Culture finds its most vivid expression in art. Therefore, it is fitting that one of Belize’s premier painters, Pen Cayetano, has made his annual voyage home from Ahrweiler, Germany to celebrate Garifuna Settlement Day – November 19 – with a rich display of 50 impressionistic, oil-on-canvas pieces that depict our uniquely Belizean experience and the ever-living traditions of the Garinagu.
Born in Stann Creek Town (now Dangriga), in 1954, Pen Cayetano is (arguably) to 21st century Belize as Pablo Picasso was to Spain in the 20th century. Cayetano’s artwork adorns the walls of the Library of African and Indian Studies, and they are also considered prized pieces by Belize’s affluent and middle-class.
The exhibit (which also features his posters and post cards of select paintings) opened on Thursday, November 6, and runs through to the 27th.
All the pieces, said Pen Cayetano, were painted this year, forming the newest collection for the 9th in the series of exhibits he has held at the Institute of Mexico in Belize.
Cayetano chose Belize Bowl Race for the title of the exhibit, as a tribute to a race that he said used to occur in Belize City near the old Swing Bridge, perhaps four decades ago. He never witnessed the race, but when he saw video footage in California from Roland Yorke, back in 1992, he told himself that he would have to paint it some day. This year, Cayetano was finally inspired to portray that snapshot of history on canvass. While it represents a real occurrence in Belize’s history, the Belize bowl race depicted in the artwork is also symbolic, Cayetano explains: It depicts us going around in circles – not making much forward progress at this time, he interprets.
Among the many pieces that are displayed on the walls of the Institute of Mexico is a depiction of the Tower Hill bus riot of 2001, and the protests of 2005 to present, ending with the most recent march for the Venezuelan US$10 million led by COLA.
Cayetano says that he stays in tune with what is happening in Belize by frequently reading the Amandala online.
Even though his paintings can serve as a conversation piece for some of Belize’s most trying times, they are also monuments of inspiration, as they capture Belize’s very diverse people, and pay tribute to the hard work of Maya women selling in the market place, to some of our country’s most noted leaders, to families, to the Garifuna tradition, and also to the more easy-going way of life in rural parts of Belize.
That is the blissful experience that summons Cayetano home each year, as he returns not just to show off what his prolific hands have created, but as he shares his soul-filled music with Belizeans, and takes time in-between to enjoy the calmness of the Caribbean sea and the warmth of the tropical sun.
Currently, Pen Cayetano is home in Dangriga Town, where he plans to stage performances with the Turtle Shell ensemble on November 19th. Before then, he is also due to perform in Belize City, on Saturday, November 15.
Pen says that his art and music go hand-in-hand. Displaying them during the Garifuna Settlement Day celebrations allows him to have more of an impact, he elaborated.
Apart from being one of Belize’s legendary painters, Pen Cayetano is dubbed the “Father of Punta Rock” for his leadership role in bringing the music to life in the 1980’s, along with the members of the Turtle Shell Band – a band that gets its name from the fact that it uses the shell of the turtle as a percussion instrument.