September is a time of celebration. A time to celebrate Belize, its culture, and its people. Today, seven Belizean artists were honored by the National Celebrations Commission with Creative and Cultural Excellence awards for their contributions to Belize’s rich and diverse art sector. We attended the ceremony held at the House of Culture today to meet the awardees.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Do not be surprised when future history books mention the name Adela Peterson Vallejos. While you may not recognize the name now, she is well on her way to becoming someone you can’t forget. She is one of seven recipients of the National Celebrations Commission’s Creative and Cultural Excellence Awards. She received the Leela Vernon Prize for Creative Community Action and Safeguarding Cultural Heritage. It is said that culture is the spirit of a nation, and these winners are keeping the spirit alive.
Adela Peterson Vallejos
Adela Peterson Vallejos, Winner, Leela Vernon Prize
“It’s a big step forward. I represent the Yucatec Maya culture, and the Yucatec Maya culture has been marginalized. Their language is near extinction, so for everyone to recognize our efforts mean the world to us. Maybe now people will take attention and see that we need to do much more to preserve our ancestral language.”
Adela Peterson Vallejos was born and raised in Libertad Village in Corozal and has made her mark in the world by founding a chapter of the Consortium for Belizean Development. Wanting to connect with roots, she dedicated a portion of her life to learning her mother’s native tongue, Yucatec Maya, later establishing the To’one Masehualoone NPO.
Britney Gordon
“And I know that you decided to take the step to connect with that part of your heritage What does it mean for you to be an example that is never too late to take the step towards that.”
Adela Peterson Vallejos
“Yes, we can all make a difference. We just have to do something today.”
The winners hail from all over the country and vary in their areas of expertise. The other six winners are: Teresita Ulloa, recipient of the Beverly Smith Prize for Acting in Theatre and Film; Alfonzo Tzul, recipient of the Don Elijio Prize for the Protections and Development of Traditional Knowledge; Rowland Parks, recipient of the Zee Edgell Prize for Literary Arts; Mercy Sabal, recipient of the George Gabb Prize for Visual Arts; Mohobub Flores, recipient of the Andy Palacio Prize for Belizean Music; and husband and wife duo, Matthew and Virgin Martinez, recipients of the Rosita Baltazar Prize for Dance. Minister of Culture, Francis Fonseca acknowledged the significance of celebrating the trailblazers of the past, while acknowledging those who continue their work and create a new era culture.
Francis Fonseca
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Culture
“Cultural and creative moment. excellence awards. It’s all about making sure that we are recognizing, acknowledging, paying respect to our artists, our artistic community, our creative community. We do so by honoring great icons, so the awards are named after seven great artists, great creative people.”
It is vital that recipients feel supported as they pave the way for new generations of activist and artist.
Francis Fonseca
“We have gone through a process of identifying individuals in our country who have continued that work. And who continue to contribute to believes this cultural development. So it’s absolutely important very important for any country to honor and recognize its creative community. Culture is really the lifeblood of any nation. We’re very happy that we’ve established this. And that each year we’re able to identify and recognize and pay tribute to wonderful Belizeans who continue to contribute through culture to the national development of Belize.”
The pool of winners showcases Belize’s diverse population, not only in ethnicity but talents and abilities, such as Rowland Parks, the blind journalist leading the charge in literary excellence and Teresita Ulloa, who didn’t think she would be able to outdo her competition when she applied to be a librarian. She has since transformed the library into a place that fosters a love for learning. Peterson Vallejos hopes that by leading through example, the heart of her culture will beat on for years to come.
Britney Gordon
“What is your hope for the future of other Belizeans that might want to dip their toes into the work that you do?”
Adela Peterson Vallejos
“Well, everyone needs to do their part to preserve our ancestry, and to create a legacy for the next generation.”
The Belize Music Project is officially here. Created by the ministries of Culture and Tourism, the initiative seeks to connect Belizean youths to their cultural roots through a love for music. The project was officially launched today at the House of Culture in Belize City. News Five’s Britney Gordon has the story.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
For centuries, music has remained one of the strongest ties to culture that a person can have. Playing instruments, singing and dancing together, music connects people. And the Belize Music Project is seeking to connect Belizean youths to their forebears. Music activist, Bilal Morris explains the significance of the project.
Bilal Morris
Bilal Morris, Music Activist
“The Belize Music Project is a documentation and celebration of Belizean music, both past and present. It’s placing Belizean music into a historical context and timeline so that present and future generations of Belizeans, students and non-students alike, Belizean musical enthusiasts, entertainers, and the Belizean community at large can hear, see, experience, and feel the Belizean soul. We can even play back this rich history of Belizean music through various musical technologies and medium today to enjoy the song of a people and their musically creative history that have not only developed a nation but globalize this rich and cultural heritage.”
The project is based on three main principles: research, education, and innovation, with the goal of unlocking Belize’s musical soul. Over the course of several months, the experts will attempt to create a digital archive of musical creations across Belizean history.
Francis Fonseca
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education
“The Belize Music Project focuses on preserving Belize’s rich musical heritage while fostering innovative expressions that bridge past traditions with future artistic endeavors, instilling cultural pride and identity. It involves comprehensive research, including interviews and historical recordings to create a narrative of Belize’s musical journey culminating in a multi-format music box set titled one hundred years of Music in Belize which features significant historical recordings and detailed publications.”
Belizean favorites such as Mister Peters, Lord Rhaburn and Sam Hamilton will be featured but as the project progresses, researchers will also attempt to archive the works of still-undiscovered artists of the past. Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler says that by doing so, the world will be able to look back for generations to come and appreciate the talent concentrated in the small country of Belize.
Anthony Mahler
Anthony Mahler, Ministry of Tourism
“Why can’t we have the next Bob? Why can’t we have the next Rihanna? Why can’t we have the next Marshall Montano or whoever it is, we have talented people here. And that’s why we’ve invested in the music studios that we’ve invested in and we’ll continue to do more. And that’s why we are investing in the music and food festival. I think art has a crucial role to play in our education and believing in what we are as Belizeans. It is important for far too often we take these things for granted but if you listen to the video and you listen to the talent that we had, and we have right now, I think we have to create that environment.”
August first is formally recognized as Emancipation Day in Belize. The date commemorates the abolition of slavery in 1838, remembering the hardships of the nation’s African ancestors who fought for their freedom. As the day draws nearer, Belizeans are encouraged to participate in ceremonies honoring those ancestors and learn more about the impact of slavery on the country. In tonight’s episode of Kolcha Tuesday, News Five’s Britney Gordon looks at Emancipation Day through a historic lens. Here’s that report.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
The beating of drums can be used to express many different emotions. In some instances, it is festive, as people dance and celebrate. On August first, however, the sound will act as a reminder to Belizeans of their African ancestors who were kidnapped from their homes. The drums are the heartbeat of their free descendants. The drums are also a tribute to lives lost and the ones that were set free. Rolando Cocom, Director of the Institute for Social and Cultural Research, spoke with us about the foundations of emancipation in the region.
Rolando Cocom
Rolando Cocom, Director, Social and Cultural Research, NICH
“When we were thinking about this period there are several things that occur and there are several key steps that gets us to emancipation, including of course, the acts. And the actions of the enslaved people themselves who resisted being enslaved they did this through various ways. The most popular and known as revolts, meaning physically taking arms and saying, we must free ourselves, we must live on our own accords and so on. But also in other passive ways which means, doing less work than you’re, you need to do in order to not be abused on a daily basis.”
It is estimated that over two to three thousand Africans were enslaved in Belize to work principally in the extraction of logwood. Cocom explains that there is a misconception that slavery was not as severe in Belize, however records indicate that Africans were fleeing the settlement to gain freedom in Mexico and West Guatemala. YaYa Marin-Coleman, a community organizer dedicated to the empowerment of African communities, told us that the Atlantic slave trade was an interruption of the African story and stressed the importance of acknowledging how that interruption is still impacting people in today.
YaYa Marin-Coleman
YaYa Marin-Coleman, community organizer
“Now, we are in different world view. Most of the world view already used that 2024. They’re not for we worldview. They’re not indigenous people worldview. So you’re a fine way to call African descendants. So there’s a people of color, including indigenous people that we have more lack of solidarity because we oppression that is same before European people come with the extraction and natural resources, murdering with people for personal gain. Translations. Get massive wealth to make the first world country women are living in harmony with mama earth. We knew that you know, mama earth and all the other beings, the creatures in the water that we can put that we system, but that natural to we. So the interruption of that glorious history, our stories because his story, her story, our story. When our African ancestors, with the complicity of some of our people, but at that time our people had no idea what they were going to do as far as what happened to the people. They couldn’t see that. Just like when our people were enslaved, they couldn’t see themselves ever being free.”
Emancipation Day was formally recognized as a holiday in 2021, however, grassroot celebrations have been occurring in communities throughout the country for decades. Kim Vasquez, Director of the Institute of Creative Arts explains that a libation ceremony was one of the ways that Belizeans commemorated the occasion.
Kim Vasquez
Kim Vasquez, Director, Institute of Creative Arts
“So the libation is a ritual, It’s actually in both the Creole culture and the Garifuna culture. In the ceremony, it is incorporated because we try to incorporate cultural elements into the official ceremony. So the libation is a ritual in the Creole culture that basically calls out to the ancestors. It’s giving them thanks for their continued guidance. It’s asking them to continue guiding us. And also asking them to come and join us and be present there in spirit. in the ceremony as we call out their names. And there is a very profound moment in the ceremony where you are asked in silence to communicate with your own ancestors and to reflect and to commune with them. And while this is happening, of course, water is being poured symbolically. And that is like how the libation ceremony is done.”
The descendants of the enslaved Africans are still feeling the impacts of slavery to this day, with limited access to education, healthcare and opportunities. It is because of this that the call for reparations continues to be made by descendants.
YaYa Marin-Coleman
“So if you are in a position of power influence. More eyes upon you, more accountability, more transparency. And when you’re wrong, just say I’m wrong. I’ll work and do better. That’s just that. And that’s why it’s so important to frame it as African emancipation, African reparations, because other groups of people get reparations. And reparations is not primarily about finance. The biggest reparation is the repair of self.”
Emancipation Day is formally recognized one day of the year, but Belizeans are a living testament to that day and that freedom.
Rolando Cocom
“So we could think about emancipation on the day itself, but you could also think about the everyday experiences that expresses African emancipation. And you can think to think about this, for instance, in true language, Creole, da di language that we talk every day. And that itself is an expression of African resilience and African the spirit of freedom.”
Chon Saan Palace is celebrating fifty years of service to Belize. The restaurant was founded in 1974 by Armando Chang, the patriarch of the Chang family who migrated to Belize from China in 1961. He worked at Canton Restaurant for a few years before venturing into building the restaurant and brand that is known across the country. So, how has Chon Saan Palace been able to survive this long? Its current owner, Lee Mark Chang says the Belizean culture has shaped the restaurant over the years into what it is today. News Five’s Paul Lopez joined Lee Mark Chang for lunch inside the restaurant. Here is what he found out in today’s installment of Kolcha Tuesday.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
1974 may seem like a long time ago in Belize’s history. It is the first year that the country held general elections after being renamed from British Honduras the year before. It is also the year that one Chinese family opened the doors to a restaurant that is now known across the country. On July fourteenth, Chon Saan Palace celebrated its fiftieth anniversary.
Lee Mark Chang
Lee Mark Chang, Owner, Chon Saan Palace
“Hard work and determination. Make sure your kitchen serves only the freshest of food, cook to order and make sure your customers are satisfied.”
Lee Mark Chang, the owner of Chon Saan Palace, took over from his father, Armando Chang, who established their first location on Freetown Road. Prior to that, Armando Chang was employed at Canton Restaurant on New Road where he cooked and bussed tables. In 1991, the family established a new Chon Saan Palace location on Kelly Street. Lee Mark Chang has been at the helm of the business for the last three decades.
Lee Mark Chang
“I don’t think my parents ever envision us lasting sixty years. It is a milestone, and they are very happy that I have been able to continue their work. Starting has always been hard. It is always hard for a business and as my father explained previously, getting beers, meat, vegetables, was very hard because of scarcity back in the days.”
Today, we sat down with the former President of the Senate for lunch inside his restaurant. The table was set with eight different dishes that the restaurant serves. Chon Saan Palace’s Asian inspired menu is a fusion of the Chang family’s Chinese heritage, and the flavors Belizeans know and love. In essence, Belize’s culinary culture has shaped Chon Saan into the successful restaurant it is today.
Lee Mark Chang
“I believe it is the Belizean culture that has shaped Chon Saan, because we have adapted their pallet and taste the veggies, what is available in Belize. I would say, ninety-five, maybe ninety-seven percent of our meats and vegetables are locally produced. A good example is the chow mein, you don’t find chow mein anywhere in this world like the Belizean chow mein. For example, the cabbage, carrots and onion in it, it is not common, as far as I know. In the states, the chow mein is made up of bak choy and whatever meats you order. As far I can recall there is no noodles involved in chow mein in the states, as far as I know. Maybe some do have it. We also generate our own style of cooking, like for example the salt and pepper whole fish where we would fillet the entire fish, debone it and fry the entire fish and present it also.”
The spread, specially curated for the media, provided a culinary experience that took the pallet through five decades of cooking perfection.
Lee Mark Chang
“I think we have the salt and pepper fish, we have the Singapore shrimp. I made a pan-fried tenderloin steak, sweet and sour chicken Chinese style, sweet and sour, jumbo shrimp, mixed vegetables with garlic. I think there is an eight-course meal prepared for you guys today.”
Undoubtedly, as Chang admits, the dish that is most popular among his customers is the restaurant’s fried chicken. It is also one of the most affordable items on the menu. The flavor of Chon Saan’s fried chicken distinguishes itself from the rest. Believe it or not, habanero pepper is one of its main ingredients. A recent spike in the cost of habanero has pushed the restaurant to slightly adjust its prices on certain dishes to maintain standards. Successfully navigating scarcity and inflation has kept this family in business for five decades.
Lee Mark Chang
“We use a lot of habaneros, a lot. We marinade a lot of our fried chicken in habanero. So we have to blend up a lot. So when habanero was three to five dollars a pound and then it went up to five, ten fifteen, and even twenty-five dollars a pound, that is hard. So we have had to raise our price by fifty cents recently so to at least be able to continue with the usage of the same ingredients, same amount, for the fried chicken.”
From one generation to the next, Lee Mark Chang and his son have made a five-year apprentice agreement. When those five years are over, a decision will be taken to pass the business on to a new generation. The promise is to maintain the standard of the brand into the next five decades, in spite of who is at the helm.
Lee Mark Chang
“We have people who come in for birthdays, anniversary, whatever celebration they are doing. A part from that we have people come in on a daily basis. That is what we work on, we work on the entire package. We don’t only target one individual customer or group of customer. It is an everyday restaurant. You can get the cheapest of food or the most expensive food. It all depends on what you want to eat or what is your budget for the day.”
Paul Lopez
“Are there certain values your family holds that also emanates through the way you do business?”
Lee Mark Chang
“Work nuh kill, hard work and determination. That has been beat into my head from a very young age, work nuh kill.”
The 2024 Miss African Queen Pageant is just a few days away and this year six contestants are making their final preparations for the big day. The annual event is meant to bring Belizean women closer to their African roots by allowing them to embrace the physical traits linking them to the continent and highlights aspects of various cultures through clothing and dance. In this week’s episode of Kolcha Tuesday, we explore the cultural ties between Belizeans and their African heritage.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
For many Belizeans, the word Creole can refer to several aspects of one’s identity. It may be the language, or a signifier of one’s skin color among the mixture of races and ethnicities found in the country. No matter how it is used, the origin of the word refers to those who were born in a country that is not their parents’ homeland. This is the legacy of the slaves that were brought to the Caribbean from West Africa. And this is the heritage that the Miss African Queen Pageant seeks to highlight every year. Maryam Abdul-Qawiyy, spokesperson for the Miss African Queen Contest, tells us more.
Maryam Abdul-Qawiyy
Maryam Abdul-Qawiyy, Spokesperson, Miss African Queen Contest
“Being here in Belize, we are a melting pot of cultures of Creole, Garifuna, Maya, Mestizo, and we also have our Mennonites as well and our diplomats and people who come to live here from all over the world. We love all our cultures, but the main four Belizean cultures that are here are black and brown people and this pageant came about for especially the Creole to celebrate their heritage and the creole people are a part of the African diaspora. These were people who were enslaved so it’s about recognizing self where you’re from that’s why it’s called miss African queen because all black peoples are coming from the continent of Africa.”
According to Abdul-Qawiyy, the contest was created to fill a gap in pageantry and celebrate women who break away from Euro-centric beauty standards. Leah James, a contestant representing The Gambia, says that she entered this year’s competition so that her young daughters appreciate African beauty and be reminded of their heritage. We ask what it means for her as a black Belizean woman to represent this part of history.
Leah James
Leah James, Contestant
“I’m going to be very honest with that. If you had asked me that six, seven years ago, I would not be able to give an answer that would really resonate with my heart. But after having my first child. Her having her curl here all those coils all of that that is what made me realize that you know what? Despite my skin color I might be lighter than others but it’s still in me and I need to be proud of it not only for myself but for her because she needs to feel proud of herself she needs to feel like that pride because they’re girls they’re gonna look up to somebody they need someone to look up to so I’m ensuring that My pride shows true that they can see that okay you have someone to look up to.”
To connect with her costume, James decided to create elements of it by hand, such as her headpiece and parts of her dress. We caught up with fellow contestant, Hypolita Usher, who will be representing Uganda, as she was gathering the finishing elements for her attire. Uganda is a landlocked country located in East Africa, famous for its biodiversity and being the source of the Nile River. Uganda is also known for its relatively high birth rate, displaying on average four point five eight children per woman. Usher explains that the reason she chose to embody Uganda is because she could see herself represented among the features of the women of that nation.
Hypolita Usher
Hypolita Usher, Contestant
“It was really hard choosing Uganda for the simple fact that all the countries I’ve read up on, they have so much to offer. However, what stuck with me with them was that, if Africa on a whole, they love full figured women, but Uganda specifically, there’s a tribe living in the woods who prefer it, who groom their children to be thicker women, and they are listed as the tallest people in the world. So I said, look at that, I’m full figured, I’m tall. So that’s what made me really go with Uganda.”
The goal of the pageant is to bridge the gap between the African continent and Belize. Abdul-Qawiyy, a former Miss African Queen herself, acknowledges the similarities between Egyptian and Belizean dance. By participating, every contestant leaves with a stronger connection to their chosen country.
Maryam Abdul-Qawiyy
“One of our contestants this year, she’s representing Sierra Leone and she found that in Sierra Leone, there’s a similar name that we have here in Belize for one of our towns, the exact name. And not only that, but they also speak Creole. I don’t want to give away too much, but she will be explaining more in her different statements and her intro and all the delegates have found similarities between Belize and these African nations. And that’s what it’s all about, is to find these similarities, to recognize that our culture and our heritage is worldwide, and that it’s important for reeducation of self.”
The African ancestry that ties Belize to the rest of the Caribbean may not be at the forefront of the mind of Belizeans, but it is something that flows within their veins. It can be seen in the fishing and agricultural communities, finding resourceful ways to survive. It can be heard in the language and music that connects people of various ages, and it is felt in the community that comes together to celebrate what it means to call themselves Belizeans. Britney Gordon for News Five.
The legend of X’tabai is a tale of jealousy and vengefulness. The story of two women, one promiscuous, but kind and the other pure, but cruel, has been told across the Yucatan Peninsula for decades. It is said that the malicious spirit lures men to their demise with her beauty as she roams the earth in her afterlife. In tonight’s episode of Kolcha Tuesday, News Five’s Britney Gordon dives deeper into the legend that has impacted the lives of many who grew up in rural Belize, inspired authors and even earned itself a movie. Here is that report.
Aurelio Sho
Aurelio Sho, Encountered X’tabai
“Upon approaching, we felt the cold seed and this huge no-good feeling at all, they’re like your normal self is fighting this different encounter, and then we realized that there was no one, no we didn’t see no one. And then we realized that immediately on the dock, that we saw some footprints, but instead of that of a human, we saw something like a turkey and something else different, like two different. Like you could see the footprints walking all the way to the end of the dock and it was really fresh and you could see like the turkey or the chicken, and then when we saw that we look at each other and we just run all the way home.”
Britney Gordon, reporting
If you were to see a beautiful woman with long black hair, beckoning you over on the side of the road, would you think twice about approaching her? What if the woman was cloaked in white and had one foot of a turkey and the other of a goat? Then the thought may cross your mind that you are looking at the spirit of X’tabai, the femme fatale, luring you to your death. David Ruiz, a Belizean storyteller, details the legend.
David Ruiz
David Ruiz, Belizean Storyteller
“It comes from that pre-Hispanic Mayan culture which represents A princess, a man princess in ancient Yucatan, who, who is hexed by another lady because of jealousy, no? She was a, she was being courted by one of the noblemen and the other lady, gets jealous and hexes Princess Sulay, X’tabai. And from there she’s doomed to roam the planet’s eternity in search of a suitor, of a male suitor and that’s where it comes to us as the lady that in the temptress that attracts men.”
The vindictive spirit is known for targeting men because even though she lived as Utz-colel, a pure woman, she died with an evil heart. Unlike her counterpart Xkeban who, although promiscuous and shunned by society, embodied characteristics of good and kindness. Aurelio Sho says that he encountered X’tabai twice in his youth. He detailed the second encounter to us where he stumbled upon a woman brushing her long black hair while he was crossing the Blue Creek Bridge at four thirty in the morning.
Aurelio Sho
“I stopped to watch and then, but when you stop for that few seconds of trying to make that connection, that is where it lets out that. I don’t know. I don’t want to call it evil spirit or whatever, but.”
Britney Gordon
“That negative energy?”
Aurelio Sho
“The energy was so overwhelming, and it started to compete with yours. And then that’s how, when they start to bring you down, the cold seed. I feel like all my hair stand up, and it’s quite an encounter. Honestly you get really afraid, and immediately then and there, I realized that was the X’tabai and in no time, it’s like somebody spray a perfume where just a very strong scent of a natural something, like a perfume, that’s what it let out. And then like in no time, that there is nothing in the river, but then you know that it’s the X’tabai.”
According to legend, those who are lured by X’tabai don’t typically live to tell the tale, as she turns herself into a snake and devours her captive. Sho says he was fortunate both times because he was taught how to recognize malicious spirits.
Aurelio Sho
“Growing up you learn a lot of things from your grandparents, from your parents and especially learn to survive and traditional knowledge. So you would have, I would know what to do and what to, you say your lee prayer if find yourself being trapped or to be overcome by any of these things, and I think this is the uniqueness of our culture. We adapt and we learn to live in harmony with nature.”
X’tabai is so solidified in Belizean culture that a movie depicting the character was produced in 2012 by the late Matthiew Klinck through the production company Make-Belize Films. It starred nearly an all-Belizean cast and was filmed within the country. Klinck’s former business partner, Horacio Guerrero. told us about the role of X’tabai in the film.
Horacio Guerrera
Horacio Guerrero, Director, Make-Belize Films
“The plot of the story is we have these students that escaped their village in San Antonio because a curse has been placed on the village and the people are in fever, some are dying. And then the village is locked down by the government because they’re afraid for it to spread. And then these group of adventurous students escape into the jungle to see if they can find the cure or how to break that curse from the X’tabai. And of course, from there, everything escalates and they go into the jungle and they start, you know, meeting with the demon and having, you know, all these encounters. Then, you know, you see if they, they find the, Break the curse of the X’tabai.”
Guerrero explained that Klinck’s vision for the movie was to create something that would capture the attention of and resonate with Belizean audiences.
Horacio Guerrero
“He needed something where the audience would be captivated and something that was, that all Belizeans would know about. So upon his arrival here and talking to people, he saw that folklore was something that Belizeans are very much into. And everybody, you know, across the board, doesn’t matter, Mestizo, Creole, Garifuna, everybody kind of knows about folklore. And the X’tabai just seemed to be that creature, that, that monster that would captivate.”
A three-month sewing training programme is expected to benefit underprivileged girls and women in rural Toledo. The training programme was launched on Monday in Pueblo Viejo Village, Toledo District, by the government of Belize and the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) under the name “Sewing Training to Underprivileged Adolescent Girls and Women.”
This initiative focuses on exploring entrepreneurship and enhancing financial stability among the participating women, and is part of the project “Enhancing Economic Empowerment of Women in Belize in the COVID-19 Post-Pandemic Era.”
The project aims to empower disadvantaged women with sewing skills. It will be managed by the Tumul Uj Pueblo Mopan Women’s Group.
At the launch, Oscar Requena, Minister of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Local Government, and Labour, said, “What this project seeks to do is really to provide trading for our women, to improve their entrepreneurial skills, to improve their sewing skills, to improve their collaborative efforts of working together. And to be able to pass on those traditional and cultural skills that our women have.”
Lily Li-Wen Hsu, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Belize, commended the women participating in the programme, “such programme will build up self-confidence, and form a network of mutual support that helps the participants fulfill their potential.”
The turmeric root has been touted as a medicinal plant that boosts the immune system and wards off minor infections, liver ailments, and healing wounds. But this wonder plant from the ginger family is also ground into a powder and bottled as a tasty seasoning in the East Indian culture. In today’s edition of Belize on Reel, News Five’s Marion Ali and George Tillett travelled to Toledo where turmeric is harvested and used as medicine and seasoning. Here’s that report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Derrick Guy makes a living off the turmeric root. He uses a portion of his farmland at Yemeri Grove to plant and harvest a few thousand pounds each year. Some of it he sells to a factory several miles away, and the rest he grinds into what is called yellow ginger. This is a powder that can be added to almost any pot – a meal that is then called takari.
Derrick Guy
Derrick Guy, Turmeric Farmer, Toledo
“We usually harvest it in dry weather and when we harvest it, we usually put back the seed back under the earth. But we usually harvest it on full moon that ih last long and ih nuh ketch weevil when you process it, noh. We wash it like two, three times, we boil it, we put it out in the sun let it dry. No rain enough to catch it because it can spoil. You got to crack it first with the mill and from there you grind it, then sieve it, and grind it again till it comes to come to lone powder.”
Guy says there are other methods of harvesting and processing turmeric, but the end product doesn’t last long.
Sherene Garay-Usher owns and manages Garay’s Restaurant in Punta Gorda. Her establishment caters largely to customers who want takari food, which is any meal that is cooked with yellow ginger. She agrees that the way turmeric is processed makes all the difference. Even though she processes the root for her own uses, when she needs to buy, she says she prefers Guy’s method of processing over the others.
Sherene Garay-Usher
Sherene Garay-Usher, Owner and Manager, Garay’s Restaurant
“If yoh goh buy it da the stores the yellow ginger taste different. Some of them don’t even have color. Soh ih yellow in the bottle, but when you cook it, the stuff doesn’t come out yellow.”
Marion Ali
“Why is that?”
Sherene Garay-Usher
“Because they’re not dry, good. The processing is different.”
Marion Ali
“And now, you have a famous kitchen in PG, and everybody knows this kitchen or know about your cooking. And that taste of that yellow ginger. It’s traditional to you, it’s unique to you, and you’re saying it’s because of the way it’s processed?”
Sherene Garay-Usher
“Yes, it’s because of the way it’s processed, and for me, when I buy yellow ginger, most of the time I try to buy from Mr. Derrick because they do it almost the way how we grow up di do it, the traditional way.”
Garay-Usher attests that this yellow ginger powder can be used in almost any pot.
Sherene Garay-Usher
“The split peas yoh just sprinkle a little bit in it when it start boil up and thing. But, when I cook the cohune cabbage, I fry up my yellow ginger before I put in the cohune. The pork, I have to fry the yellow ginger a little bit and that is because the yellow ginger nuh processed the way how I would do it for myself.”
Marion Ali
“I see, yes. If you had done it for yourself, how would you have done it?”
Sherene Garay-Usher
“If I had done it for myself, I would have made my paste and have it ready for when I ready to cook. I could just season the meat with it.”
Garay’s Kitchen is so popular for its unique takari dishes that Garay-Usher says she gets orders not only from the Toledo District but sometimes from as far away as Belize City, Belmopan and Corozal.
Sherene Garay-Usher
“Most people da PG basically follow the East Indian or the Creole when it comes to the food. On a daily basis most people look forward to eating something takari. People would da just call or just message and say, please send this or please send that, and they just pay online and then I just put it on the plane. Most of it da the Takari or if I cook cohune cabbage, like today I had an order to send by the plane.”
While turmeric is ground into yellow ginger and takari dishes are popular East Indian cuisines, it is also used for medicinal purposes. Guy said he uses it as a booster.
Derrick Guy
“They have it in capsule too for medicine and when I go on YouTube, they say it has 54 different benefits.”
Marion Ali
“Do you use it as medicine?”
Derrick Guy
“Of course but I cook with it a lot and I also boil it and drink it for tea.”
Marion Ali
“What does it do?”
Derrick Guy
“They say it helps the immune system, noh. It fights against different sickness and things. Ih good for joint pain too also.”
The internet suggests that turmeric has several health benefits for which the product can be used as well. Marion Ali for News Five.
Although making up less than four percent of the population, the East Indian community is coming forward to remind Belizeans that their culture is alive. In this week’s episode of Kolcha Tuesday, we take you to Punta Gorda Town, where we met with a group of girls who are sharing their heritage in the way they know best: dance. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the story.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
From Mayans to Chinese. From Garifuna to Creole. Many of the diverse and rich communities that gave the country the title, “melting pot of cultures” can be found in southern Belize. It is here, in Toledo District that we find the heartbeat of the East Indian community, fighting to preserve its culture. At the 2024 Chocolate Fest of Belize, held in Punta Gorda Town, several cultures were highlighted through music and dance. The East Indian community was represented by three girls who wanted to find a way to connect with their heritage since they do not know the language and felt that dance would be the perfect medium to do so. Venice Parham, one of the dancers at the event, explained this desire to us.
Venice Parham
Venice Parham, Dancer
“The kind of dance that we were doing is our cultural dance. It’s an East Indian that descends way from India. We practice almost every time when there is events. We try to keep our culture alive because our East Indian culture in Belize doesn’t really show so we try to keep it alive through dance and our food.”
The trio of dancers has been practicing together since primary school, having grown up watching family members and friends attempt to preserve the culture in the same way. Giselle Parham, older sister of one of the dancers explained how they navigate the disconnect with the culture.
Giselle Parham
Giselle Parham, Former Dancer
“So for the East Indian culture, one way that we would preserve it as young youths, because growing up, I started when I was about ten in primary school. We represented our primary schools. I also represented my high school but, again, how we preserve and try to keep the cultures alive is through dancing. We don’t know what these songs are saying, what it means. We don’t really know what the move means in these dances. But we just try to look at these YouTube videos, these dances that these Indians do. And we basically just do the same thing and portray it through dancing.”
Fourteen-year-old Arceli Parham was the lead choreographer for the performance, she explained that she put together the routine through YouTube and with the help of her sister.
Arceli Parham
Arceli Parham, Lead Choreographer
“I get choreographed from like, some of the dances, like the dance songs. Sometimes the choreographer is in there, and I just pick up some of the dances from that. Since my sister, she danced, when she was younger, so I also got some ideas from her. There’s two dances that I remember. There’s Nainowale and Aaja Nachle .”
Arceli and her family carry their desire to embrace their East Indian heritage into their love for pageantry. She explained that the dancers were able to source the dresses from her sister, Arelee Parham, who represented Belize at the Miss International Council of India Culture in Trinidad and Tobago in 2019. Dancer, Viaani Mangar, said that she is honored to take up the mantle and set examples for other young girls.
Viaanie Mangar
Viaanie Mangar, Dancer
“To be honest, I wasn’t really nervous because I really love this cultural dancing that I am a proud East Indian. And it really means a lot because the culture in Belize is dying. So, we as young youths have to encourage younger youths when they get our age to be able to do stuff like that.”
Britney Gordon
“How did you girls get the chance to dance here today? Who approached you about this?”
Viaanie Mangar
“We got our chance through her sister, Giselle Parham, which works at Copal. Her sister was the queen once, and they continued dancing, and right now she gave it up, so she passed it down to us, and we are currently dancing at Copal Lodge.”
Giselle believes that if people in the community continue to encourage youths to engage with the culture in fun ways, then it is possible to reclaim other aspects such as language. She hopes that through passing on the love for dancing, a new wave of support will be ignited for her people.
Giselle Parham
“We try to pass this now on to my younger sister and my other little cousins for them to also be advocates for other children’s out here who are East Indian descent, that they can be able to proudly represent their culture through dances, to maybe one of these days, learn the languages. Our culture is one of the cultures that lost their language. It’s most of their traditions, music dances many, many years ago, and we really don’t know what it’s all about. And so us as the younger generation have to come out and try to preserve it, try to learn about it, try to learn the history so that we could be able to spread the word because is really three percent of Belize’s population and that’s a very little amount tpo say that we have a huge support.”
In late April, twelve Belizean chefs from across the country completed a diploma in a culinary arts program through the B.T.B., the Ministry of Education and the Florida International University. Over the course of nine sessions, these chefs were trained in various culinary skills with assistance from Belize’s own Chef Sean Kuylen, who blended Belizean culture into the experience. We spoke with a recent graduate today, to hear how they plan to make use of the knowledge and skills imparted on them. News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Part of Belize’s reputation as a melting pot of cultures, includes the wide variety of food offered throughout the country. Across various hotels, restaurants and vendors, food tourism is a large contributor to Belize’s economy. Thus, creating opportunities for more people to hone their skills in the kitchen is a necessary part of keeping Belizean chefs in business. Recently, twelve people were able to gain a diploma in a culinary arts program through the BTB, the Ministry of Education and the Florida International University. Mirna Paul Greenidge chose not to become a professional chef but wanted to join in on the experience to gain the skills and knowledge.
Mirna Paul Greenidge
Mirna Paul Greenidge, Culinary Arts Program Graduate
“It was a culinary arts class and it was a basic skills learning about different aspects and techniques of cooking and preparation of food and also doing safety, which is very important.”
Britney Gordon
“So how did you get involved in this program?”
Mirna Paul Greenidge
“I got involved because I saw an advertisement from BTB, kudos to the people at BTB, the minister for his vision and his entire team, Mister Enriquez, who is the person that do all the training for the different aspects of hospitality in the country. Miss Tracy, who was very helpful for us, for encourage us and get us to get this training completed.”
The participants mastered a variety of skills, including cold food preparation and menu design.
Britney Gordon
“So I know you’re not a chef by profession. What made you decide that? Okay, I’m going to go and try this.”
Mirna Paul Greenidge
“I have a passion for cooking. I’m really interested in being a barrister. And, of course, you understand that there is a principle of preparation, meeting, opportunity. So, I believe that we always have to learn new skills. That’s how I became also a masseuse. So, in that quest of trying to get self development.That is how I end up in this course. And of course, I plan to use it at home and who knows, maybe sometime doing some catering.”
Paul said that although this was all new to her, she was able to become adept through the guidance of her mentors and fellow classmates.
Mirna Paul Greenidge
“Well, basically you learn techniques and you don’t take for granted especially in food preparation. There is a lot of measures of safety that you have to take, um, the purchasing of the food, how you store your food costing if you’re interested in being a chef, because many of my classmates were chefs, of course, and they’re working already in restaurants or resorts and it’s very important because at the end of the day, we are able to handle food properly and be able to cost it and do everything that we need to do in a good measure.”
She explained that the environment was welcoming to diverse participants, which only made her enthusiasm for the experience grow.
Mirna Paul Greenidge
“It was very inclusive and we had good integration because we were very helpful. Those who had a little bit more experience, we were able to gain from that because we did a lot of group sessions. We also had theory in the few months that we were doing it and We’re at the commissary at Boeing and Boeing. That is where we did the practice. Level four kitchen. That’s the best of the best, the top. So we were able to even be exposed to what is expected in a real scenario of a restaurant. So everybody pitching, we did several things. We had chef Kuylen with us. That was very interesting. Putting the Belizean flavor to the French cuisine because that’s basically what we learn a lot about.”
The program began in June 2023 and concluded in April of this year. The BTB said that they are planning to make the course available again for more Belizeans to participate in. Paul said that she encourages Belizeans to participate so that they can become asset to Belize’s growing hospitality industry.
Mirna Paul Greenidge
“The course is very interesting. It’s a way of enhancing your skills. And of course the better prepared people are for the hospitality and to serve the tourists. I think that is a plus for Belize. And I think that everybody you shouldn’t just be educated or just. You should be very much in tune to what you’re doing and have the skills and the qualifications to back it up.”
