A sequence of occurrences over the past week have served to bring into focus the urgency facing our population for tackling the task of securing and enshrining the legacy of our generations past, with specific emphasis on our sports heroes, but including our cultural icons as well. Our current system of governance affords politicians a secure space in our national archives, with their service record in government well-documented in the minutes of House and Senate meetings, as well as in their political discourse on the various media. And in regard to political campaign objectives, it is the tradition of our politicians to utilize sporting events as a vehicle to promote their face and personalities in an effort to gain an advantage in the next elections. There may seem to be no fault in that strategy, but in a society where the less well educated or financed members of the sporting or cultural arena are seldom lauded and feted by citizens once they have passed their prime, there are opportunities being lost to sing their praises while they are alive, and in a fashion that preserves for future generations a memoir of gratitude and acknowledgement of their regal stature achieved in the eyes of their contemporaries in their particular sport or cultural endeavor. Such public recognition and praise would also serve to inspire the younger generation of citizens through highlighting the achievements of such individuals, and enlighten them with foundational knowledge upon which to build their own legacies for generations to come.

What happened over this past week included the passing of a couple outstanding former footballers, at least one of whom is a likely candidate for the Belize National Football Hall of Fame when such induction is done; a visit from Bilal Morris, a Belizean documentarist who has single-handedly embarked on a process of trying to conduct interviews and thus document as much personal information and anecdotes as he can about outstanding past Belizean sports and cultural personalities; a visit this afternoon to the Marcus Garvey birthday celebration effort by Emerson Guild of the UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association) on Central American Boulevard; and the discovery of a formerly misplaced file, that of the then Chairman of the National Sports Hall of Fame Committee, which had been appointed by the Government to produce a first list of names of the inductees into the Belize National Sports Hall of Fame in eight different sports. The blueprint is all there in that file, and the chairman, C.B. Hyde (R.I.P.), described the process briefly on page 195 of his book, Janus, published in 2020.

The time is indeed passing by. When the L.A.-based Bilal Morris visited our Amandala office on Wednesday morning of last week, we were discussing some of the past sports stars that he had already documented on his Hall of Fame television series, and those whom he was still looking to capture as they are all getting older. We noted that Jervis “Rookie” Lambey had passed a couple months earlier, and then his brother, another football star from P.G., Margarito “Rito” Lambey, had just passed over the weekend. It emphasized the urgency of documenting interviews with our stars before they leave us.  We mentioned the name Arthur Roches, the legendary Queens Park Rangers sweeper/captain to him; and before we could go into details about “Pa Tur”, Bilal eagerly remarked that he is one person he definitely needs to interview. He was indeed shocked and disappointed when we explained to him that we were about to share with him that we had just received word that “Pa Tur” had suffered a stroke and heart attack a couple days earlier, and his prognosis was not good. (Pa Tur passed away later that same Wednesday morning in Dangriga.) Indeed, in just the past five years, a significant number of potential Hall of Famers have left us, not only without having documented their perspective on life in the sport that saw them rise to fame, but also not having the satisfaction of official national recognition in a tangible form such as induction into our National Sports Hall of Fame.     

Over the years, as our communities hunger for such a gesture of appreciation and recognition of personalities who have given us immense joy in their years of performance, there have been a number of individual and unofficial efforts at a Hall of Fame; and this is certainly much appreciated by our sports and cultural heroes who have thus been recognized. But the audience is small for such unofficial and minimally financed efforts. Furthermore, every district or village may choose to set up its own Hall of Fame. And it is all good. But we all know that in the competitive arena of sports, “not all who say ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” For it to command the respect and adulation its members deserve, a truly National Hall of Fame needs to result from a comprehensive, inclusive, scrupulously selective and transparent process that is conducted by individuals of respect and credibility over a cross-section of the community from across the nation. Because of the long backlog that keeps growing until it is officially established, the next National Hall of Fame effort (because the first succeeded in inducting members from the period up to 1960) will have to cover much ground and include a significant number of inductees until the calendar is brought up to date, at which time the annual or biennial ceremony may include just a few inductees. But, “the time is passing by,” and the time is now for Government to seize the initiative once more if our national sports and cultural organizations don’t have the administrative expertise, interest or financial wherewithal to see it come to fruition.    

Our visit to the UNIA’s Marcus Garvey birthday event, and our discussion with local leader Emerson “Homey” Guild, revealed the urgency of sharing important knowledge with the upcoming generations of Belizeans. There were fans at the softball games at Rogers Stadium, and at the Over-40 football championship at Berger Field, but just a few individuals dropped by the UNIA event. Garvey’s emphatic message, which has inspired a number of thinkers and leaders over generations, is that a people without knowledge of their history, is like a tree without roots. Sharing the knowledge of our people’s history and culture is vitally important in building a strong and unified nation to face the challenges of this competitive world. More strategic methods and platforms need to be devised to reach the minds of our youths to inspire them with knowledge of their forebears’ resilience and struggles to overcome obstacles that should strengthen them in moving further in the task of building a better, healthier and happier life for all Belizeans.

P.S. Part 1 of the Belize National Sports Hall of Fame is documented, but only reached to 1960.  Part 2 was stillborn, though a lot of groundwork was already put in. The file of the chairman has been located and is in safekeeping until the Government appoints an official committee charged with the responsibility to carry this program to completion. Such a committee will need to include individuals of professional capacity and respect in our community, for their work is a sacred and important task for all Belizeans.