Photo: Hon. Francis Fonseca along with 7 awardees
by Kristen Ku
BELIZE CITY, Fri. Sept. 1, 2023
The National Celebrations Commission (NCC) today held its Belize@42 Awards for Creative and Cultural Excellence—the third annual edition of the event—at the House of Culture.
This year, the NCC honored seven individuals who have made significant contributions to Belize’s culture and creativity sectors. This year’s award recipients included Carl Gordon, who received the George Gabb Award for Visual Arts; Gregory Vernon, who was awarded the Rosita Baltazar Award for Dance; Egbert “Mime” Martinez, who received the Leela Vernon Award for his efforts in creative community action and safeguarding cultural heritage; and Adrian “The Doc” Martinez, who was presented with the Andy Palacio Award for Original Belizean Music. The other three recipients were Aurora Saqui, who was given the Don Elijio Panti Award for her dedication to the Protection and Development of Traditional Knowledge; Beverly Rita Swasey, who received the Beverly Smith Lopez Award for her excellence in Theatre and Film Acting; and Godfrey Smith, who received the Zee Edgell Award for Literary Arts.
Hon. Francis Fonseca, the Minister of Education, Culture, Science, and Technology, remarked at the event, “Through their [awardees] work, they tell the story of Belize, they tell our story. It is my great hope that in some small way these annual awards, the Belize Awards, will change this reality. My sincere congratulations to this year’s awardees. Thank you for your creativity and your passion. Belize sees you, Belize hears you, Belize respects you, Belize is proud of you.”
Adrian “The Doc” Martinez, one of the awardees, stated, “It is an honor. One that I was not looking out for. But I guess it came at a time when I was in the stage of thinking of whether I should continue what I was doing. So, this in itself is an encouragement.”
He also encouraged budding artists, especially in music, to commit wholeheartedly to their passion, and assured them that the rewards will undoubtedly follow.
