Impressions of Belize

These are some impressions of the country we have just left. I will add to this as I reflect, over time on our stay in Belize.

Belize is a small country with a population of about 400,000 people which is growing slowly. There is an influx of refugees but not a great number. Probably the greatest issue facing the country at this time is the ongoing border dispute with Guatemala. The history of the settlement of Belize is a long and complex one but Guatemala has claimed sovereignty over the whole of Belize. The heart of this claim which dates back to 1821, seems to revolve around an undertaking which Britain made to Guatemala that Britain would build and pay for a road from Guatemala to the Caribbean so that Guatemala had access to the sea on both sides of the Central American isthmus. In return for this, Guatemala would give up their claim to Belizean land. Regrettably, as so often in the colonial past of Great Britain, they did not fulfill their promise and thus Guatemala says that the agreement was not completed as agreed and thus their claim to Belize still stood. This dispute has been going on for many years but very recently, both countries seem to have agreed that the dispute should be adjudicated by the International Court of Justice at The Hague in the Netherlands. This will be both a long and costly business and could result in a serious loss for Belize if the judgement goes the wrong way. The expectation is that the presentation of the cases, before any consideration by the Court takes place might take 6 years. Thereafter, the judgement could be further years away. Neither side will know the case put forward by the other side until the completion of the submissions at the around 6 year mark. Thus neither side will know what to rebut of the other’s case. This appears to make Jarndyce v Jarndyce seem like a trivial matter!! A very full description of the long and tortuous dispute with frequent saber-rattling on both sides can be found on Wikipedia. Resolution is not likely any time soon.

Belize is not a rich country by any means although there are some oil reserves in the south and this is a subject of dispute itself as the oil is on Mayan lands. The main export is sugar but there is little else except tourism. There is much fertile land but the main farmers seem to be the Mennonites who produce much of the food consumed by the population although the Mennonites, themselves, do not mix or fraternize in any way with the Belizeans, have concessions on taxes and other benefits and profit from the success of their farms and other industries. Other ethnic groups are, of course the Mayans, the most pure-bred of which live in the south and west on communal lands which the Government is always seeking to annex. The Mayans see this land as communal and thus do not believe it to be theirs to give away but to belong to the whole Mayan community. This is a similar philosophy to the American Indians who believe that the land is not for ownership but for the use and enjoyment of all.This clash of cultures and philosophies is not uncommon and exists in Australia, New Zealand, parts of Africa and Brazil among other places.

Belizeans speak mostly English although there are areas where Spanish may be more frequently heard plus there is creole (Kriol), which is a version of pidgin English more easily understood when heard than when read. There are three Mayan languages which are related but not the same. The main languages spoken are Belize, other than English and Spanish are three Mayan languages: Q’eqchi’, the endangered indigenous Belizean language of Mopan, and Yucatec Maya. Approximately 16,100 people speak the Arawakan-based Garifuna language, and 6,900 Mennonites in Belize speak mainly Plautdietsch while a minority of Mennonites speak Pennsylvania German.

The people of Belize other than the Mayans and Mennonites are usually either of Latin descent or descended from the slaves brought over from West Africa by the British during the early days of colonization.The lighter and darker skin color is a good indication of the ancestry of the two groups.

The people we met were very courteous and welcoming and generally seem to be laid back in that Caribbean way. We found that opening hours of restaurants and shops do not always keep to the normal rules but this is not a big problem. There is a crime problem in Belize City, especially with gangs fighting over territory and innocent people sometimes getting in the way. But the crime problem although large for a small country does not rise to the level in some of the neighboring countries such as Mexico and Honduras. Belizeans have not made up very many, if any, of those people seeking asylum in the USA. Concern does exist that if many of these refugees are turned back from the US, they might seek to settle in Belize which would stretch resources here very thin. Schools are generally good in Belize although attendance is only compulsory up to primary level and not for high school. Near the Guatemalan border, Guatemalan children come across the border to attend Belize schools. Literacy is quite high, generally more so than neighboring countries.

The present Government of the UDP party is not very popular and there will be an election in late 2020 when the PUP is expected to regain power. The Prime Minister in Belize is also the Finance Minister which is an unusual combination. The system is parliamentary based on the British format and the country is still a member of the British Commonwealth with a British High Commissioner and Governor General who represents the British Crown but has to be a Belizean national.

Tourism is a major factor in the economy and this is due t the cruise ships which call and also the attraction of the offshore islands and cays which encompass the reefs which rival the Great Barrier Reef of Australia for the variety of sea life. Sport fishing is also very popular with Tarpon, Bonefish and the strangely named Permit being much sought-after game fish but these can only be fished for on a catch and release basis. Other sea life includes dolphins, manatees, crocodiles, turtles, sharks, rays and many others. On land there are jaguars, tapirs, deer and many, many kinds of birds. It is a bird watcher’s paradise. The range of places to stay varies from very modest guest houses to luxury hotels and to special resorts in the countryside which charge high rates. One such is that owned by Francis Ford Coppola the Hollywood film producer where the nightly rates are very high but the accommodation and activities offered are of a very high standard. Travel in the country is not very easy as, although the roads are good in places there are speed bumps or ‘sleeping policemen’ seemingly every few hundreds of meters and these require traffic to slow down often. In some parts pod the country the roads are not paved at all and are just hard packed clay. Rivers often have to be crossed by ferry although bridges exist in some places they are narrow and can be congested. There is no rail system and the buses run but not very regularly. There is an extensive network of air routes mostly using small propeller driven planes from small airports to and from the outlying islands and the interior.

One of the biggest events in the sporting calendar in Belize is the Ruta Maja which is a long three day canoe race all the way down the Belize River from San Ignacio. The race is generally for canoes of three paddlers who maybe male, female or mixed gender. Each night the competitors camp beside the river and enjoy food provided by the locals. The river is often lined by big crowds of spectators at vantage points near towns. More recently, non-Belizean competitors have taken part

This is a YouTube of the 2019 race start with the some good drone footage.

Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge 2019

One surprising factor was the presence in many places of the Taiwanese who have partnered with the Belizeans in a number of projects such as the agricultural research establishment which we passed one day. There are often Taiwanese flags flying together with the Belize flag indicating joint ventures. Taiwan does not have many international friends due to the fact that China is reluctant to invest where Taiwan is involved and thus it would seem that Belize will not receive assistance from mainland China as long as Taiwan is working with Belize. It is, I suppose, a question of which ‘horse to back’ Belize has few choices and takes help where it is offered. Taiwan has few options to extend its reach and Belize may be an ideal opportunity for it. I have no idea of the amount of investment Taiwan makes in Belize or whether it is in kind rather than in cash.

One surprising thing we found was that there appeared to be many fishing boats in Belize City harbor and with a long coastline one might expect fish to form a large part of their diet but we found it very hard to find fish on any menu which was slightly puzzling unless, of course, it is exported or reserved for supplying the cruise ships. We did see a small fish market but fish did not appear to feature on their restaurant menus. Chicken, pork and some beef were offered but rice and beans are most definitely the staples for most people. They did serve salads and vegetables and plantains were often used for starch.