BELIZE CITY, Wed. Aug. 14, 2019– Yesterday, Tuesday, August 13, Belize’s leading newspaper, Amandala, celebrated its 50th anniversary of educating and informing the people of Belize. Amandala was formerly the organ of the United Black Association for Development (UBAD), and when UBAD was dissolved after its brief stint as a political party, Amandala survived and grew at 3304 Partridge Street, on the tough south side of Belize City, providing much needed employment.

Amandala’s growth eventually spawned KREM Radio in 1989, the first private radio station, which broke the government’s monopoly on the airwaves.

In 2003, KREM Television began broadcasting from “behind the Zinc Fence”, as the Kremandala compound came to be known.

Evan X Hyde, the former UBAD president, is credited with the vision for the development of the two media companies which joined Amandala on what is now the Kremandala compound. Evan X Hyde remains as Amandala publisher, and is also the Chairman of Kremandala.

While there was no word from Belize’s officialdom in Belmopan on the newspaper’s golden anniversary, Belize City mayor, Bernard Wagner, recognized the significance of the milestone and paid a courtesy visit behind the Zinc Fence to celebrate the occasion with the newspaper’s staff.

The highlight of Mayor Wagner’s visit was in the form of two gifts that he presented to Amandala. On hand to receive the Mayor’s gifts on behalf of Amandala was its editor of the past 23 years, Russell Vellos.

The Mayor presented a special cake that was designed as two pages of the newspaper. He also donated a 1988 painting, the portrait of a woman’s head, in profile, by Belizean painter Carlos Rafael.

Mayor Wagner told the editor that the portrait symbolized “Hope,” which, he said, is something that we must all have in our lives.  Without hope, he said, our future is bleak.