Amandala
Encyclopedia
Amandala is a Belize
an tabloid newspaper; published twice weekly, it is considered the "most widely circulated newspaper in Belize." It was established on August 13, 1969 as the chief spreadsheet for the United Black Association for Development (UBAD). Its offices are located at 3304 Partridge Street in Belize City
.
As of the end of April, 2011, it has published over 2500 issues.
/Zulu
word "amandla
", which means "power." Editors felt that Belizeans might mispronounce the word, so they added an extra "a" after the "d". Amandala editors often like to say the word means "power to the people", although the correct term for that is "Amandla, Ngawethu." The phrase occurs in English throughout the newspaper, most often in the Editorial and in publisher Evan X Hyde
's column; however, it may appear in advertisements in the original African dialect.
and member of UBAD; Hyde, the eventual publisher of the newspaper, was at times also an editor.
Many of the newspaper's first issues were dedicated to promoting the affairs of its parent organization, advertising meetings, celebrations and protests, and containing articles on topics considered important to Belizeans as well as criticism of the ruling People's United Party
and its leader, George Price
.
The first issue claimed of the new newspaper's intentions: "We don't know too much about this newspaper thing... We'll do the jerk, we'll do the fly... who bex, bex. Who bex fus, lose."
. Their newspaper, FIRE, joined Amandala to create "Amandala with FIRE", and this was the newspaper's masthead for the rest of 1969 and into January 1970, when RAM dissolved. Thereafter, Amandala reverted to its original name.
heard and dismissed in the Supreme Court
after General Elections
on December 5, 1969, won by the PUP. The full text of the article follows here:
A none too pleased PUP administration accused UBAD president Hyde and publisher Shabazz with sedition for the text of the article, which they claimed "meant that the administration of justice was a farce and that ... (those) who participated in it were participants in a childish game of amusements." (Shoman, 13 Chapters)
The case went to trial in June 1970, with former colleagues Shoman and Musa representing Hyde and Shabazz. For the next month, the fate of Amandala and UBAD hung in the balance as Attorney General V.H. Courtenay tried to prove that the Amandala had in fact committed sedition by lampooning the event and the defendants tried to exonerate themselves and improve the credibility of the fledgling newspaper. Shoman, perhaps showing some partiality, calls it the "most exciting trial in Belizean history," right down to the verdict, delivered on July 7, 1970 and clearing Hyde and Shabazz.
A relieved Amandala staff began making moves to develop the newspaper's technology. First, in 1971, Amandala purchased a Chandler and Price letter press to replace the Gestetner
stencils used on the paper to that point. This technology lasted, with many trials and errors, to 1977, when it was shelved in favor of modern offset
technology being favoured by competitors such as The Reporter
and The Belize Times
. Despite ravages from Hurricane Greta
, Amandala became the nation's leading newspaper by 1981 due in part to using offset printing.
Parent organization UBAD soon crumbled around Amandala as formerly faithful members went their own way: some to the U.S., some to England, some to the newly formed UDP
and some elsewhere. It remained for UBAD to be permanently dissolved, and the occasion came after Evan X Hyde's loss at the polls in elections
of October 30, 1974. In the Amandala of November 8, 1974, Hyde formally ended UBAD, quoting Frank Sinatra
and explaining why the time had come for the Association to be shut down. But Amandala, he said, would move in the direction of being a "community newspaper" rather than a political one.
For the remainder of the 1970s, Amandala tried to avoid controversy. Indeed, editor Hyde ran unsuccessfully for the PUP in City Council elections of 1977, and the paper generally toed the line with government policy, although reserving its usual candor for certain situations. Joining the paper in this period was the "Ros'lin" serial about Belizean adolescents, a special "Jumble" word puzzle, columns by the publisher's father Charles B. Hyde and "The Old Man", a forerunner of today's "Smokey Joe" column.
As Amandala entered the 1980s, it had improved its technology, expanded its scope of writing and was reaching more people. The often impassioned editorials of the UBAD days gave way to more refined writing and greater discussion.
In 1981, Belize exploded into internal turmoil with the Heads of Agreement uprisings in March, and Amandala offered full coverage of events as they unfolded, making its name well-known throughout the nation. Toward the end of 1981, it published an article linking Prime Minister Price and Minister Louis Sylvester to a report from Mexico about drugs in Belize. For the second time in its publishing life, Amandala went to court on the wrong end of lawsuits for libel, and was hit with separate judgements for BZ $10,000 and BZ $7,500 in 1982 and 1983. These debts crippled the newspaper but Amandala fought on. Relief arrived briefly with the ascension of the UDP
to power in 1984, but the UDP and Amandala soon found themselves at loggerheads.
Popular columns during this period included "Far and Near" (before it moved to the Belize Times), "Bill Williamson" (before it moved to The Reporter
as "Roving Eye") and "Smokey Joe" (the first appearance).
The 1990s for Amandala really began on November 17, 1989, with the establishment of Belize's first commercial radio station, KREM FM
, on the compound at Partridge Street. Amandala dedicated much of the next three years to weaning the young radio station and protecting it from its rivals, the now defunct Radio Belize
and LOVE FM
. UBAD celebrated what would have been its twenty-second anniversary in 1991, and Amandala publisher and former UBAD president Hyde wrote a reminisce of the UBAD glory days in the "From the Publisher" column of February 8, 1991. In addition, Amandala became the chief sponsor for local semi-professional team "The Raiders", which would win five national titles in the 1990s out of a total of seven. Through KREM and the Raiders, Amandala's name remained well-known. However, it did not escape criticisms of partisanship from rivals including the defunct People's Pulse
, which derided all things Amandala for much of the 1990s until its closure in 1998, its sponsor the UDP being in power for much of that period. Amandala eventually admitted to a partnership with the then Opposition PUP established in 1994 and dissolved ten years later. There was also a claim of sensationalism, bias and overhyping of events ascribed to the newspaper. Things got so bad there was an attempt by foreign nationals to buy out the newspaper that was only turned down at the last minute, and KREM Radio even briefly shut down. Despite Amandalas troubles, Belizeans faithfully bought the paper, which by this time dated its weekend issue for Sunday instead of Friday.
Popular columns included Evan "Mose" Hyde's entertainment column "Chat Bout", educator and activist Silvana Woods "Weh A Gat Fi Seh" (What I Have to Say), Belize's first column written entirely in Belize Creole
(prior to its moving to The Reporter
), and Los Angeles-based Pam Reyes' "Caribbean Pulse", in addition to Glenn Tillett's "Between the Lines" and Russell Vellos' "Viewpoint".
The newspaper today remains an entertaining mix of candor, firebrand commentary, serious journalism and energetic communication. Its popular columns include the following:
There has been discussion about a possible Spanish-language version of the paper; however, this has yet to be detailed. Amandala moved closer to endorsing a Spanish-language version of its newspaper in a recent editorial which explained what a Spanish-language Amandala would have to overcome in order to achieve success. In a more recent "From the Publisher", Hyde reported that the project was on hold.From the Publisher, May 6, 2007.
Beginning in February 2010, the Editorial and From the Publisher columns appear in Spanish on separate pages from their English counterparts.
In the issue for October 22, 2006, Colin Hyde appeared to be closing his column "Sixes and Sevens", saying he would move on to other projects, including new novels, but that he would continue contributing to the Amandala. Hyde has since written numerous letters and occasional short columns dedicated to sport and politics. In October 2007, Hyde joined the paper for a brief period as Assistant Editor, during Adele Ramos' maternity leave, and reverted to his old post on her return in January 2008.
wrote Amandala requesting payment on a loan accruing to some $262,000 procured from Sagis Investments, a company apparently owned by Lord Michael Ashcroft. Amandala is insisting that the move is an attempt to destabilize KREM in an election year and that the major political parties may be complicit in this attack.
Less than a week later on The Kremandala Show
of April 24, panelist Bill Lindo, a supporter of the ruling People's United Party
, claimed that Opposition leader Barrow in his capacity as chief litigator for the Belize Bank drafted an unlimited guarantee for the Government of Belize concerning a loan of $33 million dollars to a consortium of investors for Universal Health Services, a local private hospital which is currently insolvent. Barrow had previously denied this accusation and wrote the Amandala within 24 hours of the statement to announce legal action against Bill Lindo for defamation of character, though he proposed to ignore Kremandala as an equally guilty partner (given that they hosted Lindo) because there was no evidence of a prior conspiracy. Lindo subsequently left the program, but has returned as of December 11, 2007, its last episode of the year. No mention has since been made of the lawsuit.
The Sagis case went to court in May 2008 and Chief Justice Dr. Abdulai Conteh ruled in KREM Radio's favor (see that article for details).
However, recent events led Amandala to change their tune. In May and June 2007 Belizeans rose up in protest over the unilateral signing of a loan note by the Government and Michael Ashcroft's Belize Bank over a 33 million dollar arrangement with the struggling Universal Health Services. That matter is currently on standstill, but the PUP has fallen out of favor with Kremandala, or vice versa, as explained by Hyde in a recent "From the Publisher".
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
an tabloid newspaper; published twice weekly, it is considered the "most widely circulated newspaper in Belize." It was established on August 13, 1969 as the chief spreadsheet for the United Black Association for Development (UBAD). Its offices are located at 3304 Partridge Street in Belize City
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in the Central American nation of Belize. Unofficial estimates place the population of Belize City at 70,000 or more. It is located at the mouth of the Belize River on the coast of the Caribbean. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and...
.
As of the end of April, 2011, it has published over 2500 issues.
The name
Amandala was adapted from the XhosaXhosa language
Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately 7.9 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language, that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said...
/Zulu
Zulu language
Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...
word "amandla
Amandla (power)
Amandla is a Xhosa and Zulu word meaning "power". The word was a popular rallying cry in the days of resistance against Apartheid, used by the African National Congress and its allies. The leader of a group would call out "Amandla!" and the crowd would respond with "Awethu" or "Ngawethu!" ,...
", which means "power." Editors felt that Belizeans might mispronounce the word, so they added an extra "a" after the "d". Amandala editors often like to say the word means "power to the people", although the correct term for that is "Amandla, Ngawethu." The phrase occurs in English throughout the newspaper, most often in the Editorial and in publisher Evan X Hyde
Evan X Hyde
Evan Anthony Hyde is a writer and journalist. He publishes and writes for the nation's largest newspaper, the Amandala, as well as oversee its subsidiaries, KREM Radio and Krem Television...
's column; however, it may appear in advertisements in the original African dialect.
Current staff
- Publisher: Evan X HydeEvan X HydeEvan Anthony Hyde is a writer and journalist. He publishes and writes for the nation's largest newspaper, the Amandala, as well as oversee its subsidiaries, KREM Radio and Krem Television...
- Editor in Chief: Russell Vellos
- Assistant Editor: Adele Ramos-DalyAdele Ramos-DalyAdele Ramos-Daly is a Belizean poet, author, journalist and publisher. She is assistant editor of the Amandala, a widely circulated tabloid newspaper, published twice weekly....
- Lithographer: Cassian Glenn, Roy Lord
- Layout/Design: Victoria Tun, Deshawn Swasey
- Business Manager: Jacinta Hyde
- Compositor:
- Office Secretary/Receptionist: Odessa Robinson
- Collation Manager: Jason Barrera
Pricing
- Midweek edition (published Tuesdays, dated Wednesdays): BZ $1.00
- Weekend edition (published Thurs./Fri., dated Sundays): BZ $1.35
Sections of newspaper
- Headlines (generally front pages 1–4)
- Top national news stories (elsewhere)
- Editorial, letters to editor (pages 5 and 6, but occasionally scattered)
- featured articles (mid-paper)
- international news stories (mid-paper)
- classifieds
- social registry (birth, death and marriage announcements)
- sports (tail end of paper)
Establishment
Amandala began as a stenciled spreadsheet given out by members and supporters of UBAD in the streets of Belize City. After the third issue was published, UBAD officials decided to begin selling the paper for five cents a copy. The newspaper was published on Thursdays and dated and sold on Fridays. The first publisher and editor of the newspaper was Ismail Shabazz, a MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
and member of UBAD; Hyde, the eventual publisher of the newspaper, was at times also an editor.
Many of the newspaper's first issues were dedicated to promoting the affairs of its parent organization, advertising meetings, celebrations and protests, and containing articles on topics considered important to Belizeans as well as criticism of the ruling People's United Party
People's United Party
The People's United Party is one of two major political parties in Belize, and currently the main opposition party. It is a Christian Democratic party; the current Party Leader is Francis Fonseca....
and its leader, George Price
George Cadle Price
George Cadle Price PC was the first Prime Minister of Belize and is considered to have been one of the principal architects of the country's independence, and is today referred to by many as "the Father of the Nation"....
.
The first issue claimed of the new newspaper's intentions: "We don't know too much about this newspaper thing... We'll do the jerk, we'll do the fly... who bex, bex. Who bex fus, lose."
The RAM merger
In October 1969, UBAD merged forces with a similar movement, the People's Action Committee (PAC) chaired by Assad Shoman and Said MusaSaid Musa
Said Wilbert Musa is a Belizean lawyer and politician. He was the Prime Minister of Belize from August 28, 1998 to February 8, 2008.-Early life and education:Said Musa was born in San Ignacio, Cayo District, Belize...
. Their newspaper, FIRE, joined Amandala to create "Amandala with FIRE", and this was the newspaper's masthead for the rest of 1969 and into January 1970, when RAM dissolved. Thereafter, Amandala reverted to its original name.
"Games Old People Play"
In the Amandala of February 20, 1970, the newspaper ran an article slandering an election petitionElection petition
An election petition refers to the procedure for challenging the result of a Parliamentary election or local government election in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong.- Outcomes :...
heard and dismissed in the Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
after General Elections
British Honduras legislative election, 1969
A legislative election was held in British Honduras in December 1969. Citizens elected 18 members to the House of Representatives for a term of five years.The ruling People's United Party won the largest share of seats in the election....
on December 5, 1969, won by the PUP. The full text of the article follows here:
- "Games Old People Play"
- Election Petition
- Starring: Clifford De Lisle Innis
- D.B. Courtenay
- Edward Laing (International)
- Theodore Warrior
- Agapito Hassock, other famous lip professors and cast of yeri-so PUPPeople's United PartyThe People's United Party is one of two major political parties in Belize, and currently the main opposition party. It is a Christian Democratic party; the current Party Leader is Francis Fonseca....
and NIPNational Independence Party (Belize)The National Independence Party of Belize was a merger of two Belizean political parties that effectively served as the chief opposition party in Belize for practically all of its existence. It was formed in July 1958 and dissolved as part of the formation of the new United Democratic Party in...
fanatics. - See: The rats of Charley Cadle PriceGeorge Cadle PriceGeorge Cadle Price PC was the first Prime Minister of Belize and is considered to have been one of the principal architects of the country's independence, and is today referred to by many as "the Father of the Nation"....
- See: The bald white dome of S. Hulse
- Thrill to the Dramatic Ending:
- Dismissal of the Case.
- UBADRAM advice to the cast of children: After this, let's play Mommy and DaddyHouse (game)House, also referred to as "playing house", is a traditional game where children or adults take on the roles of a nuclear family, which typically consists of a father, mother, a child/children, a baby, and a cat/dog....
: Hee, Hee.
A none too pleased PUP administration accused UBAD president Hyde and publisher Shabazz with sedition for the text of the article, which they claimed "meant that the administration of justice was a farce and that ... (those) who participated in it were participants in a childish game of amusements." (Shoman, 13 Chapters)
The case went to trial in June 1970, with former colleagues Shoman and Musa representing Hyde and Shabazz. For the next month, the fate of Amandala and UBAD hung in the balance as Attorney General V.H. Courtenay tried to prove that the Amandala had in fact committed sedition by lampooning the event and the defendants tried to exonerate themselves and improve the credibility of the fledgling newspaper. Shoman, perhaps showing some partiality, calls it the "most exciting trial in Belizean history," right down to the verdict, delivered on July 7, 1970 and clearing Hyde and Shabazz.
The 1970s: rockbottom and revival
A relieved Amandala staff began making moves to develop the newspaper's technology. First, in 1971, Amandala purchased a Chandler and Price letter press to replace the Gestetner
Gestetner
The Gestetner, named after its inventor David Gestetner, is a duplicating machine brand and company.David Gestetner, born in Csorna, Hungary, moved to London, England, and in 1881 established the Gestetner Cyclograph Company to produce stencils, styli, ink rollers, etc. He guarded his invention...
stencils used on the paper to that point. This technology lasted, with many trials and errors, to 1977, when it was shelved in favor of modern offset
Offset
The term offset may refer to:* Carbon offset, a financial instrument aimed at a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions* Offset agreement, trade practice in Aerospace and Defense Industry...
technology being favoured by competitors such as The Reporter
The Reporter (Belize)
The Reporter is one of the chief newspapers of Belize. It was established in 1967 by publisher Harry Lawrence, who has authored every issue since. It is published weekly and sells for BZ $1.00...
and The Belize Times
The Belize Times
The Belize Times is a Belizean newspaper published once a week and the official organ of the People's United Party. It was established in 1956 and sells for BZ$1.00.Its offices are located at the PUP's Belize City headquarters at 3 Queen Street, Belize City...
. Despite ravages from Hurricane Greta
Hurricane Greta
The name Greta has been used for three tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean. The name was used in several different schemes, as well as in the four and ten-year lists....
, Amandala became the nation's leading newspaper by 1981 due in part to using offset printing.
Parent organization UBAD soon crumbled around Amandala as formerly faithful members went their own way: some to the U.S., some to England, some to the newly formed UDP
United Democratic Party (Belize)
The United Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in Belize, and currently the ruling party, having won the 2008 general elections. A centre-right conservative party, it is currently led by Dean Barrow.-Founding:...
and some elsewhere. It remained for UBAD to be permanently dissolved, and the occasion came after Evan X Hyde's loss at the polls in elections
Belize legislative election, 1974
A legislative election was held in Belize on October 30, 1974. Belizeans elected 18 members to the House of Representatives for a term of five years.The ruling People's United Party won the largest share of seats in the election....
of October 30, 1974. In the Amandala of November 8, 1974, Hyde formally ended UBAD, quoting Frank Sinatra
My Way (song)
"My Way" is a song popularized by Frank Sinatra. Its lyrics were written by Paul Anka and set to music based on the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed in 1967 by Claude François and Jacques Revaux, with lyrics by Claude François and Gilles Thibault. Anka's English lyrics are unrelated to the...
and explaining why the time had come for the Association to be shut down. But Amandala, he said, would move in the direction of being a "community newspaper" rather than a political one.
For the remainder of the 1970s, Amandala tried to avoid controversy. Indeed, editor Hyde ran unsuccessfully for the PUP in City Council elections of 1977, and the paper generally toed the line with government policy, although reserving its usual candor for certain situations. Joining the paper in this period was the "Ros'lin" serial about Belizean adolescents, a special "Jumble" word puzzle, columns by the publisher's father Charles B. Hyde and "The Old Man", a forerunner of today's "Smokey Joe" column.
The 1980s: becoming the best
As Amandala entered the 1980s, it had improved its technology, expanded its scope of writing and was reaching more people. The often impassioned editorials of the UBAD days gave way to more refined writing and greater discussion.
In 1981, Belize exploded into internal turmoil with the Heads of Agreement uprisings in March, and Amandala offered full coverage of events as they unfolded, making its name well-known throughout the nation. Toward the end of 1981, it published an article linking Prime Minister Price and Minister Louis Sylvester to a report from Mexico about drugs in Belize. For the second time in its publishing life, Amandala went to court on the wrong end of lawsuits for libel, and was hit with separate judgements for BZ $10,000 and BZ $7,500 in 1982 and 1983. These debts crippled the newspaper but Amandala fought on. Relief arrived briefly with the ascension of the UDP
United Democratic Party (Belize)
The United Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in Belize, and currently the ruling party, having won the 2008 general elections. A centre-right conservative party, it is currently led by Dean Barrow.-Founding:...
to power in 1984, but the UDP and Amandala soon found themselves at loggerheads.
Popular columns during this period included "Far and Near" (before it moved to the Belize Times), "Bill Williamson" (before it moved to The Reporter
The Reporter (Belize)
The Reporter is one of the chief newspapers of Belize. It was established in 1967 by publisher Harry Lawrence, who has authored every issue since. It is published weekly and sells for BZ $1.00...
as "Roving Eye") and "Smokey Joe" (the first appearance).
The 1990s: maintaining dominance
The 1990s for Amandala really began on November 17, 1989, with the establishment of Belize's first commercial radio station, KREM FM
KREM FM
KREM Radio is a Belize City radio station operating on signals 96.5, 91.1 and 101.1 FM since November 17, 1989. Its headquarters are located at 3304 Partridge Street in Belize City, also the home of the Amandala newspaper and Krem Television...
, on the compound at Partridge Street. Amandala dedicated much of the next three years to weaning the young radio station and protecting it from its rivals, the now defunct Radio Belize
Radio Belize
The Broadcasting Corporation of Belize, otherwise known as Radio Belize, was a radio station in Belize that shut down in November 1998. Until the 1980s it was Belize's only radio station.- Beginnings :...
and LOVE FM
LOVE FM
LOVE FM is a Belize City-based radio station operating since February 14, 1993. It is part of RSV Media Center, whose chairman is Rene Villanueva Sr.It airs family-oriented programs and mature, contemporary style music.- History :...
. UBAD celebrated what would have been its twenty-second anniversary in 1991, and Amandala publisher and former UBAD president Hyde wrote a reminisce of the UBAD glory days in the "From the Publisher" column of February 8, 1991. In addition, Amandala became the chief sponsor for local semi-professional team "The Raiders", which would win five national titles in the 1990s out of a total of seven. Through KREM and the Raiders, Amandala's name remained well-known. However, it did not escape criticisms of partisanship from rivals including the defunct People's Pulse
The Guardian (Belize)
The Guardian is a Belizean newspaper and the official print organ of the United Democratic Party.It is published on Thursdays and sells for BZ$1.00.- UDP newspaper history before Guardian :...
, which derided all things Amandala for much of the 1990s until its closure in 1998, its sponsor the UDP being in power for much of that period. Amandala eventually admitted to a partnership with the then Opposition PUP established in 1994 and dissolved ten years later. There was also a claim of sensationalism, bias and overhyping of events ascribed to the newspaper. Things got so bad there was an attempt by foreign nationals to buy out the newspaper that was only turned down at the last minute, and KREM Radio even briefly shut down. Despite Amandalas troubles, Belizeans faithfully bought the paper, which by this time dated its weekend issue for Sunday instead of Friday.
Popular columns included Evan "Mose" Hyde's entertainment column "Chat Bout", educator and activist Silvana Woods "Weh A Gat Fi Seh" (What I Have to Say), Belize's first column written entirely in Belize Creole
Belizean Kriol language
Belizean Creole English, known as Kriol by its speakers, is an English-based creole language most closely related to Miskito Coastal Creole, Limón Coastal Creole, Colón Creole, San Andrés and Providencia Creole, Guyanese Creole, Jamaican Patois and English creoles of the Caribbean show similarity...
(prior to its moving to The Reporter
The Reporter (Belize)
The Reporter is one of the chief newspapers of Belize. It was established in 1967 by publisher Harry Lawrence, who has authored every issue since. It is published weekly and sells for BZ $1.00...
), and Los Angeles-based Pam Reyes' "Caribbean Pulse", in addition to Glenn Tillett's "Between the Lines" and Russell Vellos' "Viewpoint".
Amandala today
The newspaper today remains an entertaining mix of candor, firebrand commentary, serious journalism and energetic communication. Its popular columns include the following:
- Charles Hyde's "Ideas and Opinions", under the name Janus, taking a scholarly look at Belize today;
- Novelist Colin Hyde's short takes on current topics with humorous dialogue;
- In Search of Truth, by Henry Gordon, combining discussion of current events with sermons from the Bible (Gordon is a pastor).
- Press Predictions (by Gilroy "Press" Cadogan, moved from Belize Times)
- Clinton Uh Luna (firebrand from Corozal)
Amandala website
Amandala has maintained an online presence since the early 2000s. It was previously a tenant of Belizemall.com before establishing its own address. This address, amandala.com.bz, was revamped in 2006.Recent developments
There has been discussion about a possible Spanish-language version of the paper; however, this has yet to be detailed. Amandala moved closer to endorsing a Spanish-language version of its newspaper in a recent editorial which explained what a Spanish-language Amandala would have to overcome in order to achieve success. In a more recent "From the Publisher", Hyde reported that the project was on hold.From the Publisher, May 6, 2007.
Beginning in February 2010, the Editorial and From the Publisher columns appear in Spanish on separate pages from their English counterparts.
In the issue for October 22, 2006, Colin Hyde appeared to be closing his column "Sixes and Sevens", saying he would move on to other projects, including new novels, but that he would continue contributing to the Amandala. Hyde has since written numerous letters and occasional short columns dedicated to sport and politics. In October 2007, Hyde joined the paper for a brief period as Assistant Editor, during Adele Ramos' maternity leave, and reverted to his old post on her return in January 2008.
Barrow and Williams lawsuits
In April 2007, attorney and then leader of the opposition Dean BarrowDean Barrow
Dean Oliver Barrow is Prime Minister of Belize and leader of the United Democratic Party. An attorney by trade, he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1993 to 1998 and was then Leader of the Opposition until the UDP won the February 2008 election...
wrote Amandala requesting payment on a loan accruing to some $262,000 procured from Sagis Investments, a company apparently owned by Lord Michael Ashcroft. Amandala is insisting that the move is an attempt to destabilize KREM in an election year and that the major political parties may be complicit in this attack.
Less than a week later on The Kremandala Show
The Kremandala Show
The Kremandala Show is a Belizean political commentary talk show airing on Krem Radio and Krem Television. It premiered in 1994 on radio and 2005 on television and was hosted by KREM founder Evan X Hyde.- Format :...
of April 24, panelist Bill Lindo, a supporter of the ruling People's United Party
People's United Party
The People's United Party is one of two major political parties in Belize, and currently the main opposition party. It is a Christian Democratic party; the current Party Leader is Francis Fonseca....
, claimed that Opposition leader Barrow in his capacity as chief litigator for the Belize Bank drafted an unlimited guarantee for the Government of Belize concerning a loan of $33 million dollars to a consortium of investors for Universal Health Services, a local private hospital which is currently insolvent. Barrow had previously denied this accusation and wrote the Amandala within 24 hours of the statement to announce legal action against Bill Lindo for defamation of character, though he proposed to ignore Kremandala as an equally guilty partner (given that they hosted Lindo) because there was no evidence of a prior conspiracy. Lindo subsequently left the program, but has returned as of December 11, 2007, its last episode of the year. No mention has since been made of the lawsuit.
The Sagis case went to court in May 2008 and Chief Justice Dr. Abdulai Conteh ruled in KREM Radio's favor (see that article for details).
However, recent events led Amandala to change their tune. In May and June 2007 Belizeans rose up in protest over the unilateral signing of a loan note by the Government and Michael Ashcroft's Belize Bank over a 33 million dollar arrangement with the struggling Universal Health Services. That matter is currently on standstill, but the PUP has fallen out of favor with Kremandala, or vice versa, as explained by Hyde in a recent "From the Publisher".