Honoring the Life of Carnival Legend Leroy Green

Earlier this month, Belize lost a true carnival legend. The news of Leroy Green’s passing hit hard, especially for the artists and carnival community gearing up for September celebrations. But even in their grief, they came together to honor his life and legacy. Today, the Bliss Center for Performing Arts was filled with music, dance, poetry, and heartfelt tributes, all in memory of a man who helped shape Belize’s carnival culture. News Five’s Britney Gordon was there and brings us the story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

It’s been nearly two weeks since Belizeans were hit with the heartbreaking news of Leroy Green’s passing. Known and loved as a carnival icon, Leroy was more than just the road march, he was a champion for the arts and a vibrant part of Belize’s cultural heartbeat. Today, at a special ceremony in his honor, his sister Allison Green shared a powerful memory, Leroy was never afraid to take up space. And that’s exactly what he did, leaving behind a legacy that filled stages, streets, and hearts across the nation.

 

Allison Green, Sister of Deceased

“He taught me and us that we are fine as we are. He couldn’t care less and nuh bex yet. Him jump up inna the sun hot for carnival, gyrate and wine fi win Mr. King inna the contest,  sweat and wallop on me, whoever come along in at the road march. Sweaty and sun bathed and bun up, but elated and so overwhelmingly alive. For his students. He modeled independent thought and empathy in his classes. Many times, Leroy thought taught pieces, he scribbled here and there for those same classes. The education he imparted wasn’t foreign or imported. It was homegrown Belizean ours.”

 

Green dedicated over four decades of his life to educating and empowering Belizean youths. One of Green’s former students from Belmopan Comprehensive School graduating class of 1983, shared how he touched the lives of his students through music, dance, and theater.

 

Former Student

“He led the team, along with students on Belmopan Comprehensive School, launched the Carnival Parade in Belmopan in 1983 as a kickoff. For the Catholic Carnival fair that year, he was not a Catholic yet. He was the driving force for one of the biggest fundraisers for the construction of our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Belmopan.”

 

Leroy was a cultural advocate and a pillar of the creative community. Minister of Culture, Francis Fonseca recalls that Green served as the first curriculum officer for Expressive Arts and as a program officer at the Institute of Creative Arts, spreading his passion for drama and the Festival of Arts.

 

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Culture

“It was he who introduced the Preschool Festival of Arts to the Bliss. He was of course also a gifted writer, poet, and storyteller. Leroy also served as chairman of the Belize National Library and Information Services for a number of years. And of course, we all know that his name was synonymous with Carnival in Belize. He was Carnival King several times, and the member of the Carnival Association. His band, as we all saw this earlier, was Mother Nature’s Creation Carnival Band. He loved his band and he loved Carnival.”

 

Everywhere Green went, he sought to educate. Sherett Brackett says that Green was a dedicated mentor to her and other teachers. She expressed her gratitude to him today in a poem titled, “The Legend”.

 

Sherett Brackett, Friend of Deceased

“From a little child I always love expressive arts, but when I met you, Mr. Green, then the real understanding starts whenever you were getting us teachers ready for the Festival of Arts. It was evident that you were doing it from your heart. You were the one who helped mold me into the expressive arts teacher I am today. You were always there guiding me every step of the way. Whenever I was trying something new, I would run it by you because I know that your critique will be true.”

 

Leroy Green may be gone, but he’s far from forgotten. His legacy lives on in the artists he mentored and the carnival spirit he helped shape, proof that his impact will continue to shine for years to come. Britney Gordon for News Five.