by Colin Hyde

Aha, that shellacking Friday night at FFB Stadium, I suppose it’s a learning experience, another one. Respect to the players, coaches, and the FFB; I expect you did the best with what we have, and Costa Rica is a powerhouse in football in our region. I couldn’t understand why Belizeans were so eager to go to the game. We had been doing well in another competition, against countries that put the same or less into their game than we do. About those tickets being sold out, naa, it wasn’t scalpers. I bet it was those stinking rich PUP reps who bought them up. Fresh off their election victory and with the rights to handle our money for the next FIVE years, they were about celebrating with all those who sing, welcome to di paati. Whoa there, nobody to watch me, I have to watch myself; I shouldn’t be so cynical.

Once upon a time, a time when we were under colonial rule, people, mostly guys, played sports for fun and competition. Across the globe there was little money in sports then. In those days our girls were golden in softball. We didn’t achieve similar greatness in football, and a big part of that was lack of exposure. We had world class talents, but it is so that you can’t jump to the top; you have to climb the ladder. In the old days our country participated in NO international tournaments.

This progression is critical. Sports can be very humbling when you leap out of your league, as what happened Friday night. If you follow boxing, you will note that a boxer will have at least 20 professional fights before competing for a title. In the professional world, a big part of that is about the fighter developing his brand, his name, so he can be marketed; and a huge part is about his gaining experience, without getting his head knocked off, something like what happened to us on Friday. The great Ukrainian talent, Vasily Lomachenko is in select company. He fought for a title after just two pro fights. But he had an incredible 397 amateur fights under his belt, losing only one.

There were some results in the tournament Friday night that should open the eyes of those who aren’t seeing, but want to. Guyana defeated Guatemala, 3-2, in their World Cup qualifier. When you talk football and you talked Guyana, just some months ago you were talking about scraping the barrel. Jobaaj Stories described the Guyana victory as a stunning upset, defying expectations. The medium said: “This win breaks a long streak of Guatemalan victories over Guyana, most notably a 4-0 defeat in the 2021 Gold Cup qualifiers.” Those of us who lifted our eyes long enough to glance at the news of the world know that Guyana, overnight, is swimming in cash. I expect their boys are in on the loot.

The Shyne Barrow UDP manifesto stated that if the party had won on March 12, our top athletes, those who defend us on the international scene, would receive a salary. The moment she learned about all the winnings Narda was making for us in the Boledo, Sylvia Waight, the daughter of the originator of the single-day Cross Country cycling classic, Anselm Waight, started putting together a budget for the Ministry of Sports to establish a standing national cycling team, with the members receiving a monthly salary.

The other big football story on Friday night, not as big as Guyana nipping Guatemala, was Guadeloupe defeating Nicaragua, 1-0. Guadeloupe, an island department of France with a population about the size of ours, is the home turf of Lilian Thuram, the most capped player in the history of France football. Sports Illustrated rated Lilian as the 14th best defender of all time. So, Guadeloupe has huge football pedigree. But Nicaragua, once the doormat of Central America, is now quite formidable.

I’ll close with this: with the right inputs it won’t take long for us to get some respect in the region. Tell me that amateurs can compete with professionals, and I’ll tell you that those amateurs’ pa rich, or you failed arithmetic and algebra in school.

Aurelio’s music

I think it’s widely accepted that Andy Palacio, Paul Nabor, and Aurelio Martinez are at the top of the Punta/Paranda ladder. Looking at the three, now all gone, Andy is the visionary, the leader, and great statesman; Paul is the soul; and Aurelio is the pure dynamite musical talent. When I first heard him sing, I said that if any of the three could achieve world appeal, it was he.

Aurelio, this is a brother who was genuinely loved and admired. Most of us couldn’t translate his lyrics, but we know his words were serious. His voice and his music touched our souls. His dancing was exuberant, and pure.

I don’t know music beyond how it makes me feel, the depth it reaches in my soul. Aurelio really could bring it. Culture is such a funny thing. How could anyone like pasta more than a great pork tamale with un-pureed vegetables, or pizza more than a rich boil-up? I wonder how wide an audience Aurelio’s music reached. I know in Belize and in the Garinagu Nation he was supreme.  Ayó, Aurelio Martinez!

Dangriga

Aha, someone noticed that I missed out Dr. Louis Zabaneh in one of my pieces on Friday. What the heck, I have a right to make excuses too. Blame it on writing deadline. That part should have read…”and Dangriga, they love their daktaz so much they elected two, Dr. Ted and Dr. Lu-ih.”

We are not indebted to Putin

I hear all these famous people saying how much Russia is owed for its valiant stand with the Allied Forces in WWII, and absolutely the world owes the Russian people for their firm stand. But the present leader of Russia can’t get a pass for what the Russians did almost 80 years ago. I don’t know wherefrom we arrive at the world owing something to Putin.

The Soviet Union came into existence in 1922, and 15 or so countries broke away from the grouping when it dissolved in 1991. A number of those 15 countries were on the periphery, on the eastern front, facing Nazi Germany. Ukraine was a part of that union that stood against the Nazis/Fascists in WWII. They are among those that suffered the worst of Hitler and his murderers. Almost to a country, they say nyet to what Putin brings.

There are some people here who want to give Putin a pass for his war that has cut short the lives of thousands of young people, and stomped on self-determination. This claim that Russia was living in fear that Ukraine would get nuclear weapons is baloney. It is the Ukrainians who live in fear, living in the shadow of Russia’s terrible nuclear arsenal. Tell Russia (and the US too) to beat their weapons into plowshares.

It’s incredible to hear Belizeans saying that Ukraine invaded Russia. A single man with a very authoritative voice, Jeffrey Sachs, stepped forth and justified Russia’s invasion, and people grabbed onto it like he is fish frahn riva batam. Sachs is an American saying bad things about American activities in Ukraine, and people tend to grab onto what people say when they are running down their own. Well, it is a bad thing to swallow food or words too fast. Who knows, the guy might have business interests in Russia, or have a Russian granny. Check the man’s facts. Don’t swallow what anyone says because dehn taak gud.

When Sachs appeared on RT, absolutely no one at the studio challenged him. I think by now Belizeans realize that RT is as one-sided as it gets. The stories about Russia censoring news and bad things happening to people who dissent too much, are not propaganda. You understand why Cuba doesn’t have a media that’s too open. They are a little country under heavy pressure from the mightiest power that insists that they roll over. Who can make Russia bow? They aren’t shy about threatening people with their terrible bombs.

I listened to Mister Sachs. I also read the words of credible voices in the West who show how much he ignored timelines, and other things that he twisted to fit into his agenda.

Spitting and racism

It occurred to me, while doing my “spitting” story a couple weeks back, that not so long ago, some decades, there was a “stereotype” here, and it led to some discrimination. I hate spitting. Whenever I’m watching baseball on the television and the camera spots on a player in the dugout, I turn my face away for a few seconds, because a baseball player in a dugout is a spitting machine. I know all about their terrible history, why they love spitting so much, but I don’t want to lose you, so let’s move on.

Part of the “racism” in old Belize toward some “Spanish” had to do with “spit.” Spitting was definitely outside of the main culture in the old days. Ouch, I am a person who doesn’t forget any of his major failures, and many silinis. Those things bother me. When I was a child, my class went on a retreat to an area in Belize Rural, and I remember that in a gathering in a big hall a group leader spoke about hygiene, what to do when we don’t have access to the bathroom. The group leader said that after meals we should put a little water in our mouths and swish. Foolish me, I raised my hand and asked him what to do with the water after swishing. He looked all perplexed. Imagine dozens of little boys spitting their mouthful of water with food crumbs all over the grounds. Of course you swallow it! 

I had an uncle-in-law and an aunt-in-law who were “Spanish”; and my paternal grampa, he wasn’t always Jim, sometimes he was called, Jaime. Dehn neva spit. In fact, dehn help teach me noh fu spit. But that Hugo from across the line, he had a big fault. Hugo’s snack shop was the closest to our house, and that bohga was wotlis. It’s like he always had a heavy cold on his chest, and it seemed like he let it rest there until one of us entered his shop before clearing the obstruction. His haaaaak came from way down. Give Brother Hugo his points: he never did the filthy twing directly in front of us. That half of the “sin” happened behind a little curtain that was in the back wall of his shop.  We still bought his polgorong. Agh, he didn’t pull the biskit out of the container with a clamp or wear gloves when he wrapped the biskit in shop paper. I have to close out here fast. Thinking back mek my blood klaar.