BGYEA – Harmonyville Fact Sheet
In February 2010, Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association (BGYEA – pronounced ‘Big Yeah’) was formed by 5 Rastafarian brothers in Belmopan City, Belize who, after experiencing challenges in attempting to own land in Belize, observed the practice of illegal immigrants squatting on lands in Belize and eventually getting titles to those lands.
On March 21st 2010, the group identified over 1,300 acres of land on the then Western Highway (now known as the George Price Highway) between miles 41 and 42, owned by an absentee foreign land owner.
BGYEA began calling weekly meetings to share their concept of communal living. Hundreds of Belizeans attended and voiced their intent of being property owners at the community they named Harmonyville.
After about the 5th meeting BGYEA received a call from the Office of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister embraced the idea saying that he was proud of the group and even suggested that BGYEA should look for more land and that they contact Minister Finnegan.
Government re-acquired the land from the absentee owner and through BGYEA, made it available to the new residents of Harmonyville at $1,000 per acre.
Some 800 Belizeans, mostly first time land owners were approved to apply for leases and titles for 1 acre plots of land. Unfortunately, some of those people, even now are still having problems paying their monies into the system and the lands department has since begun saying that some of their papers were lost.
In February, 2013 BGYEA organized a land demonstration in Belmopan to express the frustration of Belizeans over unfair land distribution.
Whereas under the National Guidelines for Subdivision and Consolidation of Land in Belize 2010, a buffer zone of 20ft is required between the shoulder of the road and property, through verbal directive by the commissioner of lands the buffer zone for the Harmonyvillle community was made on average around 100ft.
A verbal indication was made between GOB that government would not assist with the development of road infrastructure, surveying, lights, water or maintenance of the buffer zone of the Harmonyville community. To address these needs, BGYEA signed an agreement with a private investor to grow corn in the buffer zone and other communal areas such as parks, parking lots and the burial ground. Through the investment agreement, community would benefit from a 15% value of in kind infrastructural development.
Upon becoming managers of Harmonyville and its buffer zone, BGYEA had attempted to convince the, then 5, immigrant families squatting in buffer zone to relocate to 1 acre plots of land within the community itself. For the cases in which they were unable to do so, they sought the assistance of the lands department in 2011. In April 2014, the lands department began issuing cease and desist letters to some of the, now 11, families squatting in the buffer.
A few weeks later, in May 2014, not only did the lands department also issue a cease and desist letter to BGYEA’s investor, but the government further filed an interim injunction against BGYEA which provided that BGYEA members could be imprisoned, fined, or have their assets taken away for trespassing, entering, planting crops, placing or projecting any object on or over the land, encumbering or dealing with the buffer zone.
On May 23, 2014 BGYEA informed the public via Krem WUB Morning Vibez Talk Show what was taking place and received an outpouring of support in both on and off air phone calls. Many of the callers pledged their support to go and plant corn in the buffer zone on May 24, 2014.
May 23, 2014 Attorney Matura Shepherd agreed to represent BGYEA and advised them to adhere to the injunction. The court date is set for June 13, 2014.
On Saturday, June 7th, 2014 the ‘Plant Di Corn’ Rally will be held at the Battlefield Park in Belize City from 9am to 1pm to share collective experiences in efforts toward land ownership in Belize and to remind us of our shared right and responsibility to sow the seed of development in Belize.
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