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Volume 15 | December| 2015
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| The Consulate of Belize
in Florida
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Hon. Consul General's
Monthly Message
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Janine Sylvestre Vega,
Hon. Consul General of Belize
in Florida
Trade Representative of Belize in Florida
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Orange Walk Group Spreads Christmas
By Victor Castillo Sr.: Three Christmases ago a group of friends and relatives in Orange Walk town made a pact. Instead of exchanging gifts for Christmas they all agreed to join the money and make good use of it to give back to the community.
With that in mind
Corazones que a yudan was born.
The group this past weekend targeted the villages of San Juan and Black Creek area in the Trail Farm Village in the Orange Walk District where they visited over seven families.
In an interview with William Smith, co-founder of Corazones que ayudan indicated that with the help of family members the project has been a success ever since.
Smith added that each year they go shopping for basic food such as rice, beans, flour, coffee and toothpaste just to mention a few and collect quality used clothing, clothes for infants right up to adults for both male and female. "We pick a day to sort out the clothing to make sure it's something we would want to wear for ourselves and then bag or box by gender and size."
This year thegroup called on students to donate toys, which they managed to issue to less privileged children.
The families are selected with the help of the Department of Human Development.
"It's hard when you go and see the living conditions of people, we get very emotional, you cry with them," added Smith.
The groups plans are to continue with this generosity, "After all Christmas is a time to share and Care," Smith said.
Stories by: Belize Breaking News
Oceana Belize holds Conference on Offshore Oil
Location: Belize City, Belize
Contacts:
On Wednesday, December 9th 2015, Oceana Belize organized and held "The Energy of Nature vs. the Nature of Energy" conference which brought together Belizean leaders in tourism, fisheries, investment and the scientific arena to provide academically informative and objectively provocative information about the nationally important issue of offshore oil.
Featured Guest Speaker for the Event was National Geographic Filmmaker and Oceana Senior Adviser, Alexandra Cousteau, who spoke of her love and commitment for Belize and her beautiful marine resources.
In very personal ways, Belize continues to figure prominently in Alexandra's life. "
My husband and I fell in love in Belize and with Belize. This is where he and I took our first trip together. This is also where I taught him how to dive. Later, our daughter touched the ocean for the first time in Belize. Now, we're looking forward to bringing our newborn son to Belize. Belize is one of those places that just feels so much like home to me." That sense of belonging speaks volumes about the Cousteau connection to Belize directly.
In the early 1970s, Jacques Cousteau (Alexandra's grandfather) brought his research vessel, the Calypso, to explore Belize's marine environment and became the first person to document and reveal the mysteries of the Great Blue Hole. For decades, this large submarine sinkhole had spawned colorful stories about what lay beneath the surface of this stunning blue jewel ringed by coral. It continues to draw adventurers and explorers from across the globe to dive and experience this truly unique underwater world.
Today, Belize's $1.6 billion open economy is highly dependent on tourism. Unique, healthy and beautiful marine attractions and coastal destinations continue to ensure that Belize's tourism product is a key economic driver. Similarly, Belize's ocean abundance supports more than fifteen thousand Belizeans via commercial and recreational fishing. And just as importantly is the cultural connection Belizeans have to the reef itself-it's a part of our self-identity. Within such context then, Oceana Belize is keen to promote informed decision-making on the issue of offshore oil exploration and drilling in Belizean waters.
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Land Mark Beauty of the Month
South Side Canal, Belize City 1900's
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"Ebery day devil help di teef, but one day God help di watchman."
Meaning: the good deeds
will eventually over power the bad deeds.
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If you would like to purchase a 2016 Calendar contact the Office of Special Envoy at : (501) 223-1941
for Agendas please contact McNab Designs at: (501) 223-1025
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Recipe of the Month
White Fruit Cake
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| Recipe by: Flavors of Belize |
INGREDIENTS
1 pound butter, room temperature
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs, plus 1 for fruits
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/4 cup for fruits
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup pineapple juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
teaspoons lemon essence
1 pound white raisins
2 pounds candied mixed fruits
1/2 pound green candied cherries
1 cup pecans, diced
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 275F. Line 3 cake pans, 8" each with parchment paper and grease paper with shortening. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and beat until light and fluffy. Combine flour and baking powder and add to butter mixture alternately with milk, pineapple juice, vanilla and lemon essence.
Combine raisins, mixed fruit, and cherries then toss with 1 egg and 1.4 cup flour. Add pecans. Fold into batter and fill prepared baking pans 3/4 full. bake for about 3 hours.
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| Belize Business Directory |
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If you are interested in joining the first ever Belize Business Directory in the USA, please contact us at 305-503-5741 or email us at belizeconsulate@gmail.com
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|  Belizean Star of the Month
James Lovell
James Lovell is a passionate educator, activist, multi-instrumentalist and ardent language conservationist. Through his many artistic and pedagogical endeavors over the past two decades James has worked to safeguard traditional Garifuna music, dance and language by sharing it with captivated audiences around the world.
Growing up in Belize, James was deeply rooted in his Garifuna heritage. The Garifuna are an indigenous group born of the mixing of Africans with native peoples of the Caribbean, in 1795 they were condemned to perish on the island of Roatán. Rather than perish, they settled along the coastline of Central America, today they have a thriving culture, but one which is under threat as young Garifuna migrate.
Inspired by Garifuna artist, "Pen" Cayetano, James decided to pursue a music career, immigrating to the United States where he earned a Bachelor's degree in African Studies with a minor in Music. In 1994 James co-founded Illagulei (Roots), a performing arts company created to preserve and promote Garifuna culture. Since 1995 he has released four successful albums and experimented with combining African and Garifuna music resulting in a genre he calls "the Afri-Garifuna Rhythms" which forms the foundation of his Afri-Garifuna Jazz Ensemble. Drawing on years of teaching experience, James has launched programs to safeguard Garifuna culture through a method that uses songs to transmit language, history, dance and customs. The program which includes, history, drumming and music theory, was implemented under UNESCO and the National Garifuna Council. He is also co-founder of
Yugacure
, a similar annual workshop which he conducts in St. Vincent, he now teaches an annual nursery rhyme workshop in Belize.
 James recently embarked on an endeavor to highlight language preservation of endangered cultures worldwide; he is currently collaborating with the Breton people of France. He also teaches conversational Garifuna, history and drumming at the Biko Transformation Center
and performs at the United Nations and Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
James is frequently featured in showcases, radio and television interviews in the U.S. and abroad; his work has earned him the respect of his peers and afforded the opportunity to share Garifuna culture with the world.
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Author: Lea Boicel, Televise the Revolution Media©
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| The Consulate of Belize in Florida
1600 Ponce De Leon Blvd. Suite #904
Coral Gables FL 33134
T: (305) 755-0276 |
F: (305) 755-0277
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