Questions for Belizean Women on Independence Day

For women in Belize, whose independence are you celebrating?

Evvie Lionheart Habet

9/8/20261 min read

The national flag of Belize waving against a bright blue sky with clouds NO women on the flag.

Belizean women. I have a question for you. Independence today is coming up. And if you're celebrating it, I would love to know whose independence you're celebrating?

CW: discussion of domestic violence

Are you celebrating the independence that men have to beat, abuse, financially, control, coercively control, and in other ways, just rule over the women in their lives, particularly with their wives, their girlfriends, and their children?

Are you celebrating the independence of abusive men to further their abuse with the family court system?

In my experience, in Belize, women are not independent.

And before you ask, no, I don't celebrate the independence day of my own country. That holiday does not signify freedom for me, because women aren't free here either.

And so that's why I'm asking, because most of the women I know in my country don't celebrate independence day, because we're not free. And I'm not saying you need to do the same thing, but I think it's worthy of thought. Whose independence am I celebrating? Am I free?

Am I free to leave an abusive relationship and to know that I won't be shunned by the community, if I talk about the abuse I experience?

Am I free to work and know that I'll be supported by the community with child care, so that I can earn money, so I don't need to be dependent on a man?

Am I free to divorce? And to know that even if I am not wealthy, that I'm not going to be left with nothing?

And that's why I ask again, who's independence are you celebrating when you're celebrating on Independence Day?

Because the way I see it, we're only celebrating the independence to be oppressed by someone else besides the colonizers.

Because, remember, freedom isn't free. It's not free, and sometimes we have to gather all of our resources and research and become legal experts in order to fight for it.

Share Your Reflections

Let Evvie know what came up for you.

Contact

Connect with Evvie for dreaming experiments with somatics during climate collapse.

Email

Stay Connected

evvie@climatesomatics.com