Magical History Tour continued in Cayo

By Orlando Pulido (Freelance Writer)

SANTA ELENA TOWN, Cayo District, Sun. Sept. 6, 2026

   The Magical History Tour, featuring noted historian and diplomat Dr. Assad Shoman,continued on September 3 in the Cayo District, where Shoman interacted with a team of students from three high schools in the area and members of the public later during the day to answer salient questions about Belize’s past.

   “People, I think, are interested. They understand that history isn’t a dead subject; it connects to what happens in their lives today. You saw the students in a very participatory mood, sharing their opinions on what independence means to them. That’s the general feeling … To me, it’s very interesting how people are reacting to the question: Did Independence end colonialism?  That is the whole theme of the Magical History Tour, and the truth is that everywhere, people are saying no; it did not end. We still have colonialism,” said Dr. Assad Shoman, after over two hours of interaction with students at the Sacred Heart Junior College, and before a public meeting at the San Ignacio House of Culture.

   Dr. Shoman had just completed similar group sessions in both Dangriga and the Toledo District. Accompanying Shoman on the tour is a team from the Institute for Social and Cultural Research and the National Institute of Culture and History (ISCR-NICH).

   Rolando Cocom, Director of the ISCR, explained the real purpose of the Magical History Tour, which is expected to cover the rest of the country in the next few days.

   “Today we are engaging with the high school students of Sacred Heart College and delegations from the Eden Seventh-Day Adventist High School as well as St. Ignatius High School. We are being hosted by Sacred Heart College in San Ignacio, where our guest, Assad Shoman, our esteemed historian and diplomat in Belize’s struggle for independence, will be engaging with students on topics of relevance to our history of independence, and also the struggle for the teaching of Belizean history,” he said.

   “We hope to achieve exactly what we have been observing: increased engagement from residents to say that Belizean history needs to be retold, analyzed from a decolonized perspective. We hope to have more teachers and students engaged and committed to being the narrators of our history, and I think those achievements are already underway; and at the end of it, we have a larger network of Belizean students, educators, and residents who are interested in advancing our history,” he added.

   At Sacred Heart Junior College, Christie Garbutt, a teacher from Stann Creek Ecumenical, placed the students into groups of five and engaged them to discuss “what are the things that changed, and what remained the same” in Belizean history.

   Shoman pointed out to the students a quote attributed to Nelson Mandela, which is as follows: “The truth is that we are not yet free. We have merely achieved the freedom to be free, the right not to be oppressed.”

   The esteemed writer reminded students that in 1960 the United Nations passed a resolution that all countries have a right to independence, and Belize achieved its independence from Britain in 1981.

   Shoman subsequently assured the students that, as regards the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case, “We have the strongest case in the world … we are going to win that case.”

   At the end of his tour at Sacred Heart, Dr. Shoman challenged the students to form history clubs and study history in earnest. Thereafter, Geovanni J. Pinelo from ISCR-NICH also encouraged the specially selected students to take on history as a career, since advanced history courses are now being offered at both Sacred Heart and the University of Belize.

   Later in the day, when a session with the public was held at the well-decorated San Ignacio House of Culture, the Magical History Tour tookon a life of its own, with standing room only, and the crowd overflowing onto the verandah. There, tour operator/trainer Javier Gutierrez introduced Assad Shoman to the public as “a Special Agent to the International Court of Justice.”

   Shoman then reminded the public that in 2019 “there was an existential moment” when Belize had a referendum on the question, “Should we go to the ICJ or not?”

    Shoman also noted to those in attendance, as he had done earlier when speaking to the students at Sacred Heart Junior College, that between 1978 and 1981, the Belize government went through some of the most difficult moments in the struggle for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

   Also, he pointed out, as the still-alive O. Nigel Boland made clear in 1988: Belizeans, having recently achieved constitutional independence, now face the formidable task of economic development and national integration in a regional and global context that is volatile and often threatening.

    Shoman additionally mentioned during his remarks that one of the countries that made it possible for Belize to achieve independence was Cuba. The Caribbean island, he said, has already trained over one hundred doctors for Belize.    The author of A History of Belize in 13 Chapters is scheduledtocontinue the tour in Belize City, starting at 7:00 p.m. at the House of Culture on September 8. Then the ‘Belize at 45: Magical History Tour with Assad Shoman’ continues in Orange Walk, both at the Muffles Junior College at 10:00 a.m. and at Banquitas House of Culture at 7:00 p.m. on September 15.  Dr. Assad Shoman and the ISCR-NICH team will conclude the tour in the Corozal District at the Corozal Community College at 10:00 a.m., then at the Corozal House of Culture at 7:00 p.m. on September 16.