Show latest news, more from February 2002.
Museum of Belize opens
The new Museum of Belize in Belize City was opened by the South American republic's Prime Minister, Said Musa, earlier this month, in a celebration attended by Caribbean and Central American leaders, prominent Belizeans and the Ambassador of Taiwan, Charles Tsai. In the welcome address on 5 February, the Hon. Mark Espat thanked the four groups of contributors who had made completion of the project possible, whom he described as: the visionaries, implementers, financiers and participants. Included in the list of visionaries was the Prime Minister who had dreamed more than twenty-one years previously of 'hallowed halls where the nation’s creativity could be allowed to run free.' Financial support for the project had been provided by the Belize government, Taiwan and the Inter-American Development Bank. Espat also outlined how attitudes to culture in Belize had changed in recent years, stating 'while most of us have now come to appreciate the vitality and value of culture, there was a time not too long ago that cultural expressions were victims of attack and control, especially where they conflicted with the political will. While most of us have come to recognise culture as capital, with a unique ability to generate wealth for our nations and peoples, at that same time not too long ago, investments in culture were labeled unimportant or even wasteful.' The museum is a redevelopment of the site which was formerly the City of Belize Jail. For full details on the launch and the speeches of Prime Minister Said Musa and Hon. Mark Espat, visit: www.belize.gov.bz/features/museum/welcome.html#01
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