We performed last night in a mennonite community called Spanish Look-out, This community started about 50 years ago in Belize. They originally fled from Holland and Belgium in the 1500s to escape persecution, and eventually resettled in belize by way of Mexico and Canada. They speak Low German, very old german that was developed in the 16th or 17th century. Unlike other Mennonite communities that shun technology, Spanish Lookout is mechanized, and specializes in auto parts. Along with auto parts, Spanish Lookout is a major producer of dairy, poultry, vegetables and cattle produce, supplying the majority of the country with these commodities. Belize’s most popular chicken, Quality Chicken, is located in Spanish Lookout. Western Dairy, Belize’s only commercial production of milk is also located in the town. Spanish Lookout has been one of the few exporters of crude oil within Belize.
The Mennonites have not had outsiders into there community. We were the first EVER to come into their community and perform! It's pretty major. It was an amazing experience for many reasons.
Firstly I have never been in such a religous setting, it reminded me of the hassidic community in Brooklyn. The Szatmar Hassid's that are from Sighet Romania that came and have preserved their traditions from a very certain place and time and they haven't changed a bit.
It's facinating. I have admiration for their committment to their beliefs and the amount of intense community building that enables communities like the hassids and the mennonites to exist.
I'm processing this all as I write... but it seems not sustainable to be so disconnected from the enviroment that one is living. In the situation with the Mennonites they have almost completley taken over the poultry and dairy production in this region and also produce oil. They don't pay taxes. Meanwhile there are tons of very poor native people here that don't have work or land. But it seems as though the Mennonites live harmoniously with all the natives. No one seems to have any bad sentiment. And historically all the various ethnicities that lived here have maintained their cultural identity peacefully. It's really inspiring that that can happen.
So last night when we performed in their community it meant there was curiosity and interest in the outside world which is a good thing. It was a funny thing that i did not know before we played but their religion does not allow dancing,i made a couple invites for them to dance, no one did. But there were people saying that their whole bodies were moving inside even though they were sitting still. Are we the gateway drug to sin?? Will they be dancing when they get our CD home??
I felt their energy really connected to us throughout the whole concert. They didn't respond with visual clues but i could feel it. Like I felt like what they were experiencing was for the first time this sense of some sort of emotionn that was really en-living.
We made history last night!
As we were leaving on of the women said now next time you come you must learn German. I replied uhh.. ok. She said, if you make excuses you get whippings. Och...
2 comments:
what an absolutely fucking amazing story!!!!
I happen to live and have lived in this wonderful community Spanish Lookout all my life. So when I read this post I had to correct you on a number of points.
1. Although it is true that the Spanish Lookout community is rather isolated it is very open to "outsiders". After all over half the work force employed by Mennonites and Mennonite farms and shops are Belizeans.
2. It is true that the biggest Chicken producer in the country is in Spanish Lookout, and the biggest dairy plant in the nation is also based in Spanish Lookout, but what you do in fact not know is that Spanish Lookout was hacked and sawed from out of a solid wall of tropical jungle, solely by Mennonites from nothing to the point where it is today, the natives and all the native villages around Spanish Lookout began as a result of the employment oppurtunity brought to the area by the Mennonites.
3. A very common misconception of Mennonites is "they pay no taxes" this is a simple LIE. Mennonites do and always have paid all taxes aplied to any other Belizean citizen, however Mennonites in Spanish Lookout are not required to pay social security for their own people, as they take care of there own, and thus do not add a medical or health load to the country, this by the wayis the only exception we have.
In conclusion I have to say a lot of people believe the Mennonites had it easy, but the truth is the land we live on was leases and paid for like any other piece of property in Belize, the Mennonites are by far the biggest grain growers and suppliers and exporters in Belize, a market they developed and built almost entirely on their own, the dairy and chicken industries were completely non-existant before the Mennonites came, the only reason Spanish Lookout is so well off today is because they were willing to work peacefully hand in hand with those around them to build Spanish Lookout and Belize into the place and country it is today, I am sincerely proud to be a Mennonite but even more proud to be a pure bred Belizean.
P's. About dancing, it is quiteba bit more common than you think, although less common in the severe religious realm. And there have been multiple large parformances in Spanish Lookout including a few rock, contemporary rock, country, Techno, reggae, soca and bluegrass concerts. Although being the farming/ranching country, country is our music.
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