In Spanish speaking Central America, Belize is an exception. Considered more Caribbean than Central American due to its historical similarities with some other former British colonies, Belize is a young country bounded by the Caribbean Sea in the east and Guatemala and Mexico as its neighbours. English is the official language (approximately 62% speak it) but people also speak Kriol (46%), Spanish (57%) and Mayan languages such as Q’eqchi’ Maya, Mopan Maya and Garifuna. It is a fascinating country but first we have to talk about, of course, food.
Delicious sounds and flavours
As expected, the Sydney restaurant scene does not include a Belizean restaurant and we are happily home cooking again. The Belize Night in the eastern beach house reunites eleven Virtual Nomads for a fun night of Caribbean food and surprisingly catchy upbeat Belizean music.
The menu consists of
- Stewed chicken
- Belizean pico de gallo
- Belizean cheese dip
- Rice and beans
- Carnaches
The food is delightful, colourful and very tasty. JK prepares the stewed chicken which is a very popular Belizean dish. It is said to represent the Belizean Kriol (and Garifuna) cuisine, and accompanied usually with rice and beans. It is one of the most typical Belizean dishes. While many of the recipes include ‘recado rojo’, which is not available in Australia, we found a great recipe that not only explains how to prepare the delicious dish, it also gives options for vegetarians and what to do with leftovers! ☺
The Pico de Gallo that AK brings is colourful and very tasty. It is also a popular dish in Mexico, is very fresh and easy to prepare. Basically it includes chopped tomatoes, onion, jalopeño, lime and the everpresent cilantro (coriander) that frequents Caribbean/Central American cuisine. We accompany it with a Belizean cheese dip that AK also brings and some corn chips.
I prepare rice and beans which are fairly easy to make. I also prepare carnaches that are fried corn tortillas filled with chopped red cabbage, onion, lime, salt and cilantro. Again, the taste (brought out by the lime and cilantro) is fresh and inviting.
Where did the Maya go?
Belize is a young country, independent from the United Kingdom only since 1981. It maintains strong ties with its previous colonial power through being part of the Commonwealth. But let that not fool you, Belize has a long and rich Indigenous history, most notably being part of the Mayan empire. The Mayas had a highly developed and strongly hierarchical society that made significant scientific, artistic, medicinal and engineering advancement. They developed a cosmology that included a calendar considered to be more accurate that the Gregorian calendar used today. The Empire collapsed sometime around the year 900 for unknown and debated reasons, the jungle swallowed the majestic ruins (for example Altun Ha, Xunantunich, and Caracol). Little is known of what happened then, until the Spanish arrived on the shores of Belize. As is widely known, the Spanish were cruel and destructive. Their carnage included the destruction of the Maya libraries. Then the British showed up, interested in the timber resources, especially mahogany. The Spaniards and Brits quarrelled over the land with Britain ultimately victorious after several conflicts. It then attached Belize to the Commonwealth. The land was named British Honduras in 1834 and the area was prosperous through timber extraction and other timber industries. Belize City became the capital in 1914 and the country suffered badly in hurricanes and economic depression. After gaining self-governance in 1964, Belize became independent in 1981. In 2024, Belize hinted it may consider leaving the Commonwealth.
Belize and neighbouring Guatemala are not on the best of terms. Guatemala established full diplomatic relationships with Belize ten years after independence, in 1991. There is an ongoing dispute over the sovereignty of the country. Guatemala claims part, or all, of Belize belongs to Guatemala based on colonial documents, while Belize maintains it has never been part of Guatemala. Guatemala held a referendum in 2018 in which 95% of the population were in favour of sending the dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Belize held its own referendum in 2019 with 55% backing the decision to have ICJ involved. The process continues (February 2024).
Books: Beka Lamb and bizarre reptiles
Beka Lamb by Zee Edgell is considered almost an institution in Belizean literature. Published in 1982, it is one of the first novels from Belize to attract international interest and is a must read in Belizean schools. Set in the 1950s, the story of 14-year old Beka is portrayed within the political turmoil and transformation of the Belizean society from colonialism towards self-governance. The dynamic political background is matched by the challenges not only in Beka’s life – mostly deriving from poverty and lack of self-motivation – but also in the life of her best friend, Toycie, whose death (revealed at the beginning of the book) reflects societal and patriarchal structures.
It is easy to understand why the book forms part of the high school curriculum in Belize. It is meticulous in its description of flora and fauna, traditions and the cultural environment of colonial Belize. It has a strong sense of national pride while also introducing and discussing societal and moral themes from racism and racial diversity to gender roles, patriarchy and the omnipresence of the Catholic church. Although in some parts it is a classic coming-of-age story and commonly symbolic in chronicling the transformation of a society along with the transformation of a school girl into a woman, I like it much better than a similar and more famous Caribbean coming-of-age story, Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John (see the entry for Antigua).
Zee Edgell herself lived a fascinating life, spending time in different countries including Somalia, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Her career spanned journalism, higher education, government posts and international cooperation. Beka Lamb, her first book (and the first book published in independent Belize) is said to have autobiographical tones. She passed away in 2020.
Zoila Ellis-Browne is a lawyer, a cultural activist and a social campaigner to conserve and protect the Garifuna heritage. A Garifuna woman herself, she has written several books inspired by the rich cultural heritage of her communicyy. Her book On Heroes, Lizards and Passion (1988) is a collection of short stories. Seven stories set mostly in Belize, it is light reading, providing snapshots of Belizean culture and people. The stories do not take themselves too seriously, especially a bizarre story about a lizard and lizard friends. It is a Belizean literature snack, light and entertaining enough. For me it does not reach the depths of Beka Lamb, but that is not its intention.
Film: Daddy issues and traditions
There are only a few locally produced (and directed) movies. Belize has had an international film festival since 2003 and several movies have been filmed in Belize, but only a handful have been made entirely in Belize. The first major feature film to be made entirely in Belize is Kurse a di Xtabai (Curse of the Xtabai, 2002). It is filmed partly in Kriol and features a mainly amateur cast. The plot is apparently based on a traditional tale of Xtabai or Xxabay. The tale is about two women. One is the generous, caring and kind but sexually active and promiscuous Xtabay, and the other is a puritan but cold and selfish. The surrounding society favoured the latter one leading the first to become a spirit predator after death.
It is interesting and feels as if you were watching a student film. The word I would use is ‘clumsy’. It has much to learn about filmmaking, but the intention is honest and good. Direction is all over the place, the takes are too long, the music score is terrible, the acting is beyond amateur and the story does not hold together, but there is still honest intent to make it interesting. The result is an absolutely endearing mess.
My Father Belize by Leon Lozano (2019) is a short movie about daddy-issues – those that come before us and those that come after us. A Belizean man returns to Belize with the ashes of his father only to discover that he has a son in Belize from a previous fling. It is a film about abandonment and life choices in a beautiful setting of crystalline waters, long beaches and tense jungle.
The first ever feature-film filmed and produced entirely in Belize. Acting is understandably quite amateur but the landscape is beautiful and compelling.
Another short movie is Belize’s first animated film, Tecuani and the Duende: the Voice of the Jaguar (2020) by Lee McLoughlin. It is a cute story with a strong message of sustainability, conservation and environmental responsibility. It is based on the legend of Tata Duende, protector of the forest. Local girl Tecuani meets the Duende and learns about her people’s past through stories that “have not been told for a thousand years”. She also learns about her and others’ responsibility towards the environment and how to become a voice for a change.
A documentary about Mayan healers Healthy people, beautiful life (2020) is filmed in the Mayan languages of Q’eqchi’ and Mopan (with English subtitles) and follows traditional healing practitioners. The Mayan healers face prejudice and the environmental destruction of their medical plants. The documentary has been endorsed by the Mayan Healers’ Association and aims to counter misleading information about traditional healing. In the documentary, the healers talk about the challenges that they encounter. They also reveal interesting facts such as the integration of many Christian influences into their healing practices that have come about as a result of the long-lasting influence of the Catholic church. One healer in the documentary says: “As a healer, if you help people the Catholic church does not care. They only pray, sing and read the bible.” However, newer churches and Christian movements have been critical of them.
Music: happy rhythms
The music from Belize is generally quite upbeat. The dominating genre of Kriol music is ‘brukdown’ also referred as ‘broken down calypso’. It has strong African ties as it is considered music that tells the story of Belizean Creole people and the hardships African slaves had to go through. The most famous brukdown singer and a national icon was Wilfred Peters. Brukdown has a significant sub-genre called Buru.
Other music genres include Garifuna music which has very strong African influence and is dominated by drums. Examples of this type of music by Andy Palacio include, Lova Boy and Paul Nabor.
Next stop: Benin