The proceedings began with the observation of a moment of silence to remember the late Odinga. Midway into the presentations, Elsworth Castillo presented Mose Hyde with a pencil sketch portrait of Odinga, which David Almendarez had made from a photo published in the Amandala months before his death. The presentation was fitting, since Mose Hyde was the originator of the memorial. He had the full support of his father, Evan X Hyde, in producing the event.

In presenting the gift, Castillo gave Mose Hyde accolades for his social contributions, which he likened to those of Odinga.

Over the course of the symposium, nine eminently qualified panelists spoke on various aspects of the nation?s affairs, breaking the disconnect that exists not only between our history and the present, but also between the youth and their elders.

One such elder was the late Odinga Lumumba, who passed away last year June, after having witnessed a series of uprisings earlier in 2005 that were clearly reminiscent of those in 1981, when Odinga, with the Belize Action Movement (BAM), led a commendable resistance against the Heads of Agreement?an infamous monster that to this day evokes a rancid sense of betrayal in the minds and hearts of many Belizeans.

While the speakers reminisced on the life and works of Odinga, they also reflected on the historical timeline that has led us to where we are today. Each panelist gave his or her assessment of some aspect of our nation?s present state, as well as proposed solutions.

Senator Godwin Hulse, the first speaker, laid out the basic dollars and sense of the nation?s economy. He said that our debt is as big as our GDP, standing at $2.1 billion. He extrapolated that each of us owes $9,000, while our equity is nil. At the current rate, he said, it would take us a full 20 years to pay back all the money we owe.

He pointed out that even if we use potential oil revenues to clear away our debt, we would still be left with half of that amount owing. We cannot pay the rest through taxation, so where does that leave us? How do we get out of this quagmire?

?We have to recognize that it is no longer going to be in the capacity of the Government to get us out?? said Senator Hulse. ?Let us try to pool our resources for increased productivity.?

He emphasized that Belizeans need to be more productive. Housewives can make jams and jellies and bottle them for sale on the market, he recommended.

He underscored the need to demand accountability from our leaders.

Following Senator Hulse?s presentation, Ombudsman Paul Rodriguez spoke on crime.

?It is extremely na?ve to say the cause of crime is poverty,? he asserted. He said that that would mean that rich people are all saints.

The Ombudsman indicated that lamentably, in the present scheme of things, the rich do escape justice.

A very important observation he made was that the majority of the 1,450 people in prison are mostly poor Black men. Does this mean that crime is a problem of only poor Black men?

Ombudsman Rodriguez said that the reason why things are the way they are is that, ?The rich have the wherewithal to escape justice.? Their money gets them the best of lawyers, who will get them off the hook. They get away from paying the penalty, he said, while the poor do not have that luxury.

He did not explain the racial dimension of his observation.

In order to help combat crime, he said, there are several things we need to look at. Firstly, individuals must know their duties and responsibilities. Families must maintain discipline in the home. Citizens must observe the laws?as basic as traffic rules that many often ignore.

Drug trafficking is a major scourge in our society, he also noted.

Miss Arifah Lightburn focused her presentation on the experience of Belizean youth, by first offering an anecdote of her earliest and fondest memories of Odinga. She highlighted a growing identity crisis among young Belizeans and also pointed to a sense of apathy and complacency.

She challenged her generation to think about where we are going to be in the next 25 years?a question that resonated even thereafter in the minds of many who were listening.

Attorney Hubert Elrington gave a fresh injection of good humor with his take on the events of the past. He celebrated the contributions of other stalwart Belizeans such as Frank Lizama and Sam Rhaburn. He showered the late Hon. Philip Goldson with accolades, but described the Hon. George Price as a duplicitous man, being one man in public but another man in private.

Elrington said that he is proud to be a Belizean because Belizeans are people of ?unusual intelligence and capacity.? He appealed to Belizeans to focus on their ?special assets,? such as oil. He suggested linking up a series of oil wells to maximize production benefits.

Attorney Michael Young remarked that, ?The state of a nation is the state of its people.?

He stressed the need to have truthful and reliable information so that Belizeans can understand the condition of various sectors such as education and health. He said that the Government has deliberately withheld vital information from the masses, and in some cases has deliberately lied. We need integrity and credibility, he affirmed.

A third attorney on the panel, Mrs. Sharon Pitts-Robateau, recalled her experiences in the uprisings of March 1981. These were no riots, she said, but ?uprisings?, because what was happening was that Belizean ?people rose up.?

She said that our Independence in 1981 was owed to the uprisings earlier that year, when Belizeans made a decision against ?the many-headed monster? called the Heads of Agreement. She went back even further to June 1, 1797, when a decision was made by the then settlers by a slim margin to stay and defend the territory now known as Belize rather than vacating it.

(Soon after came the historic Battle of St. George?s Caye of 1798, in which the settlers fought against the Spanish.)

Mrs. Pitts-Robateau also referred back to the Seventeen Proposals of Bethuel Webster (also called the Webster Proposals) of 1968. Like their successor, the Heads of Agreement, Belize rejected them. She acknowledged Compton Fairweather for publicly taking Webster to task over the proposals in the media.

In a presentation that was packed with deep historical insights, she continued to make the connection between these events of the past and those of today, while emphasizing the need for Belizeans to know their Constitution.

Dr. Isabel Tun, consultant/researcher, who is known for her long-term tenure at the Belize Technical College, spoke on the evolution of Belize?s education system and the lack of opportunities that still exist for the youth. On the one hand, she chronicled the expansion of institutions such as Muffles College in Orange Walk; on the other hand, she fixed the spotlight on those who have been robbed of the opportunity to reap the benefits of this progression in education.

She turned her attention to the prison population. Noting that as of November 10, 2005, 89.97% of the population was between 14 and 40, while 81.99% were convicted. A majority of them were there on drug-related charges.

?It would not be surprising that further research would show a direct correlation between this youthful incarcerated male population and a profile that indicates they did not benefit from a primary school education, and in many cases, did not receive even that level of education,? said Dr. Tun.

She stunned the gathering again when she noted that it is more expensive to taxpayers for Government to keep these productive males in prison than to educate them. She explained that while it costs $1,732 per student for post-secondary education, it costs $4,380 to keep that person behind bars?that?s two and half times as much.

Attorney Wilfred ?Sedi? Elrington pushed the hot button when he spoke about the ongoing Belize-Guatemala dispute.

He stressed the importance of resurrecting the kind of national pride that Philip Goldson preached.

He outlined the history of Guatemala?s aggression against Belize, including a move to make Belize an associated state of Guatemala under George Price?s rule. The Guatemalans have made it clear that they are prepared to use military might; they teach their children in schools that Belize belongs to them, he said. A recent incident of what he regarded as the deliberate inciting of Belizeans was the detention of Belizean police and military officers in 2000.

We have spent millions of dollars and are nowhere closer to settlement than we were 50 years ago, he remarked.

?What is our game plan?? he asked. He said that Belizeans should be prepared to fight to the death to save their country. He also said that Belizeans should internationalize the territorial problem with Guatemala.

The final speaker of the night was Bert Tucker, who focused his discussion on ?the state of the state.? He looked at Belize in the global context and said that what is happening to the masses of Belizeans now is an old plan that is systematically being carried out by the international oligarchy, people he described as ?hypocrites and parasites.?

The state is half-formed; we are not certain whether it is going to live or die, Tucker said.

In the era in which we live, we have protected areas and abandoned people. A few reap the sweets of the Jewel while ?we have all the liabilities?; he specifically pinpointed HIV/AIDS as one of them.

Sedi Elrington suggested that the people who own the oil company should sponsor monthly forums of this type.

Energies were high following the symposium, and the Wake Up Belize Morning Vibes the following morning was flooded with calls about the symposium. Some who were unable to make it called in to offer their views on the issues.

A number of attendees, including some who came from the districts, wanted to know when the next forum would be held. Others emphasized the need to translate talk into positive change.

Organizers say that the Odinga Lumumba Memorial Symposium will be established as an annual event. The date of the next session will be announced.

Kremandala (KREM and Amandala) sponsored the symposium, which was broadcast live on KREM FM.

We plan to make the proceedings available in multi-media format (print, audio and video) shortly. Copies of some versions will be available to the public. Details will be announced.