Ceremonies for the 224th anniversary of the Battle of St. George’s Caye took place at Memorial Park in Belize City, despite the rainy weather.
by Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Sat. Sept. 10, 2022
“Valiant and Bold, Proud and Strong! Belize Rebounds @ 41,” is the selected theme for this year’s September celebrations, and undertones of this theme were resonant at the ceremony marking the 224th anniversary of the Battle of St. George’s Caye, which took place at the Memroial Park in Belize City and was attended by various members of government as well as members of the diplomatic corps.
During his remarks, His Worship, Mayor of Belize City, Bernard Wagner, pointed to the type of rebound that is referred to in the September Celebrations theme:
“Seeing life being restored to national pageants, festivals, carnivals, and the many instances of people saying ‘we deh outside’ is nothing short of a blessing. The worst is now behind us, and we are free to exploit a chance to build better days ahead. Move by our new mantra: Valiant and Bold, Proud and Strong! Belize Rebounds at 41. When we examine the pages of our history, there’s a common theme throughout: Belize rebounds. From attempted invasions and economic turmoil to devastating hurricanes and bloody tragedies, Belize rebounds time and time and time again, and what’s beautiful is not just the fact that we do so, but the way we do so, which is always together as one people,” said Mayor Wagner.
Hon. Francis Fonesca, Chairman of the National Celebrations Committee, highlighted Belize’s cultural diversity and noted that we must be able to protect and preserve our history and culture.
“Belize’s society is a beautifully intricately woven tapestry of cultural diversity. We must work to protect and preserve that history and culture, where it is worthy of protection and preservation. This means that we must be willing to question and challenge cultural and historic norms which have been passed on to us by colonizers. In the words of Fanon, imperialism leaves behind germs of rot, which we must clinically detect and remove from our land and from our minds as well,” he said.
“On days like today, we must be willing to ask ourselves, who are we as a people? What is our purpose as a nation? When will we truly rid ourselves of the shackles of oppression and colonialism? Where are we headed? And how can we all come together despite any social economic, political, and cultural divisions to create a Belize where hope and opportunity abound?” Fonseca added.