The annual Labor Day Park Fest has come around once again, giving Belizean performers an opportunity to showcase their talents and for the public to enjoy to an outing with family and friends. The event will have music, rides, food, and prizes to entertain every attendee. This year boast a complete line up of performers and DJ’s with exclusive prizes and giveaways available. Public Relations Director of Flavaz Entertainment, Andazi, told News Five more about the event.
Andazi
Andazi, Public Relations Director, Flavaz Entertainment
“So this Sunday, April twenty-eighth we’re having our annual Belize Labor Day Park Fest. It’s an event that we have every year around this time, because you know there’s a holiday on Monday. So we take advantage of the day on Sunday to have this big fest that’s really a full lineup of our top Belizean artists and DJs and the vibe is really nice because It starts early starts from three p.m. And it goes all the way until about one a.m. So, you know in the early hours You’ll see more, it’s like families coming out, you can bring your kids, you know, you can come and hang out with friends. And then as we get on into the evening, it’s a little more exciting with more high performances on stage. And of course, the DJs will be playing all day long. We also have rides and games for the kids. So, um, it’s really like a family friendly, family friendly, kind of fun event. The park fest happens at the Digi Park and doors open at three p.m. Kids twelve and under are free. There’s a minimal charge for adults, it’s ten. And one thing that we’re doing for the kids as well is that the first two hundred kids who come to the park will be getting a free meal. And that free meal is courtesy of one of the nonprofits. organizations that we work with as well as some other partners.”
It is officially pageant week for the Miss Universe Belize 2024 contestants, which signals the approach of competition day. For months, ten women have been preparing to become the next candidate to represent Belize on the world stage. Today, as a start to Pageant Week, the crown that will adorn the head of the next Miss Universe Belize was unveiled. News Five’s Britney Gordon attended the big reveal today to learn more about its creation and the preparation for pageant week. Here’s the story.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
The Miss Universe Belize Pageant 2024 is just a few day away and the contestants are eager to participate. Pageant week was officially launched today with the reveal of the crown that the next Miss Universe Belize will wear during her reign. The National Director of the Miss Universe Belize Foundation shared her excitement over the reveal and its proceedings.
Destinee Arnold
Destinee Arnold, National Director, Miss Universe Belize Foundation
“Today kicks off the official pageant week for the Miss Universe Police Delegates. Today, right now specifically, we are revealing the crown that a title holder will continue to wear in the next coming years. About three years we plan to utilize this crown. This is a crown that’s very special to us. It took a lot of thought and specially designed by one of our designers. So the crown is special because it is unique to Belize. Um, Belize was the inspiration behind the design of the crown. I don’t want to get into too much detail because we will be disclosing that during the crown reveal. But no one will have this crown but our title holder. So we are really excited about it. Specifically, even the material that it is made out of, um, is quite special. So I’m really excited to reveal it all to you all.”
We spoke with a few delegates to learn how they are feeling in the days leading up to the pageant in Mexico. Contestant seven, Monilee Aspinall said that she was excited to see her training in action on the big stage.
Monilee Aspinall
Monilee Aspinall, Delegate, Miss Universe Belize 2024
“I am super excited. It’s definitely been a journey of highlighting all the things that I’m capable of personally, the areas that I need assistance with, as well as developing a really great sisterhood along with the committee and the other delegates. I think at this point, it’s just carrying through with the preparation we’ve been doing for the past few months. Outfits, hair, walking, training with the way we do it. the way that we’re carrying ourselves and our words. And so now it’s just kind of an accumulation of all that hard work that we’ve been putting in and I’m super excited to see it on stage.”
Contestant one, Mikayla Gongora expressed that while she was nervous, she was also eager to showcase her hard work.
Mikayla Gongora
Mikayla Gongora, Delegate, Miss Universe Belize 2024
“I’m feeling extremely anxious, excited. Overall preparation for this. It’s been, it’s been a journey. It’s been exciting. Mostly the hesitation has been all about the mental work for all of this, but I feel extremely prepared more than excited, ready to hit the stage with all of. I think that I’m really prepared for this.”
Contestant ten, Maryam Abdul-Qawiyy said that she was determined to be an ambassador for her country and showcase her talents during the show.
Maryam Abdul-Qawiyy
Maryam Abdul-Qawiyy, Delegate, Miss Universe Belize 2024
“I’m feeling really good. I feel very prepared. Um, I worked really hard up until this point preparing, like, in an all encompassing way with not just working out, but walking, question and answer, things like that. So I feel really good. I feel really prepared. And the emotions are excitement because now the week is here and this is just a week long job interview. That’s how, that’s how I’m looking at it because, um, to be a Miss Belize, means that you’re an ambassador for your country and you have to be a diplomat and leverage that to put Belize on the map. So, I take that very seriously. And so I’m excited to put my best foot forward when it comes to that.”
The crown was made by a local engineering student, Inga Woods-Waight who modelled the crown to emulate Belize. She said that the crowns gold accents, draws inspiration from the Belize’s national flower, the Black Orchid. Five black orchid-shaped flowers embellish the crown to reflect the rich diversity and allure of Belize. The clear glass symbolizes clarity of purpose and vision, while the gold accents represent resilience and strength. Britney Gordon for News Five.
Sometimes we’re all too caught up in the lyrics of some popular artist or their genre of music, that we don’t pay enough attention to the ones that have been singing the lyrics of those same artists and many others. An artist like Kenneth Gladden, or Kenny G, as he is known to his fans across Belize. He has been singing since the mid-eighties in Corozal, and then he became popular with the now-defunct Santino’s Messengers and the Lord Rhaburn Combo. And while he hasn’t written many hit songs of his own, Kenny G has been performing his own renditions of those of other local and international artists. But because music has transitioned over the years and live bands, made up of several members, have faced fierce competition with cheaper-priced DJ entertainment, musicians like Kenny G have had to turn to other means of livelihood to make ends meet. And News Five’s Marion Ali found him doing just that when she visited him at his clothing outlet on Mahogany Street today. She brings you Kenny G’s journey to popularity and off the stage in this week’s edition of Kolcha Tuesday.
Marion Ali, Reporting
If you’re over fifty, you know this man for his smooth vocals and his remarkable ability to interpret various musical artists hit songs in a way that you absolutely enjoy. Kenneth Gladden, otherwise known widely as Kenny G, has been in the music industry since his early days in Corozal. His initiation into music came in the strangest of ways. He was not discovered by anyone. He told us that he decided to try his voice at home in private and liked what he heard. And that was his starting point.
Kenneth “Kenny G” Gladden
Kenneth “Kenny G” Gladden, Musician
“When school was out, I used to go do a part-time job da the U.S. Consul with a lee Maya man, Mr. Uk. I used to goh do part-Time job with him. And I get to buy a lee tape recorder right, weh record yoh voice. And, I used to put on the music, and I record, and I used to sing along with the music, right? And I record the voice, then play it back and listen to it, how ih sound and if ih eena tune. And I say yoh know something that’s sound good. I think I should take it up. And then when people start to hear me, other musicians start to hear me and say, why we don’t want to come sing with the band.”
That was back in Corozal when Gladden’s singing career started. Those early performances took him to Chetumal and surrounding areas in the mid-eighties. From there, he moved to Belize City, where the Santino’s Messengers Baby and the Lord Rhaburn Combo, at another point, were familiar weekend sounds with Kenny G.
Kenneth “Kenny G” Gladden
“That was the late eighties, cause that’s when we found Messengers Baby, Santino’s Messengers Baby. That was in the late eighties. I would have said about 88, 89.”
Marion Ali
“When you were the main vocalist.”
Kenneth “Kenny G” Gladden
“Yes, I was the main vocalist.”
Marion Ali
“When you had hair.”
Kenneth “Kenny G” Gladden
“When I had hair, black hair.”
Gladden says his first inspiration was his father.
Kenneth “Kenny G” Gladden
“I was inspired firstly, by my father. Because my father is a great leader. He used to call him Chuck because they say he take off a Chuck Fender. I have never seen my father performing full until later days of his life, when he came back to Belize from New York. But I was inspired by him because everybody tell me, “Boy, how great your father was,” right? Boy, your pa hard. Man like Evan X Hyde just say, “Bwai your pa da a bad man, Bismarck and all these guys who had known my father back then, they tell me how good he was right.”
And while you may have heard his mellow voice performing to one of your favourite artists’s songs, you probably didn’t know that Kenny G is the lyricist behind that popular Guana Tail.
Kenneth “Kenny G” Gladden
“Ah hungry, weh yoh want, ah hungry, weh yoh want. Da rice and beans, me nuh want that, Da rice and beans, me nuh want that. Da cowfoot soup, me nuh want that, da cowfoot soup, me nuh want that. Weh yoh want, gimme the guana tail, guana tail guana tail, guana tail. Gimme the guana tail.”
Marion Ali
“You wrote that?”
Kenneth “Kenny G” Gladden
“Yes. I make that song. When we gone da Bermudian Landing. I see this gial just di dance fronta we right and she just di fling like she di fling wa tail, right? I said, this place known fi guana and the tail di wap wap round and this gial behind just di goh like guana tail. I say, alright, good.”
But live music entertainment has transitioned since the eighties. Now live bands face challenges getting jobs because people oftentimes opt for the cheaper-priced D-J entertainment. But Gladden, who has his own New Creation Band now, says he will keep the band going, and he is doing what he can through his own music to keep the Belizean music industry alive. And he has the support of the Director of the Institute of Creative Arts, Kim Vasquez.
Kim Vasquez
Kim Vasquez, Director, Institute of Creative Arts
“We really have to look at musicians like Kenny Gladden who are musicians that buck a lot of what we call the living legends or the well-known musicians. And so we tend to not remember them as often as we should. He does in fact have his own band, the New Creation Band, and he does a really good job of promoting Belizean music, of covering the music of, other musicians and keeping Belizean culture alive in his own way. And again, as well he was known for the Santino’s Baby, a very popular band making the circuit Bellevue, all of these different venues. And so it’s really, when you think of Kenny Gladden, you think of a good party, musician. One of these persons that if you’re having a wedding or a christening, a birthday party, you associate that type of Belizean music, that party music, really festive with his music.”
Kenneth “Kenny G” Gladden
“By keeping our legends alive it paves the way for youth in a sense that the youth will say okay We never know da Ben McCoy may do that song deh. We hear it but we don’t know da Ben McCoy do it. Or we never know da Lord Rayburn do da song. So by keeping these legends in the forefront, ih pave the way for the youths and they say okay, so we could take one page out of Lord Rhaburn book and we could do a we thing just like Lord Rhaburn.”
If you would like Kenny G and the New Creations Band to play at your special event, you can contact him at 625 -0064. Marion Ali for News Five.
The Belize Gospel Expo is back in town for 2024. The annual two-day event is held in Roaring Creek, to foster a safe environment for wholesome socialization in the community. We spoke with founder Richard Smith, who told us what the event entailed. News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.
Richard Smith
Richard Smith, Founder, Belize Gospel Expo
“Gospel Expo is a multipurpose one. We were looking for opportunity to do something on the Agriculture and Trade Show Ground. To change the culture and the atmosphere that was going on there to Gasper Expo have been served as a means for you local artists to have a perf year where they could perform and showcase their talents and gifting Gasper Expo have also been a place where churches from our district can come together and to have a General day of just praising God in a clean, healthy atmosphere.”
The concert will be held on Saturday and will be followed by a United Church service on Sunday. This year, three international artists will be featured in the event, Pregoneros del Reino, and Jason Mighty from Guatemala, Lionell Taepe from Jamaica, as well as local Belizean Band, Principes Del Rey.
Lionell Taepe
Lionell Taepe, Performer
“So last year for Gospel Expo, we were introduced Mister Richard’s by another artist. He was a guest artist last year, Emron Henry. And so that was our first event when we came last year. I was so blessed. It was my first time in Belize. So I experienced the culture, the fry Jack and all of that. And we were treated well. I mean, I had loved the young people being around them and you know, people that were crazy about worshiping God and everything. I love the vision. And so, you know, the team just fell in love with sir Richard and his family and everything. So we were at their disposal. They invited us later on in the year and we’re here this year again.”
The event kicks off on March sixteenth at ten a.m. with a softball game and will be followed by several workshops in the afternoon for aspiring artists and church leaders and a barbeque. The concert will begin at six p.m. and other performers such as dancers and actors will be featured as well. Smith is encouraging everyone to come learn and worship as a community. And although it is free of cost, donations are encouraged.
Richard Smith
“There’s some display of boots there is at one o’clock. Behind the scene with the artists where we’re encouraging Belizean artists to come and ask some questions. These guys will be sharing their story. What bring them from ground zero to where they are and what are some of the pros and can in being a career musician because our Belizean just do it as a side piece. But it could be a career if you, if your heart is in the right place. And so there’s going to be a workshop for that. There’s going to be a workshop for pastors and leaders, along with a barbecue.”
The event seeks to bring the community together for wholesome socializing and inspire young people to get involved in their church and community.
Lionell Taepe
“I love any activity that is going to be blessing young people. And what I saw last year was a plethora of young people just filling the groans, that were excited about what was going on, looking for something to do. And I saw the vision that mister Richard had, and I saw that it was taking place, and I wanted to be a part of something that is going good.”
A charity to save the Garifuna language, sponsor a track for the youth in Stann Creek and uplift commendable elders in the community have all been planned for the next ten days. The Yurumein project is hosting a concert, ball and walkathon all in the name of community. News Five’s Britney Gordon spoke with the organizers of these events to learn all about it. Here’s that story.
Jeremy Cayetano
Jeremy Cayetano, Managing Director, Belize Yurumein Project
“The Yurumein project was formed in order for us to lift the Garifuna language. What we would like to see is for the Garifuna language to become prevalent in all Garifuna communities again. And so we do things like teaching Garifuna. We encourage speaking of the language within and among ourselves. And it’s something that we’re really pushing this year. As a matter of fact, we’re launching a campaign to get folks to practice to speak and so that we could we could lift our language. That’s the main thrust of the year.”
Britney Gordon, Reporting
International Director of the Belize Yurumein Project, James Cordes hails from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. He explained the significance of the Garifuna language to his country and why he wishes to help preserve it.
James Cordes
James Cordes, International Director, Yurumein project
“This project is important to me because first thing we have a Garifuna components here. Our people’s exile. You might have heard it many times. 1797 there was exiled to British Andrews wrote on. And so that’s half of our family. Over two thousand persons made it here. And so I’ve always known that I have brothers and sisters here. And when we excel in track and feel in terms of bringing Saint Vincent on the forefront of track and field, I felt like we shouldn’t leave Belize behind. So we came in search of young stars with talent, and then we’ve exposed them to the Penn Relays as well from 2018 to now.”
Cayetano explained that several events will be hosted over the next ten days.
Jeremy Cayetano
“Our first concert symposium is going to be at the Civic Center on Tuesday the 19th of March, and then we’ll be at Stann Creek Ecumenical College on Wednesday the twenty-eighth, Independence High School Thursday the twenty-first, and Toledo Community College on Friday. We also have our run for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which is another fundraiser on Saturday morning in Dangriga, starting at the Ecumenical College. And then on Sunday night, we have our ball. Our ball, for the first hour of our ball, we’ll be honoring ten elders from the Dangriga community. That is something that we do that we do every year and then following that we have a ceremony and then we have the Melisizwe brothers will perform”
Special guest performers are the Melisizwe brothers, Seth, Marc, and Zacaray, who earned the title of most talented family in America a few years back. Their parents are also from Saint Vincent and inspired a desire to contribute to the preservation of the language in them.
Marc Melisizwe
Marc Melisizwe
“I’m most looking forward to, you know, interacting with, you know, the youth of Belize and just coming to do the symposium most importantly. And also get to interact with our culture, which is the Garifuna culture, which is here in Belize because our parents are, our parents are actually from Saint Vincent and the Garifuna culture. And Saint Vincent is related. The Garifuna are actually originally from Saint Vincent. So, being here again, getting to interact with the culture and the language again, is really a treat for me.”
Cordes is a primary sponsor of the Penn Relay Program in Belize and noted a need for a track and field facility in Stann Creek.
James Cordes
“We have guys like Usain Bolt, all these guys attended it. Right now we have a female from St. Vincent, her name is Shafiqa Maloney, who came to my program as well since she was 13 years old. She is now the fastest, the second fastest, second, second. She’ll be the fastest soon. She’s the second fastest female in the 800 meter track category. And we also have a young man handle robe and he holds the, the records all time, 800 meter high school record at the Penn release. So this program actually bring children to their perfection when it comes to track and field. And it also provide them with a path, an educational path. We’re using sports as an academic and an economic vehicle. And so we have a number of students, over 15 students since 2011, that has graduated with either a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree. And we have seven students currently in college in the United States through the program.”
