This morning, a man was brought before the court for allegedly causing harm to his neighbor using machete after the two got into a dispute. He is forty-year-old Jareth Jason Tablada, a driver and a resident of Hattieville. The incident is said to have occurred on Thursday, May twenty- third. According to reports, the machete attack is said to have stemmed from the theft of a bottle of the popular alcoholic drink Badman. Allegations are that Tablada intentionally stole the drink from neighbor Gilroy Keith Wade and inflicted grievous harm on him with a machete. Tablada, however, claims that he was acting out of self-defense. At his arraignment, Tablada, who was unrepresented, initially pleaded guilty to the charge, but explained to the Magistrate that he was acting in self-defense. Thus, his guilty plea was rejected and was told that the matter would have to go to trial so both sides could be heard. Bail in the sum of three thousand dollars, and an additional surety of the same amount, was offered to Tablada which he met.
Leader of the Opposition Moses “Shyne” Barrow says that farmers in Toledo District are desperately in need of assistance. Barrow told the media that he spent the weekend down south where he met with numerous farmers who are facing financial constraints after wildfires destroyed their crops. On Thursday, Prime Minister John Briceño announced that an initial one million dollars in aid will be made available to those families that are affected. Barrow says that much needed relief has been slow in coming.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“I met with several small farmers and they have reported tens of thousands of dollars in loses in their cacao and corn and this impacts them tremendously, cant pay school fees, cant put food on the table, cant deal with medical expenses. One farmer his wife severely ill, the other farmer his daughter now cant pay to get her diploma. These things have real time ramifications. The government have to do better in having an emergency response policy. The prime minister has said there is a contingency fund so that money needs to be disbursed. What I said in the honorable house is when we had COVID there were social media posting directing the populace as to where to go to get relief. Where can the people in Toledo district go to get relief? It is not forthcoming. So we urge the government to act now, to make that information readily available. And I recommend that the same way we have a million dollars given tot eh farmers in the north, there should be some type of emergency fund made available to the farmers in Toledo district that have lost their crops to the wildfires.”
As of Monday, the control price of a sixteen-ounce loaf of bread increased by thirty-five cents. Consumers are now paying two dollars and ten cents for the product. As we reported, the increase came by way of a request from bakers across the country. They contend that the price has not been adjusted since 2008, while their expenses have increased significantly since then. It is one of the issues raised by Leader of the Opposition Moses “Shyne” Barrow, during his press conference today. Barrow describes it as another betrayal of the many promises that the Briceño administration made to the Belizean people.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“Pack bread that used to be dollar and change is now two dollars and change under the Briceño administration and they have no shame. Wait until after the municipal elections and raise the price of bread and we’ll take it. And this is another betrayal of the promises that the Briceno administration made to the Belizean people to be a government that was compassionate, a government that was understanding of the plight of the day-to-day Belizeans. This increase in bread does not reflect a government that understands that. And we understand that this is driven by the highest energy prices ever. Energy prices which have stabilized globally because Ukraine and Russia have become, a matter of fact that globally, at least in the Americas, the prices have gone down. But we’re certainly not at the crisis peak that we were when the war in first started. But here in Belize, the prices remain as high as ever and especially in the districts in Toledo in Corozal. The cost of living is exponentially higher than here in the city and places where the goods you know come central, so imagine we pay an exorbitant amount here in the city then it goes to Toledo. I’m telling you people are starving, people are suffering. And while in most instances, literally the PUP is not killing the people, but figuratively, they are. People are, their quality of life has died. Their hope in Belize has died. People, and the punishment, it’s not getting any better. There is no alleviation. The municipal’s done. Let’s make it worse.”
Last week we reported on allegations of ministerial interference at the northern border where law enforcement officers sought to apprehend sugar smugglers. In the face of an ongoing sugar shortage in Belize, such allegations are alarming. Well, the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, said elsewhere in the media that the assertions are simply not true. The Leader of the Oppositions accused the Commissioner of Police of being a Briceño operative.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“But, when we say that there are reports, there are allegations that the people that are purchasing, the wholesalers, purchased from B.S.I. and because they make more money taking it across the border, that is what they are doing. That is a fact. That is a fact. Now there are allegations that when the B.D.F., it was the B.D.F. I believe that my colleague in the house mentioned, I don’t believe he mentioned the police department. But let’s say it was the police department, the B.D.F., we are talking about ministerial intervention, ministerial abuse. These are things that are being reported to us by the security forces. They are telling us that, yeah, leader, you know, we, we try but we hold people and then they let them go. So at the end of the day, it is another example of the tone-deaf disconnected state of the Briceno regime. And while the commissioner of police should be an autonomous body, even though he’s appointed by the prime minister, he’s a part of the Briceno regime. He might as well be C.E.O. in or the officer, the office of the prime minister for security, because he is all in on the Briceno regime. You look at him, and, and, you know, I haven’t had time, but the more he opens his mouth, I feel I am obligated to report him to the Public Service Commission and the Bureau of Standards. His behavior is unethical and the hubris with which he presents himself, that he could say what he wants, and he could do what he wants, and he could mix politics with his office, is lawless. And imagine the top lawman is lawless. But this is the state of Belize, and this is why we have a sugar shortage.”
In other news coming out of the sugar industry, Belize Sugar Industries Limited says it is concerned about the commission of inquiry’s change of focus. Via press release, B.S.I. notes that it welcomes the role of a commission of inquiry focused on providing advice on modernizing and improving the long-term viability of the sugar industry. The company noted that it cannot share proprietary and confidential information because it operates in a commodity business that is very competitive. B.S.I. says it has also communicated to the government that it will not cooperate with an inquiry that is focused on using process as an avenue to negotiate a new commercial agreement which is a private commercial matter.
Will a redistricting exercise be undertaken before the next general elections? The Belize Peace Movement hopes that such will be the case, while the prime minister says the National Assembly must first decide on the Representation of People’s Act Amendment currently before them. Opposition Leader Moses Barrow believes that the bill will be voted down. He is now demanding that the government undertakes a redistricting exercise before the next general elections.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“I would hope, because I understand that the bill is going to be voted down because obviously the opposition disagrees. And I understand that there are some members of the government that disagree. What I am saying on record, the opposition supports and demands that redistricting take place before the next general elections. And the same way that bills are presented to the house and taking through all of its stages in one day, I am disappointed and disgusted that that was not done for the Representation of the People’s amendment so that we could vote it down, get a new task force, sand Collett Montejo. No political figure should be on the task force that is comprised of specialists from the different ministries. No deputy secretary general of a political organization should be there unless you will allow all of the secretary generals to be there. Which, I’m still not sure if that is a prudent idea. Let the experts do their job, void of political interference. We call on the government at the next sitting of the House to take the bill through all its stages, and if it is going to be voted down, let us vote it down and let us convene a new redistricting task force without Collett Montejo. Let the experts do their jobs and let them present a map that is in keeping with the constitution of this country.”
The Belize Peace Movement wrote to Prime Minister John Briceño on Monday regarding a statement the P.M. made on Thursday of last week to the media. In summary, PM Briceño told reporters that redistricting takes time, and time is limited because the general elections must be held by November 2025. Well, the B.P.M. wrote saying that quote, “there is absolutely no honor in suggesting that the constitutional rights of Belizeans may be denied”, unquote. The B.P.M. once again called on the Briceño Administration to expedite the redivision exercise for fair representation in Belize.
The Leader of the Opposition has taken what many would consider an unconventional position on the recently announced Commerce Bight development project. He says that the opposition supports the project. It is unusual, because one of the primary investors in the fifty-million-dollar development is Basilio Zabaneh, the cousin of P.U.P. Minister of State, Louis Zabaneh. Barrow says he will not play dirty politics on the issue, because Basilio Zabaneh is fully qualified to take on such a venture.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“Initially the response from the opposition is to support this project, this development. Commerce Bight has long been something that needed to be developed for the people for Dangriga and unlike the P.U.P., we will not play dirty politics with this because the investor that is investing in this, Mr. Basilio Zabaneh is someone that is extremely qualified to take on this project and deserve this opportunity. Unlike the People’s United Party, whereas because of your last name and political affiliation they will try to derail something that will benefit the Belizean people. We will not like that. Imagine the government will hire the best attorney, which arguably would be Dennis Barrow at the time, went on to be a C.C.J. justice, only Belizean to ever make it to that level and everyone would agree. He and Eamon Courtenay are good friends to that day. And when the government would hire the best lawyer the People’s Untied Party would say no, you are only hiring Dennis Barrow because he is the prime minister’s brother, which was ridiculous and outrageous. And we are not going to venture down that path to say that the only reason Basilio Zabaneh is getting the project is because he is Louis Zabaneh, the minister from Dangriga’s cousin. That should not disqualify someone who is extremely competent, who has a proven track record in the tourism industry with three of the most successful resorts in Belize, from getting the opportunity and support that foreign investors would get. We need to support our national investors as well. and this will be good for the people of Dangriga.”
Last week, we told you that developer David Gegg, of Portico Enterprises Limited, wrote to the Clerk of the National Assembly rectifying certain statements made before the Senate Special Select Committee on May twenty-first in Belmopan. In his letter, Gegg noted that while he sent an email to a personal email, which he believed to be for Tourism Minister Anthony Mahler, he did not attach the Definitive Agreement. He further clarified that the email he intended to send to the prime minister was sent to a “jbreceno” as opposed to jbriceno and as such it would not have reached the Prime Minister. The Leader of the Opposition is urging the Senate Special Select Committee to question the prime minister and every other public officer Gegg named during his testimony, to provide further clarity to Belizeans.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“But only the most important deal of his life and now he sent the email to “Breceno” rather than Briceño, only the most important deal of his life. So there are questions that need to be asked. So, we demand that the select committee call the prime minister, call Eamon Courtenay, call minister Mahler, call the Minister of State, Chris Coye , all of these people should be called to the Senate select committee because no Belizean is above the law. When they had the special inquiry the former prime minister made himself available, the former minister, current area representative of Corozal North made himself available. That is the way it is. So, we hope that the same way the Senate Select Committee is after Erwin Contreras to appear before the Senate Select Committee that they will be after the prime minister to answer the question because there are so many contradictions in the position of the prime minister and his ministers. David Gegg is saying that he sent all of the ministers that I mentioned the definitive agreement and an email. Now he is saying he did not attach the agreement. So the contradiction in itself demands that all the players come before the committee and let us clear it up. It is for clarification.”
When it comes to highlighting Belizean culture, many think of rich food, dynamic music, diverse ethnicities displayed throughout the country. However, if you grew up in Belize, then there is a possibility that Belizean folklores were a memorable part of your childhood. In this week’s episode of Kolcha Tuesday, we bring you the stories of Bra Anansi; a popular Caribbean and African character that Belizean authors are still making their own to this day. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with more insight into the world of Bra Anansi.
Britney Gordon, reporting
The tales of the trickster spider, Bra Anansi have been told across the Caribbean for decades. Having originated in West Africa, the character eventually found his way into the region through the transatlantic slave trade. In these stories, Anansi is typically depicted in the role of the underdog, who can outsmart his superiors due to his cunning nature. Roy Davis, who began writing Bra Anansi stories in 1993 says craftiness and deceitfulness are the essence of his characters.
Roy Davis
Roy Davis, Bra Anansi Writer
“The Anansi that I wrote about was he was a trickster, but he wasn’t a bad person. Because the whole idea of the Bra Anansi thing for me was that Bra Anansi represented the underprivileged people, the slaves, so to speak. And Bra Tiger, his adversary, was the slave master and stuff like that, right? And Anansi’s role was to always, he being a smalL creature, compared to Bra Tiger, was to use his brains to outsmart Bra Tiger. So all my stories are centered in that direction. In my opinion, Anansi wasn’t a bad person, wasn’t a bad character. Anansi was like a champion for the people.”
In his stories, Davis often depicted Anasi against Bra Tiger, his adversary and let him come out on top as a symbol for the underprivileged.
Roy Davis
“I tried to emphasize that the book is not only for children, it’s for anybody. Children and adults. The stories, what first drew me to the Bra Anansi, Bra Tiger folklore was the fact that it originated from Ghana. It was the African slaves who were brought to the side of, to the side of this world who brought the folklore along with them. And that da weh mek I get interested in it and one ah the thing weh inspire me fi write ney stories.”
Having written sixteen Anansi stories over his career, Davis is a pioneer in the literary scene, alongside authors such as Sir Colville Young and Adler Ramclam. However, the art of creating a Bra Anansi story is still alive in the culture as new authors emerge and take up the mantle. Sherlet Neal, author of Belizean Storytime, told us about her desire to bring these stories back into the spotlight.
Sherlet Neal
Sherlet Neal, Bra Anansi Author
“So this was a labor of love and it took me over five years to actually publish this storybook. For me, these stories are personal. I grew up in an environment where, of course, we didn’t have electricity. We didn’t have television. And our pastime was stories. And my uncles, my other relatives, I relished listening to those stories, those folklore stories. Of course, Anansi was at the center of a lot of those stories. And so for me, it was nostalgic when I started to put pen on paper. And what I wanted to do was recreate that memory because I don’t see stories like these a lot anymore. And so it was the reason I decided to do Belizean Storytime.”
Neal told us that when creating an Anansi story, his cunningness is the most important part of his personality to remember. To make the stories her own, she depicted Anansi as the trickster that does not always get what he wants.
Sherlet Neal
“Growing up I always learned of Anansi as the trickster. And I wanted to put a little spin on Anansi, and in most of my stories, I wanted Anansi to get a taste of his own medicine. And so most of the stories have a moral, and in those stories, Anansi outsmarted himself basically. And that was what I wanted to do, especially for younger kids, to let them see that, hey, you can try and outsmart, but hey, somebody is always smarter than you. And so I didn’t want to leave it as Anansi the trickster getting away with stuff. That’s not the lesson I wanted. The lessons I wanted was Anansi is tricky, yes, but there is a lesson to be learned in morality from these stories.”
Neal’s book was published in 2017 and can still be found in bookstores and libraries alongside the works of Davis and other Anansi authors. However, she explained that she is working towards having the book republished in standardized creole. Sylvia Udz, of the National Kriol Council of Belize spoke explained how they have been working to ensure that Anansi stories are accessible and true to Belizean culture.
Sylvaana Udz
Sylvaana Udz, Creole Linguist
“One ah the first thing that we mih do that mi try and capture some of the Anansi story dem. Dr. Irving Beck back in the 1970s mih come and record and get permission from people like. I think this man neem alive again and if he is, forgive me for saying Adler Ramclam and his Belizeanized versions of these Anansi stories. The word Anansi itself will cu have as Hanasi, Hanansi, so that’s one of the few words with Four variant spellings reflecting different pronunciations that appear standard across the country. And Anansi, we know, we documented, and we really thank Sir Colville Young and people like that for, and Dr. Beck and others for having done some of this work.”
Even though the Anansi character did not originate in Belize, he has found a home here and by placing him in locations and situations that Belizeans are familiar with, he is a relatable character to read about whether he wins or loses at the end of the story.
Sherlet Neal
“This is a compilation of short stories. And in a lot of these stories, we put Anansi in the center of the communities doing everyday stuff, like Anansi is going to church. Anansi celebrates Valentine. Anansi has an encounter with the police. And so I think Anansi is actually at the center of a hurricane. And of course in all of these stories, Anansi is trying to win. To come up, to trick somebody. And the turnaround is always that he doesn’t succeed. Or he thinks he does and in the end he doesn’t succeed.”
Davis reflected on his time writing Anansi with pride and fondness, highlighting the laughter he was able to bring to people as one of his great joys.
Roy Davis
“As I tell you, I’m a creative writer and I know how to create plots. I just use my imagination and I just come up with whatever. Plots I needed and they were all meant to create laughter, if you read any of my story and make you laugh I guarantee that because it has happened before, so it was easy for me to create these plots He’s very easy. That’s something I took pleasure in doing.”
An if di pin neva ben, di stoari noh mi wahn en. Britney Gordon for News Five.
Mexico’s President-elect, Doctor Claudia Sheinbaum snagged that country’s general elections on June second for a six-year term. She will replace Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has been in office since 2018. Sheinbaum, a scientist by profession, led the left-wing political party Morena, into the elections. She has served from 2000 to 2006 as Secretary of the Environment under Obrador’s tenure as Mayor of Mexico City. She was also elected Mayor of Mexico City in 2018, the same year she was named one of the B.B.C’s One Hundred Women. Today, Belize’s Ambassador to Mexico, Oscar Arnold weighed in on Doctor Sheinbaum’s historic victory.
Oscar Arnold
Oscar Arnold, Belize’s Ambassador to Mexico
“This is the first female president in all of North America and the first female president from Mexico and in an historic election where it was the largest election in their electoral politics history as well. In what has been also a very historic election for them. It’s the largest selection that they’ve had in their history with the number of seats federally and locally that have been in play. Dr. Sheinbaum has said that they will continue with some of the initiatives that was started by her predecessor.”
Sheinbaum’s victory came in the largest election in Mexico’s history. In addition to the presidential race, Mexicans also voted for candidates contesting more than twenty thousand positions across Mexico. And as Mexican women celebrate that one of them has achieved this first ever victory, Mexico’s policies on trade and bilateral relations with Belize will likely expand. Ambassador Arnold shares his thoughts on this issue.
Oscar Arnold
Oscar Arnold, Belize’s Ambassador to Mexico
“We have an ongoing discussion with a formal trade agreement with Mexico that has been started a couple of years ago. And that will continue. I don’t see that completing itself in her term, because usually these trade negotiations are long and drawn out, but we do see a continuation of some of the policies that were enacted under President Andres Manuel López Obrador. I see some of those continuing and maybe even expanding. One of those is the Sembrando Vidas program, which has also come to Belize, where we’ve seen farmers benefited from technical cooperation as well as our financial assistance for their crops. We also know of the investments of the Tren Maya. Under, President Obrador when he visited Belize, I believe in May of 2021 he made special arrangements for some of our agricultural products. Cattle was already penetrating the Mexican market, but that was expanded to include quite a bit of agricultural products from the, within the borders of Belize. Those, that type of agreement I see can be expanded. There was stuff to include coconuts. And other, maybe even cacao, which is also being organic cacao is also being produced in Belize. And we just have to when we have these meetings when the Minister of Agriculture, when Beltrade, and so on, when we are interacting with the Mexicans, If there’s a product that we would want to introduce, then we obviously have to make, raise our hands and make them aware that this is what we want to do and then both sides will then work out the nuts and bolts.”
