Email

Print

Pink’s Alley – latterly known as Majestic Lane – going back to the 70’s it’s one of the most notorious neighbourhoods in the city. And while the one-time trouble spot has cooled out somewhat – its location makes it an area of particular concern - not so much to police, but to tourism developers. According to the Tourism Ministry’s “wand wavers” – the entire stretch of North Front Street from the Fort Street Village to the Swing Bridge is going to become a tourism zone. But then what about pinks alley? It sits right in the middle of that zone, but could not be called tourist friendly – unless that tourist is seeking actionable adventures. And that’s where the CYDP comes in. Director Edward Broaster saw what planners would call a problem as a possibility for a community to transform itself. He called in the media today and we went to see if Broaster and the BTB are just trying to put a pretty face on a bad character.

Jules Vasquez Reporting,
This morning, work crews from the Pinks Alley community were cleaning out their own neighborhood. It’s a one day effort to jumpstart a community restoration, part of a much larger plan.

Laura Esquivel,
“We know that this is an area where a lot of tourists frequent, they walk pass it everyday in their quest to go downtown to see what downtown is like. The idea is to beautify it and try to bring it into more of a fold in what we want the image of Belize City to be. The initial stage is to get the residents involved in their own cleanup campaign so that they can take ownership of cleaning up their own area and maintaining that cleaning. We feel that if they are a part of the cleanup campaign, they will be more likely to keep it clean for a longer period of time.”

And while the Tourism Board is providing funding for this first stage while the Conscious Youth Development Programme is handling the on the ground mobilization – there is a much bigger plan.

Laura Esquivel,
‘This entire area from the Fort Street Tourism Village all the way to the Swing Bridge will soon be designated into a managed zone and with that in mind we want to make the entire area more beautiful.”

Supt. Edward Broaster,
“Basically it is to clean up the area and have the residents participate in the development of their community and having access to small capital to develop some businesses and being that it is right in the heart of the tourism district, we found it prudent that they be part of making some earnings from the tourism industry.”

Laura Esquivel,
“We have the mouth of the alley where there is an existing tiny park currently there. The residents have agreed that it would be okay with them for us to relocate this park to another area within the alley and then turn that park then into an area where the community will gather together, form a committee that will manage a restaurant and we will put in the labour in terms of getting a store front and cement chairs and umbrellas and do stamp concrete to make it more inviting for the tourists to come in and sit and have a drink and have some food.”

Big plans and a good number of community members have bought in or were paid to get in. Evan Lul Young was among the first to be recruited

Evan Lul Young,
“It is a bright idea for us to get everybody straight because nothing di go ahn and we decide we will start to clean up the alley and that’s it.”

Jules Vasquez,
So you support it?

Evan Lul Young,
“I support it 100%.”

Jules Vasquez,
What do you understand the master plan for the whole thing to be?

Evan Lul Young,
“Well dah fi we hold something inna wi pocket because right now nothing noh di go ahn and I feel the best way for those boys to make some li money and so dah fi try clean up the place.”

Jules Vasquez,
So this dah wah lee day pay?

Evan Lul Young,
“I would say only a li day pay right now.”

And that day pay situation is why some residents are sceptical.

Matthias Mariano,
“Basically Jules it came to me as a surprise. It makes you wonder what kind of game is going on because it is not that I am not for development, because I don’t want people to believe I am not for development, I welcome development but people need to be participatory in the process. Especially March is very close and you seem Miss Laura Esquivel with a BTB sign, it makes you wonder if they are under the guise of the BTB - You see Mr. Broaster comes around, CYDP, and so you wonder if the politicians are truly using these institutions to further their cause.”

William Evan Young,
“We don’t have no kind of opportunity at all in this neighbourhood. This is like a cycle right yah so; party come in, party come out, party come in, party come out and it is the same thing – everybody still di dance to the same tune. So to me this is just a political game.”

Matthias Mariano,
“What is the motive and we need some answers.”

And those answers came today from CYDP Director Edward Broaster, who tried to convince those still wary residents.

Supt. Edward Broaster,
“This has nothing to do with politics. This has to do with developing our people and having our people participate in taking a stakehold in what is happening around and throughout the country. This for them, they are in an ideal location and they can really benefit from some of the small business ideas that we had put forward to them.”

Jules Vasquez,
Is that a genuine commitment or again is it just superficial to address what is a blight on your tourism product?

Laura Esquivel,
“I think from my point it is genuine. As you know I grew up just a little ways around from here and I think it is an issue that definitely needs to be addressed. It is an issue that we’re looking at nationwide in terms of making people better able to earn a decent living and an honest living.”

Supt. Edward Broaster,
“This is no jankunu dance and this will play out to be not another jankunu dance or not a jankunu dance I should say. We are serious about developing this area and we believe that the community can benefit tremendously if they come together and participate in this.”

William Evan Young,
“If the community and the neighbourhood will benefit from it, which in I think they will, I welcome the idea; I support the idea. But you see is it genuine, are you doing this for the industry or are you doing it for the people of Belize. That is what you have to look at which in like I said, the government will benefit but we just want to see the people benefit too.”

But just wishing for the best won’t make it happen and Broaster acknowledges that.

Supt. Edward Broaster,
“It will take a lot of education to move away from this free base into work for one self and earn a sustainable income.”

And this toddler hopes that can becomes a reality before he takes off his training wheels.

The Tourism Development Project has received US$13 million in IDB support. Its programmes will be distributed across four municipalities: San Pedro, Cayo, Placencia and Belize City.