Belize History - 501academy

From Invasion to Nation

moe — Fri, 08 May 2026 15:23:20 +0000

From Invasion to Nation

What is History?

What we call history is always a matter of interpretation of selected facts: Each generation must use its own sense of right and wrong to determine what it considers to be its true history. No matter who interprets history many things will always remain ambiguous. You must decide what you accept as true and form your own opinions about the making of modern Belize.

This story will take us through a period covering almost 500 years… From Invasion to Nation

The post From Invasion to Nation first appeared on 501academy.

The Voyage of the Seaflower

moe — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 14:29:58 +0000

The Voyage of the Seaflower

When in June 1699 Captain Caleb Fibber sailed his ship (the Seaflower), into the harbour at Venice, he had every reason to celebrate. He had made the long journey (see Figure 1) safely from the settlement in the Bay of Honduras that would later be known as Belize without landing at any of the ports in North America or the Caribbean controlled by England (Great Britain, formed by the union of England & Wales with Scotland, would not come into existence until 1707). He had not even stopped at any port in England, Ireland (an English colony until 1801) or Wales (annexed by England in 1536) on his way to Venice (a journey by sea of around 7,500 miles). He therefore assumed he was outside English jurisdiction, its strict maritime laws and its customs regulations.

The post The Voyage of the Seaflower first appeared on 501academy.

The Primer on the People Called Garifuna

moe — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 16:25:17 +0000

The Primer on the People Called Garifuna

This booklet replaces “The First Primer on the People Called Garifuna”, which was published and shared in 1993. As research increases, new and factual data are literally unearthed. So is the case with this study. It’s a People’s story, from enslavement and indigeneity to Kalinago and Garinagu.

The new and updated Primer is the outcome of secondary or library research through an extensive literature review and narrative analysis. For that, I have provided a list of references. Identifying as Garifuna and as a member of the community, I applied the Feminist Standpoint Theory and the Theory of Indigenous Anthropology, as both research techniques empower the researcher to investigate one’s own. I maintained an emic perspective throughout and remained sympathetic to the Garinagu, a viewpoint that may be a novel undertaking in the literature on ethnicity.

While this story is a scholarly product, it is written and presented in a popular brochure format and includes photographs for easy reading. The booklet holds a detailed account, a complete history of the Garinagu. The story places the Garinagu in the environment and climate in which they survived to live. As a result, it also brings out the story of Belize between 1799 and 1981.

Lastly, the brochure is dedicated to my grandchildren: Nyah, Dominic and Aniki. Also it is gifted to the youths of this beautiful Jewel of ours…that they may find themselves!

The post The Primer on the People Called Garifuna first appeared on 501academy.

The Rockville Declaration

moe — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 21:04:05 +0000

The Rockville Declaration

Preamble:

This day October 12, 1969, we, the officers of the Peoples Action Committee (PAC) and the United Black Association for Development (UBAD) come together to formulate a single historical document of our beliefs, objectives and programs which will give birth to one national movement of liberation.

The post The Rockville Declaration first appeared on 501academy.

Conversations on Decolonization

moe — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 15:22:08 +0000

Conversations on Decolonization

conversations for a community record

The post Conversations on Decolonization first appeared on 501academy.

Rights

moe — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 20:34:09 +0000

Rights

This book was developed by the UBAD Educational Foundation + The Image Factory Art Foundation to commemorate the 100th anniversary of what we are calling the 1919 Revolution, when Black Ex-Servicemen and Belize townspeople rose up in rebellion on 22nd and 23rd of July, 1919 to protest racism, lack of land, jobs and inequality. It is part of making connections to the resistance, and resilience part of Ourstories that is still to be told.

The post Rights first appeared on 501academy.

Latta Pichaz

moe — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:57:56 +0000

Latta Pichaz

“Latta Pichaz” is sectioned into three distinct chronological parts: The Early Period 1895-1950, The Middle Period 1950-1981, and The Contemporary Period 1981-2005. This is done to provide a basic framework to the broad considerations of the history and the photographic technology during these periods.

In total some five hundred images are displayed in “Latta Pichaz.” The Image Factory wishes to thank and acknowledge the following for their collaboration with this project HIVOS, Meg Craig, the Eric King Collection, The Press Office, The Belize Archives Department and the photographers who keep the image of Belize alive for all to see.

The post Latta Pichaz first appeared on 501academy.

Said Musa Project 1

moe — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 00:07:35 +0000

Said Musa Project 1

As part of the Imagination Factory’s 30th anniversary (1995–2025), we are launching several projects, including the Said Musa Archival Project.

On June 18, 2024, lightning struck and burned down the two-story National Archives of Barbados. In this age of AI, it is unacceptable that Belize has made super urgent the digitalization of its cultural, political, social, and historical materials.

On March 19, Said Musa turns 81. He has generously provided free, for thirty years, space for our Image Factory (1995), now the Imagination Factory (2025).

To celebrate his birthday and the launch of the Said Musa Archival Project, we will present a limited edition printed book and a free eBook, No Wach Me Wach Yuself. The project’s first phase involves digitizing articles, photos, videos, and audio files related to Belize’s third Prime Minister.

The post Said Musa Project 1 first appeared on 501academy.

Jesus Ken

moe — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 17:29:48 +0000

Jesus Ken

I went with my friend and writer Rick Moguel to visit Jesus Ken in Succotz, Cayo.

It was an immersive experience. I remember thinking of those St. John’s College students who staged, for a history project, a cañero rebellion in the context of the moment we call in Belize, the Cañeros Movement .

All the youths wanted to be Jesús Ken. They loved his character, fiery, charismatic and bold. They belong to an instagram generation yet they felt the depth and urgency in Ken’s fight for his fellow sugar cane farmers.

A few weeks ago I visited the former Libertad sugar factory compound. The artist Lito and I were supporting another artist Katie Numi Usher who was doing an art performance in the massive cavern metal structure ex-sugar storage facility.

Both the re-enactment by students and the art intervention by the artist are acts of cultural engagement with history. If we can’t value our ancestral legacies, then cultural estrangement will become us.

We will never know what went down except for our imaginations and the stories we
are told.

Respect to Ricardo for writing with such broad sweeping magical realism strokes. This book can easily excite young people because it is not heavy on theory or lost in academic complexities. It is plain spoken and real.

I encourage those who are open to check this first draft of what we hope to be many on what went down in the northern part of Belize.

It can’t just be the re-fried “caste war” and “refugees” story. It has to get down and
dirty – deeper and graphic.

The post Jesus Ken first appeared on 501academy.

Good Belizeans

moe — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 14:31:11 +0000

Good Belizeans

This collection of letters offers a window into the mind and actions of George Cadle Price, the Father of the Nation and a Belizean National Hero. Born on 15 January 1919, Price dedicated his life to leading the country from colonial rule to self-government and independence. Price’s life was marked by a deep commitment to service, social justice and the welfare of the Belizean people. His formative years, spent in spiritual pursuit to be a priest, later converged with his role as the country’s most gifted political leader. His dedication to the advancement of Belize set him apart as a leader who prioritized the nation’s collective progress over his personal gain. His contributions to Belize’s political, social and economic landscape are countless with his influence reaching far beyond the letters compiled in this collection.

The post Good Belizeans first appeared on 501academy.