Belize celebrates its independence through art

On September 21, the Central American nation of Belize will celebrate the 35th anniversary of its independence from Britain. To mark the occasion, the Art Museum of the Americas invited Belizean-American artists Karl Villanueva and Santiago Cal to contribute to a new exhibition, ‘Belize 35,’ open through March 13.

Karl Villanueva was a 24-year-old photojournalist on that fateful day in 1981 when the former British Honduras was granted full independence (and became a member of the Commonwealth). His journalistic credentials allowed him to be wherever the action was, but he shot photos mostly for himself.

“I tried to make sure I covered everything,” he says, “because I knew it was a historical event that would never happen again.” He covered the reactions of the general public as well as key moments in the official ceremony — it was a peaceful transfer of power — with George Cadle Price, leader of the independence movement, and the British royal family.

Read more at: Washington Post