Belize & Dangriga

I'm blogging from Dangriga, Belize where the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business and Peacework International are implementing a program called the Village Business Initiative. There are four working groups each of which has a separate development project. One teaches small business development classes, another economics and business math in local primary schools, and a third provides consulting for established Dangrigan businesses. Additionally, my team is working on to develop microfinance programs for Dangriga and the Stann Creek District.

I've decided that my attitude before arriving in Dangriga was overly optimistic. Although Belize as a whole seems to have a enthusiastic entrepreneurial culture and quickly developing financial and property rights systems, Dangriga's personality is far more stubborn and there is a prevailing sense of suspicion and a hesitancy to cooperate with foreign aid workers along with a reluctance to embrace the risk that accompanies greater economic opportunities.

The town is about 14,000 people large and is homogeneously Garinagu, which is a hybrid West African and Black Carib culture. The language spoken at home is Belizean Kriol which is a form of English that uses an inverse grammatical structure and far more slang. However, every Dangrigan speaks English, although proficiencies differ greatly. There is a strong Rastafarian sub-culture within the city that adds to town's vibrant Garifuna personality and the town maintains the majority of their cultural traditions. The town's greatest anomaly is the Taiwanese population which runs every store as well as the majority of the restaurants in town. Most Garifuna business owners view the Taiwanese and having an extra advantage because of their access to cheaper capital from Taiwan and there is an underlying antipathy between the two groups.

From my experience with interviewing business owners, part time artisans and students, it does not seem that Dangrigans want to develop a significant tourist economy. The income gap is high, health services are not adequate, and HIV/AIDS affects 5% of the town's residents, but most people continue to live comfortably, resources are sufficient which keep basic goods cheap, and family relationships are strong. This provides most people with economic security and a high form of subsistence living. As a result, the perceived opportunity cost of promoting tourism is much higher than in other parts of Belize because of a prevalent attitude that traditional ways of living will be corrupted and the lack necessity to take entrepreneurial risk since all basic needs are met.