B.T.L. Technician’s Death Mourned by Family, Friends, and Musical Partners
Edwin Sho
On Monday evening, Edwin Sho, a Service Operations and Maintenance Technician for B.T.L. fell to his death while working on a company project in the Cayo District. The company says they are investigating the incident and has issued a message of condolence. Sho joined Belize Telemedia Limited in January of 2017 and was in the Consumer Sales and Service Operations West Department at the time of his death. News Five’s Paul Lopez was in Belmopan today to learn more about the incident and Sho’s life outside of his career at B.T.L.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Belize Telemedia Limited employee Edwin Sho was on the job in Roaring Creek on Monday when tragedy struck. The utility pole he was working on suddenly collapsed, plunging Sho to his death. He and a co-worker had been conducting operations at Jubilee Ministries when the incident occurred. Jason Twist is an elder at the church. He was inside the building with Sho’s co-worker when they heard the lamppost crash to the ground.
Jason Twist
Jason Twist, Elder, Jubilee Ministries
“We heard a loud bang. We heard a loud bang, and when we realized something serious happened.”
Sho was found motionless on the ground. Next to him was the ladder he used to climb to the top of the post. At his feet, lying flat on the ground, was the post that had been standing tall only moments before.
Jason Twist, Elder, Jubilee Ministries
“We couldn’t do anything. We couldn’t touch the guy. His partners said let us not touch him. But, from the moment we saw him there we realized that he was gone, no movement.”
An initial investigation has revealed that the post was decayed below the surface of the ground. As a result, the pressure of Sho’s body weight and his ladder could have caused the post to snap. Twist says it was impossible to tell, with just a glance, that the condition of the post below surface was significantly deteriorated.
Jason Twist, Elder, Jubilee Ministries
“There was no way to tell that the post was rotten. You have to look way down to see, because it snapped way from the bottom, the base. I don’t know how many other posts are like that, but my goodness when we saw that post on the ground, it was really hollow inside at the bottom.”
Sho’s death has gripped the Mayan community with sadness. When he was not on the road carrying out his duties, he was creating cultural music alongside his lifetime friend Alex Oh. He and Sho were garnering local and regional attention for their unique blend of Punta Rock music and Maya lyrics.
Alex Oh
Alex Oh, Owner, Ak’a’wada Studio
“We got into music because of the COVID that took over the world. As young men, we brought out music. His first release was Corona in Mopan Maya which we did together. When he did it, it was a hit in the Maya community. So, we decided that it is something we really loved. We decided we wanted other cultures to get involved and that is why we did the music with “Bruk Down” background from the creole culture and we also do punta which is from the Garifuna. We add our Maya lyrics to the music to give it a combine to our culture. But Edwin is a very talented individual.”
Both men have been friends for the last decade. Oh introduced Sho to the keyboard as a child. As adults, they opened a music studio together in Belmopan where Sho was preparing for his first musical gig in Mexico. Alex Oh says he would give anything to have one last moment with his friend.
Alex Oh
“The name of the studio when it started it was SMG studio. So after a while we changed it and said since we are doing Maya we should change the studio name to a Maya, so we changed it to Ak’a’wada studio. Ak’a’wada means “Yo Done Seh it”. So it is really hard being front here thinking about it. But, Edwin was a really good friend of mine and I would like to speak to him one more chance and I would tell him, Ed it is our phrase you know.”
At home, Sho and his common law wife were expecting his first child. Aurelio Sho, Edwin’s cousin, was like a brother and an adviser.
Aurelio Sho
Aurelio Sho, Relative
“I am a little older than him and he would ask me a lot of personal questions. He asked me, he said bway Sho, cause I am also Sho, he asked me on one occasion, recently, he say bway I wah be wah daddy, you think that wah change with my music? I tell him no man, your child will be proud of you because you have big hits you know. You dah we superstar here in Belize.”
Aurelio Sho is calling for a thorough investigation into the tragic incident.
Aurelio Sho, Relative
“To me there is no kind of compensation that will total the loss that occurred. But, I also want to say that I think that Digi and even BTL needs to be more careful and show more ownership of their employees where they ensure that their safety is a priority and that they are well cared for, and that in this case a proper investigation occur and that there is no such shortcutting where they say that this happened because it is his fault or whatever.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
