Black Immigrant Daily News
by Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Feb. 1, 2023
The Belize African Connection (BAC) presented an art exhibit entitled “BAC 20 Peace Exhibit” at the Image Factory on Wednesday, February 1, in honor of Black History Month. The exhibit features artistic works by Raymond ‘Naphty’ Jones and Fahima Barnett that are primarily made of crocus cloth and other fabrics, onto which images of notable and iconic figures in Black history—such as Marcus Garvey, Bunny Wailer, Bob Marley, Haile Selassie, Samuel Haynes, and many others —have been painted/imprinted.
Jones, when interviewed by AMANDALA at the exhibit, pointed to the importance of highlighting these black heroes:
“These are people who fought for our rights,” said Jones. “Black History Month is important because if the black people in Belize, in particular, don’t know where they come from … they’ll lose that cultural connection,” he said.
“… This exhibit is bringing in my people that have journeyed and defended the rights of the displaced, and that’s very important … the Peace Exhibit is to bring people together and have a conversation, like we cannot continue to live in this mayhem. Where I live, go to sleep and wake up and I hear [the sound of] gunshots, so the idea of peace is how can we corral our youths,” he added.
BAC is a family-based creative group that had operated a souvenir shop at the foot of the Belize Swing Bridge in downtown Belize City, where they had been selling handmade craft, art and souvenirs since the 1970’s before being displaced in 2017.
The BAC 20 exhibit will be showcased until February 22, 2023.
NewsAmericasNow.com
