Mercy Sabal is one of Belize’s most respected and accomplished visual artists, best known for her handcrafted Mercy Dolls, Garifuna-inspired creations, and masterful quilts. With over 40 years dedicated to her craft, she has built a legacy that bridges cultural heritage and artistic innovation. Based in Ladyville, she continues to create and collaborate, notably with artist Salhudin Norris. Sabal’s work has been exhibited widely, both in Belize and internationally, including in Taiwan, New Orleans, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. In recognition of her contributions to the arts, she received the prestigious George Gabb Prize for Visual Arts. Her artistry was further celebrated in the groundbreaking 2021 virtual exhibit Mothers of Creation, and her quilt was selected for permanent display at the National Assembly. Most recently, her work was featured in the inaugural exhibition at the Museum of Belizean Art
Milton Hebbert Watson (also known as Black Snake) is a painter, composer, and self-taught visual artist from Tasbapounie, a small Afro-descendant fishing village on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast. His interest in art began in childhood, drawing daily with whatever materials he could find such as cardboard scraps, homemade brushes fashioned from grass and feathers, and leftover house paint collected during neighbors’ renovations. After the 1979 Nicaraguan Revolution, Watson moved to Bluefields where he began teaching painting and drawing at the Casa de Cultura. His dedication to his craft earned him scholarships to study art first in Managua and later in Sweden, where he deepened his practice at Årjäng folkhögskola. Throughout his career, Watson has merged Caribbean imagery, musical sensibilities, and everyday scenes from coastal life to create vibrant works that reflect the resilience and creativity of Afro-Nicaraguan communities. His artistic journey is rooted in improvisation, collective support, and a commitment to telling stories from the Caribbean coast.
The Moravian Archives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is the official repository for the records of the Moravian Church in North America. Founded in 1742, it houses an extensive collection of manuscripts, photographs, maps, and printed materials that document the church’s missionary, cultural, and educational activities across the globe—including in the Caribbean, Central America, and Indigenous North America. The archives are especially significant for researchers studying colonial-era missions, transatlantic religious networks, and the lives of Black, Indigenous, and Afro-Indigenous communities encountered by Moravian missionaries.
Mr. Peters Boom and Chime, founded by legendary musician Wilfred Peters, is one of Belize’s most influential Brukdown bands. Emerging in the late 1970s, the group brought national attention to Brukdown music, a traditional Creole genre rooted in storytelling, social commentary, and rhythmic percussion. Their breakout hit “Salaman Gan” helped popularize the style across Belize, while international performances introduced global audiences to the vibrancy of Belizean cultural expression. Through music, Mr. Peters and his band played a key role in preserving and celebrating Belize’s Afro-Creole heritage.
In this film, a man travels to Belize to fulfill his father’s final wish of having his ashes scattered there. While on the journey, he discovers that he unknowingly fathered a son during a previous visit. Confronted with his own unresolved feelings about fatherhood and his strained relationship with his late father, he is forced to reckon with the past and reimagine his future.
My Memories of Bluefields is a retrospective narrative that chronicles life in Bluefields, Nicaragua from the 1950s to the 1980s. Blending personal recollection with historical reflection, the book includes photographs from the era alongside stories of daily life, significant events, and cultural traditions. It also explores the city’s origins, including the legacy of the Dutch buccaneer after whom Bluefields is named, and documents the region’s rich folklore and customs.
The National Garifuna Council (NGC) of Belize is an NGO that strives to preserve, strengthen and develop the Garifuna culture as well as to promote economic development and opportunities for the Garinagu people in Belize.The NGC specifically focuses on preserving the Garifuna culture through its language, music, food, dances, crafts, art and rituals as well as generating economic development for Garinagu people. Another objective is to seek education and training opportunities for Garinagu especially youth.
