Beauty and Eco-Relationships in the Natural World of Central America

In this lesson for K-8th grade, students learn about three different animals — a bird, a frog, and a butterfly (the motmot of El Salvador, the exquisite spike-thumb frog of Honduras, and the owl butterfly from Guatemala). All these creatures are indigenous to Central America and help us understand the region’s ecosystems. Using visual art, the lesson gives students the opportunity to explore in-depth facts about each animal, while integrating an arts component where students are encouraged to draw the animals and design their own books to scaffold learning.

Ghost Empire § Belize

HIGH SCHOOL/ADULT

Ghost Empire § Belize examines the constitutional challenge taken by Belizean activist Caleb Orozco against Section 53, a 19th century British colonial law criminalising acts ‘against the order of nature’. Opposition to the case by evangelical Christian groups has included symbolic hangings of an effigy of LGBTQ+ group UNIBAM. The film follows Orozco from 2015 through 2020.

The Chocolate Farmer

HIGH SCHOOL/ADULT

This full-length documentary takes us to a corner of southern Belize, where cacao farmer and father Eladio Pop manually works his plantation in the tradition of his Mayan ancestors: as a steward of the land. The film captures a year in the life of the Pop family as they struggle to preserve their values in a world that is dramatically changing around them. A lament for cultures lost, The Chocolate Farmer challenges our deeply held assumptions of progress. 71 minutes.

The Garifuna Journey

HIGH SCHOOL/ADULT

Genocide, exile, Diaspora and persecution did not break the spirit of the Garifuna people. Descendants of African and Carib-Indian ancestors, the Garifuna fought to maintain their homeland on the island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean. The Garifuna resisted slavery. For this love of freedom, they were exiled from St. Vincent to Roatan in Honduras by the British in 1797. Despite exile and subsequent Diaspora, their traditional culture survives today. It is a little-known story that deserves its place in the annals of the African Diaspora.

Working closely with Garifuna tradition bearers, this "outsider and insider" collaboration was the first of its kind, one that captured the triumph of the spirit of the Garifuna people. With vivid and engaging footage shot entirely in Belize, the documentary celebrates the continuity of Garifuna culture in the face of overwhelming odds. Download the film teaching tool for educators.

Caleb Orozco is the Executive Director of the United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM), which provides health education and other services primarily to men who have sex with men, and seeks to safeguard their basic human rights. Orozco, a long-time activist for the rights of sexual minorities and HIV/AIDS vulnerable communities, has worked for years to eradicate stigma through local, regional, and international forums. Click to watch his documentary trailer.

Colman Jason Domingo is an American actor, playwright and director of both African American, Belizean and Guatemalan descent. Prominent on both screen and stage, he has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, and nominations for an Academy Award and two Tony Awards.

Pen Cayetano

Pen Cayetano (b. 1954) is one of Belize's most distinguished artists and musicians. He is one of the leading cultural revivalists and ambassadors for the Garinagu. His favorite medium is of oil on canvas with genres of modern art and contemporary realism.