Breaking Basketball’s Barrier, “Her World, Her Rules”

A group of young basketball enthusiasts are breaking basketball’s barriers. Today, just over a dozen young girls under the age of twelve participated in the International Basketball Federation’s “Her World, Her Rules” campaign launch in Belize. It is one of the most recognized initiatives in women’s basketball. Commonly branded as #H.W.H.R., the campaign is designed to unite women and girls through basketball and help to define grassroots projects. News Five’s Paul Lopez stopped in at the launch inside the Saint Catherine’s Auditorium in Belize City. He filed the following reports.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

In Belize, basketball is mostly considered a male sport. A handful of school and community teams exist to develop basketball skills among girls, but most of the major basketball competitions are played among boys and men. It is a fact that Jacob Leslie, the President of the Belize Basketball Federation, acknowledges.

 

                              Jacob Leslie

Jacob Leslie, President, Belize Basketball Federation

“I think it is one of the sport that has neglected our females for far too long. I think you can see female participation in volleyball and football, but it has been nonexistent in basketball for far too long. Like you said, as a parent, but as a former basketball player, basketball has really impacted my life significantly and the things that I have learnt through basketball have translated into my personal life.”

 

Today, a group of girls, between the ages of six and fifteen, gathered inside the Saint Cahterine’s Auditorium to change that narrative. Led by Yenny Pinilla, Coach of FIBA’s “Her World, Her Rules Campaign”, they engaged in a series of basketball drills.

 

                          Yenny Pinilla

Yenny Pinilla, Basketball Coach

“The name is Her World, Her Rules. So, when we say welcome to the playground. It is this is my place where I feel comfortable, strong, where I can do better things for me and this is the place where you can have dreams and improve your skills not just on the court but off the court as well. So I was a basketball player. I played all the time when I was six-years-old. So, I played in the national teams, I played all levels, South American Tournament, Pan American Tournaments, Pan American Tournament, I was the captain in my country.”

 

From the youngest to the oldest girl in the group, they ran across the basketball court practicing their dribble, taking close-range shots at the rim, practicing their passing, and most importantly playing and laughing through the process.

 

 

 

 

Yenny Pinilla

“It is not only here. In my country it is the same. The sports and basketball is only with boys. They support more boys than girls. The goal here is that the government and the ministers see that the girls can play basketball and can represent the country, and this is the way we can do that. So, if you are not going to start with young girls and babies like her, then nothing happens.”

 

 

Three years ago, nine-year-old Kenya Gillett, a resident of Crooked Tree Village, played a game of basketball with her cousin and immediately fell in love with the sport, as she tells it.

 

                               Kenya Gillett

Kenya Gillett, Basketball Athlete

“One day I just mih the play with my lee cousin and I start to like it and I asked teacher mek I join the team.”

 

Paul Lopez

“Tell me a bit about why you like playing basketball?”

 

Kenya Gillett

“Because it is fun, and you get to meet a lot of people. I learn a lot of things about a lot of people. I learnt a lot of new activities that we never did in Crooke Tree.”

 

Gillett’s dream is to one day play in the WNBA. She has already developed the view that basketball is more than just a sport for boys.

 

 

 

Kenya Gillett

“I don’t think that is true, anybody could play basketball.”

 

Gillett’s much younger peer, Presly Parchue, is just as enthused about the FIBA Her World, Her Rules event.

 

                            Presly Parchue

Presly Parchue, Participant

“I like basketball when you have to fun and then you can beat other people in games.”

 

Paul Lopez

“How did you get to know about basketball?”

 

Presly Parchue

“Because one time I was at my niece house and I was starting to play, because the older kid he teach me how to play. That is why I love basketball now.”

 

Today’s activities come as the launch of FIBA’s Her World, Her Rules initiative in Belize. Coach Pinilla says that she will return to Belize in short order. In her absence, Federation President, Jacob Leslie, has committed to keeping the initiative alive through weekly engagement. His long-term vision is to secure athletic scholarships for these young talents to study abroad and further develop their skills.

 

 

Jacob Leslie

“I think we are sensitized. So, because our young men are committing all these crimes and different interaction, we try to find things to occupy them, and we forget our young ladies who are falling victim to teenage pregnancy and to different abuse and face the same challenges the young men face. These things are societal values. So, through sports we can impact the lives of these young ladies to engage in positive things, because they also need it and many times they are forgotten.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

Did G.O.B. Consider Compulsory Acquisition of Zheng’s 15-acre Parcel?

The Briceño administration paid a whopping six point nine million dollars for fifteen acres of land in Belmopan and that sprawling property which belonged to businessman Kevin Zheng will be the site for the university hospital.  The price tag for the acreage sold to the Government of Belize has been described by independent valuators as costly.  While the purpose of the acquisition is for a public good, many are left to wonder whether the Ministry of Natural Resources could have gone about obtaining the land through other means.  Earlier today, News Five sat down with former Prime Minister Dean Barrow who shared his thoughts on the controversial land purchase and the steps that G.O.B. could have followed.  We begin our newscast tonight with that one-on-one conversation.

 

                                  Dean Barrow

Dean Barrow, Former Prime Minister

“There’s no doubt that in my mind, that that’s a legitimate public purpose.  When government decides to acquire compulsorily for a public purpose, one of the things that the land owner can always question by going to court is whether the stated public purpose, or the public purpose stated by government is indeed legitimately a public purpose.  In this case, if you are talking about acquiring land for a public hospital, it seems to me that there is hardly any doubt that that constitutes a public purpose.  The law actually says that when the minister declares something to be for a public purpose, that is his definition alone is prima facie evidence that it is for a public purpose, but prima facie means that it is rebuttable.  There is a presumption that it is for a public purpose which the landowner can rebut.  But in a situation where you are talking about a public hospital, it is hard to see how any successful argument can be made that that is not a legitimate public purpose. It is relatively straightforward, there is a Compulsory Acquisition Public Purposes Act which has been used time out of hand for exactly the purposes for which the law is designed.  So, once there is a legitimate public purpose involved, the government has nothing to worry about in terms of acquiring private property.  It is absolutely provided for under the law.  This is not anything peculiar to Belize, any civilized democratic, progressive society does afford that sort of right to a particular government.  The public interest, the larger good must be allowed to override the personal interests of individual citizens, so long as the individual citizen is going to be properly compensated for the dispossession of his or her property.”

Steps that could have been Taken to Acquire Land for Hospital

Former P.M. Barrow, himself a seasoned attorney, also outlined the steps that could have been taken to acquire the property in question, including compensation once the land had been vested in the Minister of Natural Resources.

 

Dean Barrow, Attorney-at-law

“The minister, no doubt, after consultation with his cabinet colleagues decides that there is a piece of private property that the government needs to acquire, the minister, having come to that decision will publish a declaration in the gazette notifying of his decision to acquire that particular piece of property.  That notification, that gazette publication will contain all the necessary particulars.  He must publish two declarations but there is an interval of six weeks between the first and the second publication.  That six-week interval must be used by the minister to invite the landowner to negotiate because it is always better if the acquisition can be done by way of a voluntary sale which will make it then not a compulsory acquisition.  More likely than not, while the minister or the authorized officer so designated by the minister must engage in that kind of good faith negotiation process, more likely than not it will come to naught because no doubt the landowner is going to want far more for his or her land than the government is prepared to give.  But once the government has conducted or engaged in that sort of an effort to see whether there can be a voluntary transfer for an agreed price, if that doesn’t work then the minister publishes his second declaration after the intervening period has elapsed.  And immediately after that second declaration is published, the land vests in the minister, in the government and thereafter, it is just a matter of the government carrying out the public purpose which the land now vested in the minister or the government, carrying out the public purpose for which it was acquired.  Of course, there is the question of compensation.”

Opposition Chastises G.O.B. over Belmopan Hospital Land Acquisition

We also heard from the Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow on the government’s decision to acquire fifteen acres of roadside property for the construction of a new hospital in Belmopan. He described it as corrupt and outrageous. Barrow also revealed that the United Democratic Party will be joining a group of civilians that has organized a protest for Friday morning in front of the Prime Minister’s office in Belmopan. Here is what he told us.

 

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“To me, this cannot be described as anything other than corruption. When you look at the fact that the parcels of land that are nearby and these parcels of land are fifteen acres was assessed by the Belmopan City Council at a hundred and sixty-nine thousand for one, because I believe it is fifteen acres and another hundred and add, for a total of three hundred thousand. That was the assessment. I don’t know if that was corruption on the part of the Belmopan City Council so that they could pay less taxes. But that was the going rate. So, to go from three hundred thousand to about seven million is absolutely outrageous. What makes it more outrageous is that you have UB that has eight hundred acres that we would get for free. What makes it even more outrageous is the fact that you have the honorable prime minister who came to the House of Representatives and said that the Saudi Fund gave Belize ninety million dollars in order to build a tertiary level hospital and we are building it on the University of Belize Campus and it will be a teaching facility and this is what was presented to the people of Belize and this is what was passed n parliament. And to come back and say there was a feasibility studies and experts that came and said it wouldn’t make sense, no one is buying that. So to make the investment of seven or eight million in the University of Belize to create the necessary infrastructure so that you can have a hospital there, that would be the proper investment. You are helping the constituency of Belmopan. You are benefiting the students and future students to come. That would be a benefit to Belize, to our national university for generations to come. This would have become a hallmark accomplishment for the Briceno administration. But this just shows how greedy, how glutenous they have become.”

Are There Concerns of Sewage Leakage Near University Hospital Land?

 

The location of the proposed University Hospital to be constructed in Belmopan continues to be a concern for both the public and governmental bodies. Initially, the hospital was to be built on the University of Belize property, but that was ruled out as an option by government officials. On Friday, Minister of the Environment, Orlando Habet, told us that an assessment would be conducted on the property purchased by the Government of Belize., the question of whether the smell or possible leakage is a risk for the safety of the hospital was raised, since there are sewage treatment ponds located near the land. Here’s what Chief Environmental Officer Anthony Mai had to say.

 

                                   Anthony Mai

Anthony Mai, Chief Environmental Officer, D.O.E.

“Well, I’m not sure. We haven’t received anything in the D.O.E. I haven’t been given any details of the project per se, so it’s difficult to say. And I’m very cautious about basically giving an opinion on something that I don’t have critical information on. The way the Department of Environment works is we use scientific information to guide our decision, and only through the use of data can we give such an input. So at this point I’m not too sure. So I’ve read that there is the potential, possibility, likelihood, and danger of seepage of sewage ponds. And obviously there are different types and so forth.”

 

Reporter

“You’ve never had any such concern from that particular one?”

 

Anthony Mai

“Not from that particular one. I think a component of that project is concrete in terms of funds. I know that an upgrade, we granted environmental clearance for an upgrade a couple of years ago, maybe five, six years. The upgrade included the installation of I think a dry bed. And I think they lined one of the ponds and they also included UV light for disinfecting the waste before it goes into the environment. So there have been some improvement to that facility over the years.”

 

Reporter

“You know how big they are?”

 

Anthony Mai

“I can’t say from the top of my head, but we have the data in the office in terms of the size of the pond.”

Indian Creek Villagers Say Away with M.L.A.

Villagers of Indian Creek find themselves in the middle of a legal battle with the Maya Leaders Alliance and the Toledo Alcaldes’ Association. The underlying cause is that they’re stuck between a C.C.J. ruling that binds them to tradition and the government system that allows them to develop. Today, the village council held a meeting to say that they reject the legal steps that the M.L.A. has taken to reverse their election of an alcalde and deputy alcalde last November and to reinstate the previous village officials who served in those capacities prior to then. Village Councilor Anselmo Cholom said the reason they chose new alcalde leaders was because the previous ones stuck to the doctrine of the M.L.A., which impedes development in their village.

 

                              Anselmo Cholom

Anselmo Cholom, Member, Indian Creek Village Council

“The people that are leading the Maya people are dividing us in a way where they did not respect the decision of the community that happens at the community center. That’s what we want to [talk] about. And then to see that tradition that we’re practicing – when I am a Mayan person, I practice traditions. That doesn’t mean that I cannot get development. That doesn’t mean that I cannot get a concrete building and stay within a thatch building. It doesn’t keep me away from advancing. That’s basically what I’m talking about.”

 

Marion Ali

“But it’s not that you want to detach or divorce yourselves from the communal land system that has been in a part of the tradition for decades, centuries?”

 

Anselmo Cholom

“Yes, but if it is that the Maya leaders don’t leave the community in Indian Creek, then what is the sense that we practice, that we are there? What is the sense if we don’t want to – if they don’t want to allow us for development? Because that’s what basically the previous Alcalde was doing from not having development. So what is the sense to keep stuck in something that we don’t want to move away? We have to give up. We have to give up on that. We cannot being slave. We have to get out of that and if we have to get out of a communal system because of that, then we have to change.”

Women of Indian Creek Support Current Alcalde

Following the election of Jose Choc and Felipe Sam as Alcalde and Deputy Alcalde, respectively, the Attorney General’s ministry declared both men duly elected officials of the village. But he informed the villagers on August fifteenth of the M.L.A.’s civil suit, challenging the installation of Choc and Sam. The women who spoke today, Jessica Ack and Silvania Maquin, vehemently opposed the reinstatement of the previous alcaldes and gave their reasons why.

 

                                      Jessica Ack

Jessica Ack, Resident, Indian Creek Village

“I just want to ask, if these people come back in power, do you think that they will cooperate with the village council when we want development in our community?  (Crowd shouts “No”) So this is the reason why we do not want these people. We want that Mr. Manuel Ak and Mr. Nicholas Choc to stay as alcalde and deputy alcalde.”

 

 

                                Silvania Maquin

Silvania Maquin, Resident, Indian Creek Village

“They will not work, they will not cooperate with our chairman, and I have seen it. And the beginning of this problem is not just today. It started when we were to bring – when this prince was to come in this village, there is where the problem started. There is where this village is divided in two. And from that day forward, this M.L.A. system is brainwashing these alcaldes that they want them back again. And we don’t want these two sets of alcaldes in the village.”

Village Elder Says Reinstating Previous Alcalde Means No Advancement

Indian Creek has a population of around fifteen hundred residents, and today’s meeting had less than a hundred persons in attendance. In no way did it reflect a majority position, based on numbers, but Cholom assured that they have the support of the masses. Considering the possibility of a court ruling in favour of the M.L.A., one of the elders, Miguel Ack, shared a likely scenario since they refuse to give up their current alcalde rulers.

 

                                     Miguel Ack

Miguel Ack, Elder, Indian Creek Village

“(Speaking in Kek’chi Maya…we never had any issue within our Maya community to have to go to a high court. If we have any issue within the Maya, we solve it within the Maya community center. (Cheers) We can even end up killing each other if we continue with the MLA division. Now is the time to make a decision and resolve the matter. Now, the current, we will not change them.” (Cheers)

Brandon Bowen Walks from B.H.P.L. Robbery Charge

Thirty-eight-year-old Brandon Bowen, a well-known street figure, walked away from a charge of abetment to robbery when he appeared before the lower court today.  In June 2023, Bowen was accused of robbing the cashiers at Belize Healthcare Partners Limited of an undisclosed sum of money.   This morning, in the presence of attorney Ellis Arnold, it was successfully argued that there was no evidence linking Bowen to the crime.  With that, the charge was dismissed and he was free to go.  Of note, is that the identity of the other individual who participated in the robbery was never released and no one was ever charged for the actual robbery.

Trench Town Masqueraders, 13 Years of Celebrating Carnival

The 2024 carnival season is in full swing. We are on the heels of the Miss Carnival Pageant that took place on Saturday night inside the Belize City Civic Center. Soca Moca was declared the winner in the senior mas band category. Jump Street Junior Band won in the junior category.  With that event now behind us, carnival bands across the city are gearing up for upcoming events, including the highly anticipated Carnival Road March. Over the weekend, News Five’s Paul Lopez visited the Trench Town Masqueraders to get a glimpse into their practice session. He brings us that story in tonight’s installment of Kolcha Tuesday.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

For the past thirteen years Patricia Flowers has been leading the Trench Town Masqueraders in Saint Martin De Porres.

 

                               Patricia Flowers

Patricia Flowers, Leader, Trench Town Carnival Band

“I have been dancing since I was five, then you know your kids grow up and you don’t want to be in the same category, so I decided to do my own, because for the love of carnival, you don’t want to take it out of you.”

 

 

 

 

We paid a visit to Flowers and her band during their practice session on Oleander Street in preparation for the upcoming Carnival Road March. The atmosphere was energetic. The revelers were fully engaged in their choreography. Several people from within the community were present simply to spectate and feed off the high energy.

 

 

 

Patricia Flowers

“The only thing that has changed with carnival is people loving carnival for being carnival. Back then nobody fights over carnival. Anybody could have stood up at anybody’s band. You could have done anything, but today’s day carnival turns into a fight.”

 

 

 

Over the years, the competition between carnival bands has become fierce. With huge sponsorship and coveted bragging rights on the line, being declared the best of the best during the carnival season comes with its perks.  Angie Pineda has been embracing the carnival spirit from the age of ten. Pineda’s commitment to this carnival group has seen her transition from the junior to the senior band.

 

 

 

                                Angie Pineda

Angie Pineda, Reveler, Trench Town Carnival Band

“So it feels very thrilling, very energetic. I feel so happy. It feels like you are in your own little bubble, you are being your own little person. It is something I really like and it is like there is no negativity in it at all. So, it is just a fun way, it is just basically energetic.”

 

Paul Lopez

“Is there anything you need to do or have to be a good reveler?”

 

Angie Pineda

“No, as shocking as may look if you just look at me you wouldn’t think I can dance or anything. I have gotten that a lot. When I was younger it was the same way. I didn’t know to dance really good. But they taught me. So you don’t have to be a good dancer or a dancer at all. We teach you and you just come along and you will be great.”

 

 

2024 is the third year that Trench Town Masqueraders is organizing a senior band. Many of the revelers, like Pineda, spent most of their childhood years competing at the junior level in this very group. Flowers decided to establish a senior section as a natural progression. We also engaged Chantel Serano, another reveler, during our visit. As a true testament to the unity that exists within carnival bands, Serano says she offers her time to assist where necessary.

 

 

                           Chantel Serano

Chantel Serano, Reveler, Trench Town Carnival Band

“When it comes to Trench Town, we want to bring things to the way it was back then where it is not about what you wear. Of course, you want to look your best and everything, but what you can expect from Trench Town is that you are going to see the family bond. You are going to see everyone smiling, having fun, clean fun of course. We have a lot of these girls who work very hard. They have their jobs, go to school, our group consists of a lot of people who have a lot going on. So, when they come out here, this is their free up, their release.”

 

But the longstanding carnival culture that comes alive during the September celebrations is by no means perfect. When we interviewed Band Leader, Patricia Flowers on Sunday she was still distraught over the results of the Miss Carnival Pageant the night before.

 

Patricia Flowers

“I mean everybody just the kill the love of carnival.”

 

Paul Lopez

“What do you mean by fight?”

 

Patricia Flowers

“Literal Facebook post bashing each other, after events having fights, it doesn’t make any sense.”

 

Paul Lopez

“How do you feel about that?”

 

 

Patricia Flowers

“Frustrated, mad and I can’t even explain the rest.”

 

Paul Lopez

“Are you all deciding to compete this year?”

 

Patricia Flowers

“After last night I have two minds, because fairness in carnival is also dead. I used to be a quite person, and after the years of carnival I can’t be quiet anymore, because what you see and what you put in, fair is fair. We all work hard.”

 

Paul Lopez

“Is this the most frustrating year for you yet?”

 

 

 

 

Patricia Flowers

“In the events yes. In the parts with sponsorship and so. I am use to it. I have been through tribulations, trials, drama and I still come out carnival day.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

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