"The African Presence in Mexico"

a photo exhibition at the Mexican Embassy

Belmopan, Belize, 7 February 2012.- The Mexican Embassy invites the public to the photo exhibition "The African Presence in Mexico" by Professor Ron Wilkins, which will be inaugurated on February 13th at the Institute of Mexico in Belize City.

The aim is to make a contribution to the "Black History Month" in Belize.

Professor Ron Wilkins is a retired professor of Africana Studies at the California State University, Dominguez Hills, and professional photographer presently residing in Belize. He has an extensive academic research on the presence of people of African descent in Mexico and is the author of academic papers, including "Mexico Welcomed Fugitive Slaves and African-American Job-Seekers: New Perspectives on the Immigration Debate".

The exhibition contains more than 25 pictures taken in the Costa Chica -in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast- and the Gulf of Mexico regions, both in Mexico. His works have been exhibited at universities, public schools, community centers and galleries throughout the United States. Some of them were also included in the Chicago Museum of Mexican Art's exhibition "The African Presence in Mexico", which toured the U.S. and Mexico several years ago.

The opening ceremony will be held on Monday, February 13th, at 6:30 pm at the Institute of Mexico in Belize which is located at the corner of Newtown Barracks and Wilson Street in Belize City. Entrance is free and open to the general public.

The presentation is sponsored by the Mexican Embassy in conjunction with "Teachers Learning Together", a business cooperative for educators in Belize. It will remain open until March 2nd, 2012, Monday to Friday, from 8:30 am to 5 pm.

For more information, please contact the Institute of Mexico in Belize at 223-1408 or write to [email protected].

Visit the Mexican Embassy's website: www.sre.gob.mx/belice