corozal Think Tank, launched two new initiatives at the Corozal ITVET: the “Animation Bootcamp for Belizean Women and Girls” and the “Cell Phone Repair Course for Women and Youth.”
The “Animation Bootcamp for Belizean Women and Girls” aims to equip women in the Corozal, Orange Walk, and Belize Districts with basic digital skills in graphic art and animation, enabling them to create short, animated films. These skills are increasingly in demand across various industries, including film, television, gaming, advertising, and marketing.
The “Cell Phone Repair Course for Women and Youth” addresses the need for skilled technicians in cell phone maintenance and repair. Currently, there is no training course of this kind in Belize, and access to cell phone repair services is limited in many parts of the country.
