Email

Print

This issue was raised at the Prime Minister's Qaurterly Press Conference in February by this news station, and under some badgering from Jules Vasquez committed to open things up:

Dean Barrow, Prime Minister of Belize
"If you are saying that to ensure that in the future, even if it is a contract, a concession that it is obvious nobody is interested in, still, before you award it give notice to the world that you are proposing to award it, say if there is anybody else who is interested - let's hear from you and if there is anybody else who is not interested but objects to the award of this contract let's hear from you - I am telling you that for me that would pose no problem. Let us see what cabinet has to say. I undertake now to very members of cabinet to raise the discussion formally next Tuesday. Is that Satisfactory sir?

Jules Vasquez
"And certainly the reading of the law might influence the discussion."

Dean Barrow, Prime Minister of Belize
"As long as it is not you that comes and reads the law because I am not impressed by the reading you just gave."

Jules Vasquez
"I don't expect that you would be."

And true to that committment, a notice was sent out this evening saying, that the Geology and Petroleum Department has received applications from five companies interested in a production sharing agreement for vacant petroleum exploration blocks in Northwestern Orange Walk District.

The applications are from Belize Natural Energy Ltd, New Hope Natural Resources Ltd, Providence Energy Belize Ltd, Maranco Ltd, Cara Energy Belize Ltd which will all be evaluated at the next cabinet meeting.

Information on the successful applicant will be shared upon conclusion of said meeting. Commenting this evening, Audrey Matura Shepherd of OCEANA commended government for living up to its commitment, but noted that the area may intersect with the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area, a nature reserve located in northwestern Belize.

FACEBOOK Vs. Folklore

It's women's month and our next two stories are about art created by women. And what's great about them, is how different they all are.

We start at the Image Factory where two female artists from very different backgrounds, and with very different styles are clashing, but doing so creatively. First we talk to the girl who goes by the name El Fleco, which is Spanish for bangs:…

Katie Usher, "El Fleco" Artist
"My Hair, it's all about my hair, it's all about my bangs, my crisis, my life. I was in art school - I left art school and I came to Belize, I had a lot of jobs - I resigned from that, I had the boyfriend, it didn't work out so it's just like I am resigning from all of this. Right now I am doing this performance piece that I am dismantling my Facebook as we are coming closer to the show. I got rid of all my albums except for 3 - I deleted all my notes, I deleted all my profile pictures except for 4 so it's like breaking down. As I am doing "El Fleco" Katie Usher Facebook page is coming down."

It's all about Katie Usher's Facebook page and her pathological obsessions about beauty and image that play out on that site are her art:

Katie Usher, "El Fleco" Artist
"The way I see Facebook you can be up there and just show your art or you could show your panty business or unless your panty business is your art then it's not a problem. I just use the opportunity of getting out my stuff to a lot of people because you know you could sell panades, you could see your art work, and you could sell yourself. I choose to sell my art up there."

And Facebook is referenced not just as a gateway to this artist's visual platform, it's also a commentary on the social disconnectedness implied in this social network:

Katie Usher, "El Fleco" Artist
"I have a lot of Facebook friends that I don't really even know nor do I hang out with, but we are so intimate and we are so friendly on Facebook."

And From Facebook's chilly postmodern embrace to the familiarity of folklore - Jill Burgess has taken well known folk stories of evil female spirits, form La Llorona to Xtabai, painted and collected them:

Jill Burgess, Artist
"I have been focusing a lot on the image of women and society and how they have portrayed women through folklore, particularly Belizean folklore."

And while the show is about these mystery maidens of the middle world, the title is most indelicate; it's called Vixens, bitches and whores. It does sound rough, but that's precisely the point: the labels so often applied to women are simply undeserved demonization:

Jill Burgess, Artist
"It's harsh to look at but I believe that society puts harsh words and images on women all the time when they are really not harsh at all, they can be beautiful people. That's why we have misunderstood women and I just became more fascinated with that topic, that subject. As I looked further, investigated these creatures - they turn into monsters and I found out that they were not monsters at all. Like Xtabai was actually turns out to be a story from way back up in the Yucatan Peninsula, that's where that story originated if you investigated it further. Nobody in Belize has really said that Xtabai is a prostitute; where did this come from? Nobody has heard of that. So it changes as it comes here. Actually she was a very generous, giving person so I don't know how she turned into this monster that gets disguised when you are coming home."

And now she hopes that by re-contextualizing these dreaded demons - she can offer them some image - rehabilitation.

Jill Burgess, Artist
"I think that when you come here you will find that its actually not so harsh that these women were actually - these myths come from real people and aspects of our psyche that we need to look at differently."

Jill Burgess is from Cincinnati, Ohio.

The exhibit opens tomorrow night. To coincide with the opening, Yasser Musa will also be launching an electronic book called El Fleco.

Women In Art

And while those are only two artists, more than 40 female artists will be displaying over 70 art pieces at the Institute of Creative Arts. The exhibition is called Women in Art and is officially a part of Women's Month. It's opening right about now at the Bliss Center and we found out more about it today:….

Kimberly Vasquez - Producer at ICA
"Over 70 pieces from over 40 female artists. Some are amateurs and some have far more experience so we have, for example we have Angela Gegg, we have Lita Krohn, we have Ingrif Cayetano and many others including some up and coming young artists like Elona Smiling and the exhibit is being curated we are pleased to say by Ms. Rachel Heusner, she is here with us in Belize from Trinidad and we are please to have her as a female curating the exhibit this year."

"We have photography here, we have some paintings. we have jewelry like you see I am modeming some of the jewelry and some graphic designers well. It's called Women in Art and Women in Art actually is a part of a larger program we have here at the Institute of Creative Arts, it will run concurrently throughout Women's Month this month and there is a lineup of other activities for example we have on the 26th March - we have divas and starlets which the performing art showcase and on the 25th, the day before that we have a forum call 30 years of women in art and that will encompass participation of women in art from across the country and different ages."

"This is our creative outlet. To me women - we are just creators by nature and this is one way of expressing ourselves and showing the positive contributions that women make in society." The exhibit will be opened throughout the day for the entire month of March.

Maskall Will Get A Hurricane Shelter

Maskall village's over 1,200 residents will have their own hurricane shelter. Ground was broken yesterday for the project to upgrade the Village Community Centre into a full hurricane shelter.

Area Representative Edmund Castrol told us why it is important:…

Edmund Castro, Area Rep
"For Maskall to not had had a proper hurricane shelter or a proper community building for recreational purpose - it was a shame. Also what we experience every year we get almost either hurricane or threat from hurricane or from flood and so what happen in the past we receive a lot of people that were coming from San Pedro and Caye Caulker but they is no proper hurricane shelter in this community although it is this size. So this building will serve a multitude many different purposes for the villagers not just in Maskall but villagers in the diaspora."

The existing zinc roof will be replaced with a concrete slab and the foundation will be strengthened among other things. The project will be financed by the Government of Belize at a total cost of $176,000 under the Commonwealth Debt Initiative. The community of Maskall will contribute labour towards the project.

"Luv Mi", The Video

Last week Monday on Channel 7, you saw the making of Meloni Gillet's epic music video "Luv Mi." And we promised to bring you the premier of the actual music video on Monday of this week - but the artist never delivered it to us.

She did yesterday and we have it for you tonight. We leave you with that this evening, so enjoy.