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(06/05/23)
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Junglepixiebelize - Recollections of a Gringa Pioneer
Nancy R Koerner - Copyright@2023 - All Rights Reserved
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
"Sayk A Di War"
It should have been just another ordinary trip to Cayo for provisions and supplies, but it was obvious something was amiss when we found thick traffic through Santa Elena, and a nearly-impassable Hawkesworth Bridge. These were the old days – the race-to-the-middle-of-the-one-lane-bridge days – but it must have taken a half hour just to get a window-of-opportunity, to get our shot at getting to the middle of the bridge first, winning dominance, and therefore right-of-way.
But what a scene at the roundabout in front of the San Ignacio Police Station. It was a madhouse. Busses, taxis, lorries, wheeled carts, and bicycles, everybody was on the move. People were piling onto the backs of trucks with their children, valises, pigtail buckets, mattresses, pots and pans, and other household possessions – even some chickens, and one oinking pig, loudly protesting at the small boy tugging at the rope around its neck.
But what a scene at the roundabout in front of the San Ignacio Police Station. It was a madhouse. Busses, taxis, lorries, wheeled carts, and bicycles, everybody was on the move. People were piling onto the backs of trucks with their children, valises, pigtail buckets, mattresses, pots and pans, and other household possessions – even some chickens, and one oinking pig, loudly protesting at the small boy tugging at the rope around its neck.
“What’s going on?” I shouted to a couple of women, as they climbed aboard.
“Gyal, we gwine,” one said. “Alla we. No mus. Di Guatemalans dem. Dey di com.”
“What? But why?” I called back, as the truck rumbled forward.
“Gyal, we gwine,” one said. “Alla we. No mus. Di Guatemalans dem. Dey di com.”
“What? But why?” I called back, as the truck rumbled forward.
War? What war?
It wasn’t the first near-miss with Guatemala, although I’d never known it at the time. Upon arrival in Belize in early 1976, an invasion had been imminent, and averted only because Mother Nature had served up a very timely earthquake. I remember thinking the Guatemalan question was kind of a joke, and we took it in stride. Apparently, every few years, Guatemala would “rattle their sabers,” reminding Belize of its long-standing claim: “Belice es Nuestro.” But we never considered invasion might truly occur. Now it was happening again. Although the British army was a pretty familiar presence all around Cayo, now they were stationed in unusual places. At the top of the ruins of Xunantunich, where ancient Mayan rituals had once been held, there were now look-out soldiers with weapons and scopes and radio communications, keeping an eye on the border.
It wasn’t until decades later, in retrospect, I’d found out via the internet how close that call had been as well.
The New York Times Magazine had written:
That threat is alive and well, and has been for more than 100 years. In the most recent incident, in the summer of 1979, a squad of Nepalese Gurkha soldiers on patrol through the thick Central American jungle were surprised to hear, from some distance away, the sounds of machines and men. The Gurkhas were part of Britain's 1,700-man military detachment in Belize. Assigned primarily to watch the five meandering trails used by peddlers and merchants between Guatemala and the southern Belizean coastal town of Punta Gorda, the Gurkhas hacked their way toward the sounds and discovered, moving slowly but inexorably eastward out of Guatemala, a road in such a place is a several-foot-wide scratch through the jungle, cleared and leveled by bulldozers, then covered with a dressing of stones. Instead of trade goods' being portaged 30 miles on a man's back, they might be brought through by truck. Instead of a single file of Gurkha soldiers in a broken immensity of jungle, an army might appear, instantaneously.
''Stop,'' the Gurkhas told the Guatemalan engineers and workmen. ''This is the border. You go no farther.''
It wasn’t until decades later, in retrospect, I’d found out via the internet how close that call had been as well.
The New York Times Magazine had written:
That threat is alive and well, and has been for more than 100 years. In the most recent incident, in the summer of 1979, a squad of Nepalese Gurkha soldiers on patrol through the thick Central American jungle were surprised to hear, from some distance away, the sounds of machines and men. The Gurkhas were part of Britain's 1,700-man military detachment in Belize. Assigned primarily to watch the five meandering trails used by peddlers and merchants between Guatemala and the southern Belizean coastal town of Punta Gorda, the Gurkhas hacked their way toward the sounds and discovered, moving slowly but inexorably eastward out of Guatemala, a road in such a place is a several-foot-wide scratch through the jungle, cleared and leveled by bulldozers, then covered with a dressing of stones. Instead of trade goods' being portaged 30 miles on a man's back, they might be brought through by truck. Instead of a single file of Gurkha soldiers in a broken immensity of jungle, an army might appear, instantaneously.
''Stop,'' the Gurkhas told the Guatemalan engineers and workmen. ''This is the border. You go no farther.''
Moreover, what almost happened in Belize that year – or could have happened – was occurring all over the globe. And, the following year, a clever, catchy, and powerful song by the Mighty Sparrow (the King of Calypso”) would immortalize the era.
I had always loved the song and, in preparation for this post, I decided to research each of the individual, revolutions and overthrows mentioned in the lyrics. I’d had knowledge of some of them, but wanted to learn about the more obscure conflicts. Much like Billy Joel’s 1989 song “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” the Mighty Sparrow’s “Wanted: Dead or Alive” remains a fascinating historical study. I encourage all my readers to follow the links provided at the end of the song.
I had always loved the song and, in preparation for this post, I decided to research each of the individual, revolutions and overthrows mentioned in the lyrics. I’d had knowledge of some of them, but wanted to learn about the more obscure conflicts. Much like Billy Joel’s 1989 song “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” the Mighty Sparrow’s “Wanted: Dead or Alive” remains a fascinating historical study. I encourage all my readers to follow the links provided at the end of the song.
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Wanted: Dead or Alive (https://youtu.be/jZwkQn4DlZo) The rule of the tyrants decline, the year, 1979 From Uganda to Nicaragua, it’s bombs and it’s bullets all the time. So they corrupt, so they vile, so it's coup after coup all the while Human rights they violate, they thought they were so great So, in disgrace, now they live in exile [Chorus] Gairy is a wanted man, Idi Amin is a wanted man Shah of Iran tried so hard to survive. He, too, was wanted dead or alive |
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[Verse 2]
Strikes, demonstrations and wars, injustice is always the cause
Politicians turn too soon from, poor people into tycoons
Corruption must bring harass South African Vorster resign in disgrace,
Muzorewa take away Ian Smith place
The Uganda devil was easily cat-straddled, beaten up and chased - what a waste
[Chorus]
Gairy is a wanted man,
Patrick John is a wanted man
The Shah of Iran try so hard to survive,
He too was wanted dead or alive.
[Verse 3]
The Shah have a short time to live,
Because the Ayatollah don't forgive
When you see church ruling state, with pure vengeance and hate
Situation must be explosive.
General Somoza from Nicaragua,
Thought it was easy with the Sandinistas
With the help of Venezuela, Panama and Cuba, they kick him straight to America
[Chorus]
Gairy is a wanted man,
Bokassa is a wanted man
Ali Bhutto try so hard to survive,
He too was wanted dead or alive
[Verse 4]
Grenadian mongoose bad and so brave,
They send the old bishop straight to the grave
After that well Gairy skip town, with the diary of the Obeah gong
No more people to enslave.
Trinidad neighbors all expectin’ mayhem,
Anytime anything could happen to them
Eric Williams taking a backseat, to avoid Bacchanal
But everybody know he ’fraid gyal.
[Chorus]
Gairy is a wanted man,
Park Chung He was a wanted man
Achem Pongh try so hard to survive
He too was wanted dead or alive.
Strikes, demonstrations and wars, injustice is always the cause
Politicians turn too soon from, poor people into tycoons
Corruption must bring harass South African Vorster resign in disgrace,
Muzorewa take away Ian Smith place
The Uganda devil was easily cat-straddled, beaten up and chased - what a waste
[Chorus]
Gairy is a wanted man,
Patrick John is a wanted man
The Shah of Iran try so hard to survive,
He too was wanted dead or alive.
[Verse 3]
The Shah have a short time to live,
Because the Ayatollah don't forgive
When you see church ruling state, with pure vengeance and hate
Situation must be explosive.
General Somoza from Nicaragua,
Thought it was easy with the Sandinistas
With the help of Venezuela, Panama and Cuba, they kick him straight to America
[Chorus]
Gairy is a wanted man,
Bokassa is a wanted man
Ali Bhutto try so hard to survive,
He too was wanted dead or alive
[Verse 4]
Grenadian mongoose bad and so brave,
They send the old bishop straight to the grave
After that well Gairy skip town, with the diary of the Obeah gong
No more people to enslave.
Trinidad neighbors all expectin’ mayhem,
Anytime anything could happen to them
Eric Williams taking a backseat, to avoid Bacchanal
But everybody know he ’fraid gyal.
[Chorus]
Gairy is a wanted man,
Park Chung He was a wanted man
Achem Pongh try so hard to survive
He too was wanted dead or alive.
HISTORICAL REFERENCES
Eric Gairy (Grenada) - https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/grenada-revolution/
Idi Amin (Uganda) - https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/idi-amin-overthrown
Shah of Iran - https://www.mrallsophistory.com/revision/the-overthrow-of-the-shah-in-the-iranian-revolution-1979.html
Ayatollah https://www.mrallsophistory.com/revision/the-overthrow-of-the-shah-in-the-iranian-revolution-1979.html
More on the Ayatollah https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Why+did+Ayatollah+Khomeini+take+over+Iran+in+1979%3F&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjeteGzi8r8AhWgSTABHdOQB6gQzmd6BAgaEAU&biw=1359&bih=788&dpr=2
Vorster (South Africa) - https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/b-j-vorster-john-vorster
Muzurewa / Ian Smith (Rhodesia/Zimbabwe) - https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/nov/21/guardianobituaries.world
Patrick John (Dominica) - https://www.jstor.org/stable/25613354
Somoza & Sandinistas (Nicaragua) - https://www.thoughtco.com/nicaraguan-revolution-4777782
Bokassa (Central African Empire) - https://www.nytimes.com/1979/09/21/archives/bokassa-is-reported-overthrown-in-coup-in-central-african-empire.html
Ali Bhutto (Pakistan) - https://adst.org/2013/04/sins-of-the-father-pakistans-bhutto-executed-april-4-1979/
Eric Williams (Trinidad) – related to Grenada - https://www.grenadianconnection.com/blkheroes/blackHistory.asp?headline=6
Park Chung Hee (South Korea) - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Park-Chung-Hee
Achem Pong (Ghana) - https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/27/archives/new-regime-in-ghana-executes-2-exrulers-and-4-senior-officers-purge.html
Eric Gairy (Grenada) - https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/grenada-revolution/
Idi Amin (Uganda) - https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/idi-amin-overthrown
Shah of Iran - https://www.mrallsophistory.com/revision/the-overthrow-of-the-shah-in-the-iranian-revolution-1979.html
Ayatollah https://www.mrallsophistory.com/revision/the-overthrow-of-the-shah-in-the-iranian-revolution-1979.html
More on the Ayatollah https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Why+did+Ayatollah+Khomeini+take+over+Iran+in+1979%3F&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjeteGzi8r8AhWgSTABHdOQB6gQzmd6BAgaEAU&biw=1359&bih=788&dpr=2
Vorster (South Africa) - https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/b-j-vorster-john-vorster
Muzurewa / Ian Smith (Rhodesia/Zimbabwe) - https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/nov/21/guardianobituaries.world
Patrick John (Dominica) - https://www.jstor.org/stable/25613354
Somoza & Sandinistas (Nicaragua) - https://www.thoughtco.com/nicaraguan-revolution-4777782
Bokassa (Central African Empire) - https://www.nytimes.com/1979/09/21/archives/bokassa-is-reported-overthrown-in-coup-in-central-african-empire.html
Ali Bhutto (Pakistan) - https://adst.org/2013/04/sins-of-the-father-pakistans-bhutto-executed-april-4-1979/
Eric Williams (Trinidad) – related to Grenada - https://www.grenadianconnection.com/blkheroes/blackHistory.asp?headline=6
Park Chung Hee (South Korea) - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Park-Chung-Hee
Achem Pong (Ghana) - https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/27/archives/new-regime-in-ghana-executes-2-exrulers-and-4-senior-officers-purge.html