Belize is a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-colored, multi-religious, diverse people under one flag and one anthem, calling ourselves Belizeans. Belize Creole or Kriol has been the most common means of communication for generations, although some groups of Indigenous Maya still speak their ancestral languages, as do the Garinagu; the Mennonites also speak their own language of a German origin; not many East Indians, except some of the recent arrivals, have managed to hold on to their ancestral tongues; and Spanish, for a long time predominant in the northern districts among Caste War refugees, is now spoken by a majority of Belizeans, since the recent massive immigration of Central Americans over the past four decades has made them the majority in the population. But still, the vast majority of Belizeans of all the different ethnic/racial groups can still get by in a form of Creole/Kriol which aids in communication from north to south, east to west; and although English is the official language, Creole/Kriol, a vestige of the days of slavery in Belize, remains the common thread that binds all Belizeans together.
Undoubtedly, the reason for that is the historical roots of the settlement that became Belize Town, and quickly the population center of the colony and eventually the nation of Belize. From the early years of the settlement when logwood, and later mahogany, was the main export earner of the white buccaneer settlers, the required labor force for this type of industry consisted of enslaved Afrikans, who outnumbered the white masters by around 10 to 1. And, despite the fact that transshipment of slave labor often occurred from Jamaica, many enslaved Afrikans were recent arrivals who maintained their ancestral identities, so that they spoke different Afrikan languages depending on what part of Afrika they came from; and thus they all had to improvise in communication with the language of the white enslaver, and in time a common language developed, Belize Creole/Kriol, that served its purpose for the enslaved and enslaver alike. (With some clear differences in grammatical structure and pronunciation of words from English, Dr. Colville Young wrote a book declaring and showing that our Belize Creole/Kriol is qualified as a “language” in its own right.)
In fact, in all former British colonies in this region, where slavery was practiced for centuries until abolition in 1838, a form of Creole language developed, with some differences likely depending on varying population ratios of white slave masters to enslaved Afrikans, and the particular ratios of Afrikans originating from different parts of the motherland. Across the former British Caribbean, we can all still understand each other, despite the differences.
Bob Marley, borrowing from his idol, Marcus Garvey, sang, “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery…” Kremandala has been saying for some years to our youth, “Show yoself… be yoself.” In other words, hold your head up high, and walk with pride and dignity. At this present time, with hardly any written history of the spoken words by our Afrikan forebears, telling us of their feelings and experiences coming across in the slave ships, and surviving the rigors of hard labor and enslavement on their journey to an early grave, there is very little that we have to hold on to from them—no memoire of their struggle and their triumph to give us life today. All we have is “wi self” and this unique, smooth-flowing and enjoyable way we communicate with each other called Belize Creole/Kriol. “Unu deh wid mi?” Our Afrikan ancestors, male and female, forged that language out of their Afrikan roots and will to survive, and it is their precious gift to us. Don’t ever let any school teacher tell you it’s a “dialect”, and to be ashamed of your Creole/Kriol language. English we must learn in order to advance in the sciences and to communicate with the world. Belize Creole/Kriol we must cherish because “Dis da fi we”!
We must understand what happened to our Afrikan forebears, through generations of struggle in enslavement and rebellions, and this includes the experiences of the runaways to hopeful freedom across the northern border, and the many who stayed due to ties binding them to family and children, and were restricted to only one profession, woodcutting, as enslaved people, and then as so-called “free” men. With no other skill or training, and without any access to land to try their hands at agriculture, large numbers of Belizean men remained tied to the mahogany industry until it diminished and died in the 1950s and 60s.
There was advantage taken all around of our labor, with low wages and an abundance of free men without jobs. Whenever an opportunity came to jump on a ship and go overseas, whether it was to pick fruit in California or to join the World War effort, many unemployed Belizeans were quick to volunteer. The former British slave masters were only concerned about profit from the settlement during slavery, and then from the colony when slavery was officially over. And the 1798 Battle of Saint George’s Caye did not end slavery in Belize either; it was not until 1834 that it was announced that slavery would be officially abolished in the British colonies, and even then no “reparation” was given to our Afrikan forebears to start off their new life under so-called “freedom”. In fact, even that “freedom” was withheld for another four years of “apprenticeship”, as a form of appeasement to the enslavers to make their adjustment to life without slaves a little easier, while on top of that they were also given a special “reparation” cash payment for their lost “property”, which is what an enslaved person was, “property”. In Belize, according to historian Nigel Bolland, because of the nature of woodcutting slave labor in Belize, “The rate of compensation per slave in Belize [to owners at emancipation] was.. higher than for any British colony” at approximately 53 and 1/4 British Pounds.
And with all that, when Emancipation Day came, we were still jubilant, glad to be FREE AT LAST! But it has been a struggle. As long as we stood together, and families were strong, Belizeans somehow survived and dreamed of the day when we would get full control of our own destiny. When we could get a piece of land. When we could find gainful employment that allowed us to live in dignity. Unemployed Brigade marches! Marcus Garvey messages about “Stand Up, You Mighty People!” Faith and inspiration in the struggle. Towards Self- Government! And then Independence!
We’ve come a long way, Belizeans. But Belizeans of Afrikan ancestry, we’re falling apart. We’re losing track of ourselves, and the dream of our Afrikan forebears. We are one people. Our roots go deep, and our ancestors’ cries tie us together in the simple Creole/Kriol words we say every day and take for granted. Don’t let them down!
The new Afrikan history is opening doors that we all need to look into, so that we can find out a whole lot more about ourselves through knowledge of our Afrikan forebears. “None but ourselves can free our minds.” There are books we need to read, and the internet is open for us with material by authors on Afrikan history like Cheik Anta Diop, Ivan Van Sertima, George G. M. James, Chancellor Williams, and many more.
For example, in the article, “The Black Presence in America Before Columbus” by The African United Front c2016, at noir.org, a number of highly respected scientists and scholars gave their personal testimonials on over 16 gigantic thousand-year-old stone heads found in different parts of Mexico, the first in 1862 in Vera Cruz.
Quoting from that article, “… scholar, Floyd Hayes provided the following thought-provoking assessment of the racial significance of the colossal stone heads: ‘One might merely ask himself: if Africans were not present in the Americas before Columbus, why the typically African physiognomy on the monuments? It is in contradiction to the most elementary logic and to all artistic experience to suggest that these ancient Olmec artists could have depicted, with such detail, African facial features they had never seen.’”
Happy Afrikan Emancipation Day!