About the Covers By Jamil Loskot As a photographer, and as a Belizean, I’ve always dreamed of having a single photo appear in Destination Belize magazine, because of its worldwide reach. That dream came true in 2013, when two of my images of Prince Harry were published. But little did I know that a few years later, I’d…
Find Our Roots Feel (Y) Our Rhythms By Lebawit Lily Girma Bileez! It’s a name that remained shrouded in mystery for centuries, its etymology only recently confirmed to be of Maya origin. And as you begin exploring and making your way around “The Jewel”—as Belizeans call their home–you will quickly realize that this small country in the heart of Central America is, indeed, one big, colorful collage of origins. Belize is roots. And Belize is rhythms. It’s a small place overflowing with ancient customs, indigenous tongues, and traditions passed on from generation to generation. It’s a nation whose people are intent on preserving their ancestry, and fiery in protecting their pristine environment against…
By Janelle Chanona1 In October 2016, I received a phone call that brought my world to a standstill. “Seismic ships are on their way,” said the voice on the other end. The “saltwater” in my veins ran cold. My mind raced imagining apocalyptic scenarios. My heart said,“You have to stop them.” My earliest and fondest childhood memories are of me in the Caribbean Sea: licking mango juice and salt water…
From Trinidad to Belize, the steel pan’s intoxicating sound unites the Afro-Caribbean diaspora. By Alexander Evans Pan Yaad is Belize’s grandest steel pan concert—a signature event of our annual “September Celebrations,” a near month-long calendar of festivities countrywide, leading up to Belize’s Independence Day on September 21. At Pan Yaad 2016, I was on the verge of leaving my country to become the first Belizean to pursue a Bachelor in Musical Arts at the University of the West Indies St. Augustine Campus, in Trinidad and Tobago. This meant leaving Pandemonium behind—the steel pan band I’d directed since its…
My quest to revive an ancient Maya ball game in Belize. By Felicita Cantun Fifteen years ago, I was at a linguistic conference in Bullet Tree Falls, in the Cayo District, with participants from Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize. In the midst of the event, I witnessed a Guatemalan group playing pok-ta-pok—an ancient Maya ball game and ritual played over 500 years ago. The players hit the ball from the hips, with no hands, feet, or head, and…
An ancient food standing the test of time. By Caroline Oliver While visitors flock to Belize for adventures in its vast forests, or to relax beside blue Caribbean waters, few experience one of the country’s best kept secrets: chocolate. Dating back over two and a half thousand years, Belize produces some of the world’s finest cacao, and it’s an industry that helps both small–scale farmers and the environment. If you haven’t yet experienced Belizean cacao, you’re in for a surprise. …
