Myrna Manzanares

Myrna Kaye Manzanares MBE (30 October 1946 – 21 December 2021) was a Belizean writer and activist, considered an ambassador of Belizean Creole culture. She worked to preserve this culture, particularly the Creole language, and advocated for racial justice both in Belize and among its diaspora.

Early life and California years

Myrna Manzanares was born in Gales Point, a small village in Belize District, British Honduras, on 30 October 1946.

She was a longtime activist and organizer around black identity and Belizean Creole (Kriol).

In 1995, she co-founded the National Kriol Council, which aims to promote the culture and language of Belizean Creole people. She was also a longtime president of the institution. and against HIV/AIDS, serving as chair of the National AIDS Task Force and president of the Addiction Alert Rehabilitation Center. She was also involved with the Belize History Association and the Belize National Library Service Board,

Manzanares worked for Peace Corps Belize, the Belize Teachers College, and the University of Belize.

She contributed to Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi!, a collection of Caribbean folktales, and edited Kriol language materials and journals.

Her other published works include Tell Me a Story (folklore); Life Lines (poetry); Traditional Games of Belize (compiled for UNICEF); Faith-Based Response to HIV and AIDS; and Healing Circle,

Personal life and recognition

In 2008, she was honoured as a Member of the Order of the British Empire "for services to education, culture and social development."

In 2018, she was named one of the first-ever Artists Emeritus by Belize's National Institute of Culture and History.

Manzanares had two children, a daughter, Shalini, and a son, Robert. and died several days later on 21 December at the age of 75.