The Consulate of Belize in Florida
Monthly Newsletter
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Honorary Consul's Monthly Message
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The month of May has come and gone in a flash and the people voted Yes in the
ICJ Referendum
on May 8
th
to take the Belize-Guatemala territorial dispute to the International Court of Justice. Many are wondering, “What happens next?” To find out more, read below in the
ICJ- Be Informed
.
In this May newsletter, there's a lot of exciting news!
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From the Ambassador's Desk
H.E. Daniel Gutierez
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My Fellow Belizeans,
I take the opportunity to thank you for your well wishes over the last few days. The support and encouragement from Belizeans are a constant reminder of the privilege of service to our country and people.
Our teams in, New York, Miami, Chicago, Washington DC and Los Angeles wish all Belizeans a wonderful up coming summer, and we reiterate our commitment to providing timely and where possible, expanded services to our Belizean Community.
Sincerely,
His Excellency F. Daniel Gutierez
Ambassador of Belize to the United States of America
& Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States
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Official letter from H.E. F. Daniel Gutierez on the ICJ Referendum
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The Voice of the Jaguar, Belize's First Animated Movie
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Click image to see video clip of "behind the scenes"
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May 23, 2019 10:38 a.m. EST
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On Tuesday morning, Open Your Eyes featured Lee Mcloughlin, Director & Producer, 14-year-old Kristin Tillett, voice actress, and David Smith, animator of what would be "Tecuani and the Duende", the first animated movie in Belize.
After spending 10 years in Belize, conservationist Lee Mcloughlin fell in love with Belize's culture and wildlife and saw the need to use the art of storytelling as a call out to address the important role that Belizeans play in the conservation of Belize's wildlife such as "the king of the jungle", the Jaguar.
The main characters of the story are
Tecuani
, a young girl whose name means "wild animal" (Jaguar) in Aztec, and the Duende, mostly known as Tata Duende by almost all Belizeans.
The goal of the team is now to have a national movie premiere at the Bliss Theatre, Belize City in August for which they started a fundraising campaign via
Kickstarter
and have
100 T-shirts available for sale
to fundraise for the national screening tour.
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(Source: YouTube channel of
Open Your Eyes
and Kickstarter page of
Tecuani and the Duende
)
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Eastern Division Youth Basketball Cup 2019 is Launched
May 17, 2019. The Police Department launched its Eastern Division Youth Basketball Cup 2019 at the Yarborough Green Basketball Court on south side Belize City to bring together at-risk youths to foster comradery and reduce gun violence and homicide.
Read more
www.youtube.com
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Belize Observes International Day of Families
May 15, 2019. Belize joined the rest of the world today to observe International Day of Families. The day is used to shine light on the importance of families and their role in development across societies, as well as to raise awareness of issues...
Read more
edition.channel5belize.com
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Chocolate Festival of Belize 2019
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Photo credit: Chocolate Festival of Belize
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May 24, 2019 10:29 a.m. EST-
Every year, chocolate lovers from around the world head to Punta Gorda and the Toledo District of southern Belize to enjoy live music, fine wine, and sample some of the world’s best chocolate. The southern Toledo District of Belize has been growing chocolate since the days of the ancient Maya civilization, and the region is famous for making some of the finest chocolate available anywhere. Many devoted followers return to Toledo each year to find out what's new in the world of chocolate making.
The Belize Chocolate Festival 2019 saw local chefs from all of the region’s five biggest cultural groups, Creole (Kriol), Garifuna, Maya, Mestizo, and East Indian compete to offer hungry attendees the finest savory dishes and desserts made from chocolate. Live music was provided by several local troupes just as handmade crafts, artwork, and games suitable for the whole family.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/BelizeChocolateFestival/
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Photo Credit: My Beautiful Belize
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Did you know Ambergris Caye was recently named as one of the Best Luxury Fishing Destinations for 2019? Are you ready to go fish?
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A Snapshot on CARICOM Trade 2018
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Do you like history and culture? Guess what? NICH already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Centro de Estudios Martianos of Cuba!
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"This heart and soul of Belize City life, crossed by just about everyone here just about every day, is said to be the only remaining manually operated bridge of its type in the world. The bridge, a product of Liverpool's ironworks, was installed in 1923, replacing an earlier bridge that had opened in 1897."
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Let us preserve and protect our historical landmarks!
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English translation: Fisherman never says his fish stinks.
Meaning: Self-criticism is rare. People rarely tell the truth about their abilities or themselves.
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May 30, 2019 11:44 a.m.. EST
- This past month saw graduations from across the world's universities and high schools. One in particular stands out. A Belizean-American, Tatyana Y. Talamas, broke her university's record by being the first to include Arabic in a doctoral dissertation title, and a world record, in academia, by being the first to write about an obscure facet of political philosophy. She began her program in 2011. Despite numerous obstacles, including her university's lack of resources, she managed to make a break-through in the area of politics, but in particular, Arab political philosophy. Her dissertation, "
Khubth
in Tahdhib al-akhlaq or
The Reformation of Morals
by Yahya Ibn Adi: A Missing Notion in Aristotle," is the first in the sub-area of Arab political philosophy. She was hailed by the dean of her program, who also directed her dissertation, Dr. Joshua Parens, also an Arabist, as being one of the university's models of "courageous women." He highlighted the obstacles that Talamas had to overcome, including the study of Arabic, a language for which the University of Dallas currently offers no resources. Tatyana Talamas, though living in the U.S., is a patriotic Belizean who tries her best to stay abreast of affairs in "the Jewel."
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Register as a Belizean in Florida
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WHAT'S TRENDING
CEO Caucus Thanks Supporters of 2019
Cancer Initiative
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Photo Credit: The Government of Belize Press Office
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May 20, 2019 12:06 p.m. EST
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The CEO Caucus of the Government of Belize raised awareness and financial support one more time this year under the theme "Stronger Together" with a total of $73.000.00 raised to support efforts to combat cancer. Since 2016, $326.000 have been raised in partnership and thanks to the cooperation of various riders, professional cyclists, public officers, donors, and partners.
The CEO Caucus Cancer Initiative extended its special and heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the staff of the Ministries of Labour, Natural Resources, Agriculture, Health, Human Development, National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), the Solid Waste Management Authority and the Government Press Office, who volunteered their time to coordinate the event.
Below are some of the pictures taken at the event:
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Photo Credit: The Government of Belize Press Office
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Click image above to see short video of what took place
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Photo Credit: The Government of Belize Press Office
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EYES OF THE EXPLORER: SAN PEDRO
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See Belize through the eyes of chef and traveler Nyesha Arrington in episode 1 of the 4 part video series, sponsored by the Belize Tourism Board.
Click image above to see full video featuring three renown restaurants in the beautiful island of San Pedro.
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INGREDIENTS:
- 3 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 T Baking powder
- 2 oz butter
- 2 oz shortening
- 1/2 t each ground cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg
- 3/4 c brown sugar
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/4 c coconut flakes
- 1 egg
- 3/4- 1 c coconut milk
- 1 t vanilla
PREPARATION:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine All-purpose flour, baking powder, butter and shortening, ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, brown sugar, salt and coconut flakes.
3. In a separate bowl, combine egg, coconut milk and vanilla and mix well and add to larger bowl.
4. Grease your hands well with oil or use 2 wooden spoons to form balls.
5. Add balls to greased baking pan and press lightly.
6. Bake for about 20 mins or until golden brown.
Recipe courtesy of Maria Gomez Perez.
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On May 8, Belizeans voted "Yes" to take the territorial dispute with Guatemala to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Click the video below to learn more about what happens next.
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ACP Group of States Commends Belize on ICJ Referendum and Calls for Cooperation Mechanisms for the Sarstoon
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Photo Credit: Government of Belize Press Office
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Brussels, Belgium. May 23, 2019.
The 109th Session of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) Council of Ministers meeting was held in Brussels, Belgium from 21-22 May 2019. The ACP group adopted a resolution that reasserts the steadfast commitment of the 79 member states to the territorial integrity, sovereignty and security of Belize in the context of Guatemala’s claim.
The ACP Ministers commended Belize for successfully conducting its national referendum on May 8, 2019, and welcomed the decision of Belizeans to seek peaceful recourse to the dispute by submitting Guatemala’s claim of Belize to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for final resolution.
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The Road to the ICJ: What Next?
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(Photo Credit: Government of Belize)
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Now that Belize has gone to referendum and Belizeans have voted “yes” to going to the International Court of Justice, many want to know “what’s next?”. In a sitdown with Ambassador H.E. Alexis Rosado, our Belize Now Team found out what are the next steps for “The Jewel”.
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Click image to see full video
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