Essay On Belizean Identity

The Belizean identity comprises of many cultures and sub- cultures due to our rich colonial/post-colonial influence. The diversity in race and ethnicity extends from the far reach of Europe to the southern and northern parts of the America’s. First and foremost in order to understand the full extent of identity one must know the difference between race and ethnicity. How does race influence our ethnicity? Race is the physical traits of a people, ethnicity, on the other hand, refers to cultural factors, including nationality, regional culture, ancestry, and language. Belize is among the most diverse countries in the region due to its unique geographic, racial and cultural history. It is only within the context of these diverse colors, cultures and languages that a true picture of our identity as a people and country comes to the surface. The identity of a people/person are influenced by outside factors. These factors originate from being born into

Our wholesale adoption of foreign identities is due to rapid consumption of international media via internet and television. The introduction of television and other forms of media had a profound impact on how we sought to identify ourselves. Before we even had a chance to move from under the shadow of our colonial overlords and find our unique Belizean culture, we were bombarded by images of the American culture and affluence. This coincided with massive emigration of Belizeans to the United States and further adoption of their culture. To understand our ready acceptance of these external cultural influences whether they be American, Mexican, European or Jamaican we must understand the longstanding and unfortunate belief by the majority of Belizeans that everything from outside is good and everything Belizean is an inferior product. It may be a sense of inferiority complex imposed upon our ancestors by the British