PLACENCIA SIDEWALK AR TS & MUSIC FESTIVAL! FEBRUARY 15-16, 2014 ON THE PLACENCIA VILLAGE SIDEWALK
CITIZENS SAY NO TO SOUTHERN CRUISE PORT Public consultations on Environmental Impact Assessments, as mandated by Belizean law for major development projects, tend to be dry technical affairs attended by a handful of conservationists or curious laymen more interested in the free snacks than the scientific jargon. That is unless you live in southern Belize.
On the night of January 22 close to 350 residents from as far away as Belize City and Punta Gorda descended on Independence Village for one of the largest such gatherings in the history of the Department of Environment. And what was at issue? The proposed development of an island cruise port by Norwegian Caribbean Cruise Line less than three miles south of Placencia Village. NCL says the project at Harvest Caye would cost US$50 million to build and host some 600,000 cruise visitors per year. According to the cruise line executives, their locally hired representatives and much of
the Government of Belize, the new attraction would be an economic godsend for the South, bringing a cornucopia of jobs, tax revenues and entrepreneurial opportunities for hungry Belizeans from Dangriga to Barranco. Lined up on the other side was a coalition of tourism industry groups, environmentalists and community activists who see the introduction of
Above: Former science school teacher and SEA Education Outreach Officer Abigail Parham-Garbutt pointed out glaring errors and contradictions stated in the EIA for the proposed Norwegian Cruise Line port on Harvest Caye. Left: Close to 350 residents attended the consultation in Independence Village located across the Placencia Lagoon. (CHANNEL 5)
mass cruise tourism to southern Belize as a complete reversal of Belize’s long standing and successful commitment to high value/low impact eco-tourism, a provider of largely part-time, low paying, seasonal jobs and just one more instance of a small poor country selling out its world class natural heritage for pennies on the dollar.
So who came out on top of this head to head confrontation? Of the roughly forty members of the audience who spoke only one came Continued on page 12
Large Crowd Expected at 2014 Placencia Sidewalk Arts Festival
Driftwood specialist Evan Leslie at work. See page 23. Look out for more Sidewalk Fest features in this issue.
The Placencia Sidewalk Arts and Music Festival is shaping up to be another major event this year. According to organizers, everyone’s favorite artists have already registered and works are busily being for the weekend. Artists should also be thrilled to know that accommodations on the Placencia Peninsula are booking out quickly for this month meaning many potential buyers should be out looking for the perfect souvenir. This year, the entertainment stage will be relocated from the beach
front to its original spot next to Sky Flower Hotel (formerly Serenade). Organizers say the move was part of keeping the focus on the arts near the sidewalk. The beachfront, however, will house the festival’s food court, which is expected to be bigger than last year’s. Non-profit organizations will also be located in this area. Performing on stage in an intimate setting are popular punta rock artist Pen Cayetano, saxophonist Bilal Sunni-Ali, Naphty and the Drums Continued on page 11