National Kriol Council
30 Kelly Street
Belize City, Belize
ph: (501) 629-8346
alt: (501) 605-2566; 629-6808
nkcbeliz
Mr.Wilfred Peters (Mista Peetaz)
Mr. Wilfred Peters is celebrated as the King of Brokdong Mmusic. He passed away on June 9, 2010. This Belizean national icon had over 60 years of creating and playing Kriol music. His music continues to inspire hundreds of Belizeans. One Website notes the following: "Through his distinctive Brukdown [Brokdong] music style... reflects the journey of the African slave into the mahogany camps of Belize...Mr. Peters learned to play the instrument from his father on the family farm near the Sibun River in Belize, where music was the main form of entertainment in his household and when farmers and loggers gathered...throughout Belize, his popularity never waned, and he and his band continue to be a steady fixture at dances, holiday celebrations and events around Belize...[he] toured major music festivals in Mexico, France, Spain, the Caribbean and North America. As a tireless bandleader, Mr. Peters has over the years refined the Boom & Chime Band into what is undoubtedly the most recognizable and dynamic representation of Belizean Creole [Kriol] culture."
SOURCE for quote: mp3.mondomix.com/wilfredpeters
Above: Master Kriol drummer Emmeth Young, from Gales Pt. Manati
Lila Vernon, Mista Peetaz and Martha Weatherbourne: three of Belize's top brokdong artists!
[picture from belizemusicworld.com] Bredda David Obi - di Kungo music man! A pioneer in Kriol music! You can check out more about Bredda David Obi on several sites and hear his music too:, like on the You Tube link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2fnUO8DJxw
Lila Vernon
Note: This write up on Belizean Brokdong Kriol Queen is written in the Kriol language and was done in honor of her at a January 25, 2011 awards function when Orson Picart and Flavors Entertainment honored her.
Lila Vernon da di nees a wan a Bileez bes klasikal singaz ahn myoozishans, di layt Berti Martinez! Now, eena 2011, mek oava 35 yaaz Leela di bring ih myoozik, an ih filasohfi, tu di haat ahn soal a di peepl a Billez.
Bak eena 1987, Leea mi faam wahn groop – di IBOLITES DANCE GROUP – den oanli 4 daansaz mi deh eena di groop. Di perpos a di groop da mi bi wahn way fu mek shee, Leela, ekspress ih oan talent, bot – ahn dis da weh toch aal a wi haat da di Nashanal Kriol Kongsl – Leela mi aalwayz si eniting ih du az wahn way fu ekspress ahn prisaav di Bileez Kriol kolcha. Da shee da wan a di tapmoas peepl weh help di Bileez Kriol Brokdong stay schrang – di Sambai ahn di Sadunga daans
dehn, ahn tu dehnya Leela put ih oan liriks, poems, sangs ahn jramatik pees.
Di 1987 Ibolites groop mi gaan aan fu aalso du jraama, wid oava 72 membaz. Di mayn ting da mi fu ejukayt Bileez ahn di werl bowt di rich Kriol kolcha – di hischri, di langwij, di food, di laifstail, di joaks ahn proverbs, di rilayshans wid ada Bileezhans, an, nachrali, di Kriol myoozik. Da noh tudeh Leela di gi taak ahn lekcha ahn prezentayshans da praimri skool aal oava Bileez, da hai skool, da kalij ahn yooniversiti eena 1994 da Leela dehn mi geh fu entatayn dong tu di Kween a Inglan.
In 1995, shee ahn di Ibolites prifaam eena Nyoo Yaak, da Manhattan Center, an in Verz Cruz, Mexico at di afro Caribbean Festival. An noh taak bowt di Karibeeyan – Leela reprizent Bileez ahn di Kriol kolcha deh eena Dominica, Nicaragua, Panama ahn di Dominican Republic.
Mis Leela aalso da wan a di lead singaz pahn di CELEBRATION CD, weh di govament mi du eena 1997. Den, wen di National Folkloric Company of Belize mi choral tu France ahn Spain, da Leela da-mi di kolchoral choreographer, ahn dehn mi prifaam oava 50 shoaz! Eena 1993, wan a Leela pees, “Blackness in the Sunrise” mi geh silk for the project “International peace and Protest” bai Professor John Franklin, fahn di University of San Carlos, Guatemala.
Den, jos laytli ya – wahn fyoo yaaz abak, Leela fulfil wan a ih laif jreem – ih kaal da hoal creation “Da Wahn Faamli Ting” an ih kip di taak how gud gud ih mi feel fu noa seh ih mi geh fu rikaad wid aal ih talented faamli – inklooding ih pa – dis complitation. Leela Vernon
tudeh da di Vice –President of the National Kriol Kongsol a Bileez, a pozishan ih di hoal evritaim ilekshans sins di Kongsl faam eena 1995. In fak, Leela da wan a di foundaz a di Nashanal Kongsl, ahn eevn bifoa di Nashanal Kongsl, Leela mi ga di fos eva Kriol Kongsl, ahn shee kantinyu fi hed op di Toledo Branch.
In 2001, the CD Lee Laa- Kriol Kolcha mi geh rilees. Wel, weh ma deh fi seh. Di lead sang pahn da Cd don bikom di manchra a aal peepl eena Bileez – Ah Waahn Noa Hoo Seh Kriol Noh Ga No Kolcha! Da wahn “catch phrase” da Bileez, ahn di spirit ahn inspirayshan fu aal hoo lov op dehn Kriol languid ahn Kolchak – ahn dehn Bileez Kolchak – sins, as MOSE HYDE mi wans seh pahn ih shoa bowt di Kriol langwij: Kriol da di gloo weh hoal Bileez tugeda!”
Tudeh, Leela di goh deh schrang! Ih sari ih kyaahn deh ya tunait, bot Ah hapi hapi hapi fu riipoat dat jos dis aftanoon eena PG, Leela an ih bonch a singaz mi deh dongtong PG di, fu di fos taim, shyaa, di jraaf verzhan a di Nashanal Antem a Bileez …eena Kriol!!!!!!!!! LEELA – fu chroo chroo chroo – shee da di Kriol Kween a Billeez!
Copyright 2019 National Kriol Council. All rights reserved.
National Kriol Council
30 Kelly Street
Belize City, Belize
ph: (501) 629-8346
alt: (501) 605-2566; 629-6808
nkcbeliz