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Cultural icon, Myrna Manzanares passes

HeadlineCultural icon, Myrna Manzanares passes

BELIZE CITY, Tues. Dec. 21, 2021– The country is currently mourning the passing of Belizean cultural icon and prominent advocate for the preservation and advancement of the Kriol culture, Myrna Manzanares, and a number of organizations, including the United Democratic Party, of which Manzanares had been a well-known supporter, today issued releases, expressing sorrow over the loss of a woman who was in so many ways a national treasure. On Monday, it was reported that Manzanares had been hospitalized following what doctors deemed to be a stroke. She had reportedly already been in the ICU for a few days when those reports surfaced, and today it was announced that she had passed away at the age of 75.

Since then, several prominent individuals and institutions in the country have issued public statements to point to the valuable contributions that Manzanares made to the community and the numerous ways that she made an impact on them and the entire country. Ms. Manzanares was known, foremost, for all she achieved in advancing local arts and in the preservation of the Kriol culture. In 1992 she became one of the founding members of the Belize Theatre Company and actively participated in its opening play, “When My Father Comes Home,” which was written by Shirley Warde and directed by Beverly Lopez. Myrna would go on to star in and direct several other local theater productions up until 2012.

Ms. Manzanares also wrote numerous literary works, including collections of Kriol short stories and poem anthologies, and she made significant contributions to Belize’s collection of folklore. Perhaps what she has been most known for, however, is her contributions to the preservation of the Kriol language and customs after becoming a founding member of the National Kriol Council in 1995.

A release issued by the UDP lamented the loss of Manzanares and conveyed condolences to her family:

“The entire UDP family joins Leader of the Opposition, Honorable Patrick Faber, in declaring our exceeding respect and appreciation for the exemplary life, tremendous accomplishment, and immeasurable contribution of Myrna Manzanares to Belize and to humanity. We extend our deepest condolences to her immediate family and her extended family, of which we are an integral part,” the release stated.

The UDP also made mention of Manzanares’ accomplishments as a Kriol writer, educator, dramatist, and ambassador for the Belizean Kriol culture. Additionally, Ms. Manzanares was honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for educational and cultural work and the social development that resulted from her efforts. She also was a recipient of an Outstanding Women Award in 2008 for her work.

In 2018 the then Minister of Education and Culture, Hon. Patrick Faber, presented Ms. Manzanares with an award to recognize her as the first ever Artist Emeritus — an honor given to her by Belize’s National Institute of Culture and History.

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