Musicians and Culturalists pay homage to Mister Peters

wilfred peters

Around the country and beyond, musicians, friends and fans are mourning the death of eminent Belizean musician Mister Peters who passed away on Wednesday afternoon. An official funeral is being planned to bid farewell to the man who through his music and lyrics kept the Creole Culture alive. Today, many persons paid tribute to the man who was the life of the party and paused for a moment to share with News Five’s Isani Cayetano their fondest memories of the Brukdong King.

Isani Cayetano, reporting

The untimely passing of Bruk Down legend Mister Wilfred Peters has dealt Belize’s fledgling music industry another crucial blow.  Peters’ death comes two and a half years after Andy Palacio‘s, another cultural icon who transcended traditional folk music.  Today his colleagues shared their thoughts on the man behind Creole music.

Tony Wright, Belizean Musician; Relative

tony wright

“We had a lot of fun moments with Mister Peters.  Every year he performed inside Sound Fest right and we even ker Mister Peters dah Orange Walk when we did the Orange Walk Fest and uhm you know, going on the road I got to find out that me and Mister Peters are pretty close right, we are cousins.  So going to Orange Walk and reaching there we hang out whole evening and what not so we had some fine moments together.  All of the show s what we did with Mister Peters except one we featured Mister Peters himself and not him along with the Boom and Chime because the accordions were pretty heavy.  A lot of times Mister Peters loved to work apart from having this heavy accordion and so he pulled off a massive show there in Orange Walk for the people them.”

While Peters wowed local audiences with his accordion and the jawbone of an ass, like other renowned Belizean musicians he also made a name for himself on the world stage.  Long time friend and music lover Greg Vernon recounted a tour of Europe with Mister Peters.

greg vernon

Greg Vernon, Director, I.C.A.

“We toured for ten weeks with the Belize Dance Company going out to Pernice Festival and Mister Peters and Miss Leila was touring with us and of course wherever Mister Peters goes the party begins.  And we were sitting with the president of the festival, Mister Ho and Mister Peters was telling him you know it is good to be here but he misses of course something to drink Mister Ho went out of his way to find rum in Europe and you know Europe is wine and beer and whiskey and he went out of his way to find this particular rum so Mister Peters would be able to enjoy the festival because he fell in love with Mister Peters right away.”

As much as he loved and embodied Bruk Down music Peters also epitomized Creole culture.  Sylvaana Udz of the National Kriol Council says Peters did everything he could have to promote the culture.

Sylvaana Udz, Co-founder, National Kriol Council

silvaana udz

“When I think ah Mister Peters what come to mind, immediately come to mind dah Mister Peters live the language and ih live the kulcha, di Kriol kulcha, di Kriol language.  Mister Peters noh gih no interview eena no English.  Mister Peters could di talk to di Queen ah England or ih could di talk to di people fu di Three Kings documentary, ih could talk to di picni dehn dah House a Kulcha.  Ih di use ih Creole language, dah mi part ah he di way how ih breathe dah paat ah life.  So weh do da true ih music ih no only add to di body ah music weh mek Belize music Belize Music but ih tell stories.  Da part ah di oral history thank goodness to celluloid and all dehn things weh could record it now that we have it down.”

Tony Wright

“Mister Peters dah like the Bob Marley fih Belize.  Mister Peters music wah live on fih the next fifty, sixty years whatever.  You know, so that dah weh we proud a Mister Peters bout.”

Greg Vernon

“Mister Peters the character, the stage personality, the off the stage personality, the backstage personality.  There is this personality with Mister Peters and this character that you cannot get away from and it’s really once you know Mister Peters to be on stage again you know the party will begin and this is what Belizeans will be missing most about Mister Peters.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano

A wake is being organized for Sunday night at the North Creek home of the late Mister Wilfred Peters which will take the form of a festival in honor of his life.