“I Am Belize” is the theme song for Restore Belize
A number of artists and producers have composed the theme song “I am Belize.” The upbeat composition was launched today to roll out the awareness campaign of Restore Belize, the anti-crime initiative of the government. Tanya Carter is the songwriter and among the producers is Carlos Perote; two well known personalities in the music industry. News Five’s Isani Cayetano was at the Bliss when the theme song was released.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Since its introduction in May project Restore Belize has been regarded as an ambitious undertaking by the government and its social partners in returning the Jewel to a sense of normalcy by addressing directly the ills that have been plaguing our society. While the approach is multifaceted the steering committee has been able to keep its sights on creating a strong public awareness that social transformation is necessary. That effort has culminated in the launch of a public education campaign that sees the song ‘I Am Belize’ as its centerpiece.
Mary Vasquez, CEO, Restore Belize Initiative
mary vasquez
“Restore Belize overall is looking to create a society that is safe and that is a society of opportunities and comfort for all Belizeans. So part of that must be a change in the way we behave, the way we behave towards our country, the way we behave towards each other and the way we treat ourselves. And so the ‘I Am Belize’ public education campaign is particularly focused on fostering these social values and this positive national identity which will be the foundation really for personal change.”
That foundation is being built in part with assistance from local musicians. Penning the lyrics of the song was Belizean artist Tanya Carter.
tanya carter
Tanya Carter, Songwriter, ‘I Am Belize’
“I chose ‘I Am Belize’ because it was straight to the point and I just basically wanted to get the most powerful words by being positive, re-enforceful that we need some kinda upliftment and I pick a soca background because I think in the September time nobody noh want hear nothing dragging. You know everybody woulda want something uplifting, happy, you know partying, you know, with positive words and that’s basically how I came up with it you know.”
While creating a theme song with a stellar lineup of singers and musicians unites their artistic talents, a la Quincy Jones’ We Are The World, it is only a small step in the direction of meaningful reform. Many are still waiting for Restore Belize to make its true mark on our ailing society.
Mary Vasquez
“So in addition to all the institutional changes, the legal reform that we are looking at as part of Restore Belize we are also asking each Belizean to look at themselves and to embrace this idea of a positive national identity. The idea is that every Belizean will feel when they say ‘I Am Belize’ they will feel that sense of responsibility for what Belize is. They will feel that sense of ownership and identity so we won’t be talking about north side, south side, city, district, PUP, U.D.P.; we will be talking about Belize. All of us are Belize.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
Channel 5 says: “Many are still waiting for Restore Belize to make its true mark on our ailing society.”
People need to stop “waiting” and DO. Restore Belize depends on everyone!
Ummm…that’s all great and I’m glad Belizean Artists are being used for this sort of uplifting project rather than only radio commercials. But…nothing was said about where I can hear or get the song…please let us know!
dats right! where can i get this song..i wanna hear it
Excellent initiative. I would have loved to take part in this but I knew nothing of it prior to this news.
Chami-Ka seems only the same selected few are informed of these initiatives. I believe they should make these initiatives open to different artists, different genres.
lol … only to the few who are elites … some of us are not good enough … it happens in society be it color , race language,beliefs etc… it happens sad to say society has class us…
Whoever came up with the idea for the song , much respect, however if you wanted the song to be of a greater aspect my first reaction was that it should have been something similiar to the song “WE ARE THE WORLD” where more of our Belizean artist should have been involved.
Excellent partnership (BTB, NICH, and RESTORE Belize)! Well done Tanya, and all the artists involved in this initiative. Please let us know when it will be released and available for sale to the general public.
where can i get that song lyrics????????????????????????????????? it’s just so beautiful i need a copy 🙁 🙁 🙁
love this song.. tanya is a beautiful girl.. i tried google the song and can’t find it on the net.. copyright protected??
that song is so beautiful and it make me want to dance when i hear it too i listen to it for the rest of my life i am just completely inlove with that song and tanya you are pretty.y couldnt they pick me to sing i can sin too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL!!
love you and ur song tanya. just wish i could marry a young and talented artist like you baby. respect to you always baby!
I am so blessed to have the support from my belizeans! It warms my heart to see u guys accept my songs with enthusiasm! Thnk you all!
Talented Belizeans, of course, but a song will not stop the crime problem we have in Belize, this was a waste of tax payers money and people are still dying, mutilated 12 year old girl, gun shot gun shots claiming lives and its just Jan. 13, no offense to Ms. Carter, but your song is only a decoy from the real issues that affect this country.
The People Had Enough:
The music is a small part of the big solution, but a part nonetheless, and for that it deserves praise. It’s not just about changing a policy or making changes in the judicial process to effect change and improvements. People make crime happen. You are a person and you listen to music, don’t you? It’s a part of your life right? Well, what’s so bad about making that one thing that you use for at least one minute of every single day of your waking life to be a part of the solution to a problem that has such a strong effect on that very same cherished life of yours?
This is a just a part of the wider scheme to tackle crime. Give the artists a break, nuh? Tanya is doing what she does best, sing! Tanya isn’t an attorney nor a police officer nor a politician. Everyone should use their best talents to help for the greater good.
Tax dollars to support a holistic approach to solving crime. I think that warrants support. Let’s see, you like blogging and expressing your opinions. You obviously have an interest in speaking out against the things that you think are not helping Belize. Just doing that is a part of the wider scheme. You are a part of the solution too, but you have to support your brothers and sisters who are bringing positivity to the table and encouraging us to unify. Division is the crux of our crime problems. Support efforts to bring us together.
Nuh get mad at an effort to help! Get vex with the people who are NOT helping!
@ Life & Music, first of all, I have no problem with Belizean Artists or Music (even though I listen to music from the mid 90s and backward, cause I don’t think what exists today is music). Belize will be a whole lot better off when we start to glorify and praise intellectuals, we need more intellectuals in this country; we need more doctors, more teachers, more engineers, we need thinkers, the world has enough entertainers…when I see Channel5 and other news station glorifying intellectuals and promoting such, then I will feel that Belize media is and our country is on the right track.
Also, I never indicated that i do no support Belizean Music and talent, so please don’t get it twisted am just saying that we glorify thinks that matters on the smaller fraction of the big picture.
The crux of our crime problem is straight up apathy starting from the leaders of this country who are apathetic towards the people they were elected to lead thus instilling apathy in the people who don’t have any pride in themselves thus lose their values, especially of life, youths have been abandoned in this country by parents (who were kids who had kids in the late 80s to mid 90s)…the problem in this country is not hard to fix, but if you have a bunch of people running around with education and a thinking brain in there head then the elites will have too much competition and will not be able to keep their threshold on this nation and its wealth.
OPEN YOUR EYES. OPEN YOUR EYES. OPEN YOUR EYES. The roots of our current problem have been formulated and orchestrated decades ago by the ‘elites’ who made all their money from drug smuggling and black market activities and invested that money in legit businesses and today own just about everything and have the financial resource to make all the big deals etc, oooold drug money running this country dear.
We want to get serious in this damn country (yes, Belize is damned at this point in time) some of the first thing Government need to initiate is:
1. Get poor people of the streets: get them help, get them a job, opening a training center and train them in something, anything.
2. The mentally ill homeless: invest serious money into helping the mentally ill of Belize, get them of the streets, get the proper help, whatever it takes.
3. Get these children who are begging on the streets – get them off the streets: get them in school, get their parents responsible for their children, THIS SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED. PERIOD.
4. Take out the gangleaders and known criminal elements in communities: remember these ‘top’ guys are the ones responsible and forcing many of the young kids into criminal actitivties. What we are doing, waging war on poor, desperate youths, will only backfire, instead of waging war of youths crying out for help; HELP THEM; send in the ‘death squad’ and clean up the head criminals, the ‘shot’ callers.
5. Rebuild Southside Belize, do a massive investment and tear that !@#$hole down and build, (i hate this word) projects-like building, use the same people from southside to build the buildings, this will free out a lot of land space, it will give the city a well needed aesthetic facelift, it will give people pride knowing they build their living quarters/homes with their own hands. REMEMBER: only a handful of people in Southside Belize is responsible for most the the crimes, the rest are just poor folks who are afraid.
6. Do a massive investment in our education system, and i mean a massive overhaul and investment.
7. Legalize Marijuana: designate the south for the farming of this stuff for export and initiate and encourage an Amsterdam-like district, this will open a door of a whole other niche-market and will bring millions of tourist dollars into the economy, it will eliminate a chunk of the crime, eliminate our justice system from wasting time and money arresting, processing and locking up youths for ‘weed’ (what a waste of resources and time). This will bring the south out of poverty, because many of the people in the south already have experience in growing ‘weed’ anyways (-;
8. Socialize Medicine in this country; people SHOULD NOT pay for health care, send every damn person who wants to be a doctor to school, GOB should pay for everything without blinking an eye, hell one SUV can send probably a couple people to doctor school.
9. INVEST IN YOUR PEOPLE. INVEST IN YOUR COUNTRY. DOES NOT TAKE ROCKET SCIENCE.
You cannot have a productive, developing, prosperous country with uneducated, hopeless, pride less, unhealthy people.
Well said, The People Had Enough. Can’t aruge with you on your two comments. They are all excellent suggestions that aim to provide direct impact to, as you said, a damned country.
I especially like “but if you have a bunch of people running around with education and a thinking brain in their head then the elites will have too much competition and will not be able to keep their threshold on this nation and its wealth.” The men who didn’t know how to go about that bidding process in Griga is a good example. They were lost and had no guidance. It was a clear example of Poor vs. The Elite System. And while you recognize the need for education for the poor, I’m sure you would agree that the I Am Belize Public Education initiative is not the kind that you are talking about.
I tyad ah sih poor people dih look fool fool bout the place and a stagnant and self centered group of elite having no desire to uplift their downtrodden brothers and sisters. The privileged few need to take a more active role with helping the downtrodden arise from the dirt. The class division in tiny Belize is so palpable it is sickening. Some members of the elite hide in their cocoon and continue to think of only themselves, and it angers some members of the shrinking middle class and the poor who can only think of giving up and feeling forced to be bogged down, or of resorting to lawless and violent retaliation. This just digs the hole deeper beneath their feet and weakens their ability to move ahead.
(Note: I use some, because I believe it is always important that we recognize that there are good people on all sides of this class equation. The noble efforts of these sprinkles of selfless human beings who try to make a difference should always be applauded, especially in a survival mode society where it is extremely difficult to find motivation and encouragement to do anything for anyone other than yourself.)
But back to the arts, my personal opinon is that artistic expression has its value in playing a role in the solution to a crisis. It should be at the very least placed on the bottom of the priority list rather than being dismissed from the list entirely.
Admittedly, it was wrong of me to readily defend tax dollars helping with this musical effort not knowing exactly how much dollars were spent and that is because I am assuming tax dollars were spent.
If an exorbitant amount of our money that our people work to provide to the government in return for a better life in Belize was indeed allocated to this initiative (taking into consideration how much money had been assigned to perhaps more needy areas of the entire public education campaign, and looking at how much money had/is being used for the campaign compared to other priority areas in our wider national budget), then yes, I agree, it was not a waste I’d think, but better said, a mismanagement of tax dollars. Fair judgment would require a look at the entire spending budget.
However, I won’t be blind to the fact that history has shown us that our leaders repeatedly make terrible decisions on spending, which makes the likelihood of mismanaging tax dollars for this program highly likely. I also need to face the reality too that hoping to find all the information on our spending to help form my judgment is probably unlikely due to our plague of continously stifling transparency in government affairs.
Maybe a good compromise between you and me, The People Had Enough, let’s say if we were partners in government, would be to leave the arts and targeted public education campaigns such as this, in the hands of local or regional or international non-profits that have a specific interest in these areas, so we can use our tax dollars to spend on more direct impact initiatives as you listed above.
I love this song its stuck in my head!Go Tanya carter & the rest of amazing singers.