Shyne Barrow’s abrupt departure as chief executive officer of the Belizean Society of Composers, Authors and Producers, BSCAP, on August tenth, is mired in controversy. Belize’s Music Ambassador has demitted office after only one year at the helm of the group, despite a considerable turnaround at the once dormant organization. His resignation succeeds a recent […]
Late this evening, BSCAP issued its release on the claims made by Shyne. The organization accepted his resignation, but goes on to call his comments to be “wildly inflammatory, misleading and inappropriate.” The letter states that since Barrow has been very vocal that the artists are his priority, BSCAP remains hopeful that he will reconsider […]
CARIFESTA is the Caribbean festival of arts held every two years by CARICOM AND CARIFORUM countries to celebrate the best in Caribbean culture through music, literary arts, visual arts, theatre, dance and film. Over the years we have seen local musicians, dancers, visual artists others in the creative sector participate, but it has been a […]
Artist Shyne Barrow dropped a bombshell today when he abruptly resigned from the Belizean Society of Composers Authors Publishers. A leaked letter bearing today’s date and signed by the PM’s son, announces his sudden resignation to the BSCAP membership on the heels of claims by the former C.E.O. and current chair, Heather Cunningham, that she […]
The first Maya Land Registry was launched in southern Belize this week. After two years of inaction to a ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice that determined that a mechanism had to be put in place to protect lands, Maya communities started the process in the village of Crique Sarco. As we reported on […]
A two-week acting workshop wrapped up today in the city. Panamanian actor and stage coach Jaime Newball teamed up with the Bliss to offer the training. The facilitator trained about thirty participants in different aspects of the screen business from stage management to acting improvisation. He says he saw a wide range of raw talent […]
The annual Creative Arts Camp organized by the Institute of Creative Arts culminated today with a routine showcase of what the young performers have learned at the camp. Over the past three weeks, primary and preschool students practiced the various techniques in dance, drama and song and today, the parents got to see the routines […]
Cocono Bwai, Denise Castillo, the Belize Dance Company and Project Inebesei are tonight in Kazakhstan representing Belize at Expo Astana. The international trade show began on June tenth and ends on September tenth, 2017, with over ten international organizations from one hundred countries. The participants are engaging in discussions on this year’s theme, “Energy of the Future” to share in […]
Belizean artist Rachel Heusner who lives in Tobago is hosting a two week exhibition inside Sarina’s Café on the ground floor at the Bliss. Heusner has been painting for over twenty-five years and has a collection of art pieces that dates way back to the mid 1980’s. This year, she is back home with a […]
For four years, the Image Factory Art Foundation has opened its space to new and established artists during the summer months for what it calls free and open experimentation, where those in the creative field are invited to perform, install or project work in the space for a maximum limit of twenty-four hours. The concept […]
We have been covering the Cultural Heritage Bill’s passage through the House of Representatives. It is intended to present a regime for registration and maintenance of historical assets including buildings, and is a quid pro quo for the Downtown Rejuvenation Project focusing on the Commercial Center, City Hall and House of Culture/Government House. Fort George […]
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Patrick Faber hit back with a reminder that both Liberty Hall and the Supreme Court were in some disrepair years ago. He countered the allegation that the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) was all about cocktail parties and not about advancing living culture, pointing to efforts […]
Culture is defined in Bella Carib’s 1998 song “Proud A Mi Kulcha” as, “the concepts, habits, skills, instruments and institutions of a given people, in a given period.” The National Institute of Culture and History broadens it to include not only the arts and letters, but also modes of life, the fundamental rights of human […]
In San Ignacio, there is outrage over the demolition of the historic San Ignacio-Santa Elena Town Hall at the corner of King and Hudson Streets in the town center. Reports say the structure had been deemed unsafe for human occupancy as of twenty years ago. The building itself had inclined some eleven inches and there […]
The National Cultural Heritage Bill is headed back to the House of Representatives next week Friday. It is meant to provide a framework for the preservation of historically and culturally significant buildings, particularly in Belize City. The Bill is tied to funding from Taiwan for the Downtown Rejuvenation Project, which includes a renovation of the […]
The Museum of Belize is leading an initiative that will see small museums enter into an association. Today, they officially signed the article of association that will see them better supported with training and other opportunities in order to better support in areas of preservation of culture and heritage. News Five’s Andrea Polanco reports. […]
In 2015, the Statistical Institute of Belize, along with UNICEF, embarked upon an extensive survey which would yield the most important sources of data used for situation analyses and policy decisions for informing public opinion on children and women, as well as influencing the public debate. Today, the media was invited to meet with UNICEF […]
About twenty budding filmmakers are learning an introductory course in video production from established director and producer Steven Torriano Berry. The creative force behind local dramatic television series “Noh Matta Wat,” Berry is no stranger to Belize and for the next five days the concepts drawn by his students will leap off the page to […]
The competition was close, but on Saturday night Belmopan native Jennifer Louise Smith was crowned the new Miss Y.W.C.A. 2017-2018, succeeding Ms. Eleanor Sutherland. Smith won the crowd over at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts with a powerful re-telling of her life story in song and monologue. She overcame neglect in childhood and […]
The Taiwanese Government, through the Primary and Secondary Art Skills Training Centre, launched the Taiwan Cultural Exchange Program in Belize. This is the first of its kind program that aims to educate locals about Taiwanese culture, with a focus on language, food, music and education. Andrea Polanco was at today’s launch and has more about […]
The Museum of Belize is spearheading a project that will see small museums enter into an association. Next week the Museum of Belize is going to officially incorporate and sign the article of association that will see small museums better supported with training and other opportunities. When we spoke with Director of the Museum Alexis […]
On Wednesday, former President of NICH, Yasser Musa came out against the proposed Heritage Preservation Legislation Bill, saying it does not invest in artists. Musa said the millions of dollars that will be provided through an agreement with Taiwan will be spent on “colonial projects…old ideas—putting money into cement rather than building up the people.” […]
Robert Sydney Reyes may not be well known among Belizeans at home, but his works of art will endure in the National Art Collection for years to come. That’s because four of his paintings were today inducted into the compendium of Belize’s patrimony. The donation was made through the Governor General’s office on behalf of […]
Former President of the National Institute of Culture and History, Yasser Musa, a teacher and artist in his own right, took jabs today at the Government of Belize, calling a proposed Heritage Bill a fraud. The Heritage Preservation Legislation Bill seeks to get millions of dollars in funding from the Taiwanese Government to preserve colonial […]
According to Musa, it is difficult for Belizean artists and musicians to appreciate their worth and talent locally when there is more focus on tourism rather than culture. Yasser Musa, Former President, NICH “You ask any farmer what it is they are doing with this land, the land and the sea; yes we understand […]
