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Drs. Mary Gomez Parham and Timothy Hagerty with copy of new
book
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If Di Pin Neva Ben
is the name of the newest book launched by Cubola
Productions on folktales and legends of Belize. This book is the fourth
volume in the Belizean Writers Series, a collection which was begun in
1995 with the publication of Snapshots of Belize: An
Anthology of Short Fiction and continued with
Ping Wing Juk Me: Six Belizean
Plays, published in 1996 and Of
Words: An Anthology of Belizean Poetry, which
appeared in 1997.
If Di Pin Neva Ben: folktales and
legends of Belize was edited by Drs. Timothy Hagerty
and Mary Gomez Parham. This series is the result of many years of work as
Dr. Hagerty traveled throughout the rural areas of Belize tape recording
folk narratives in Spanish. The main role of the folklorist is to
preserve these oral traditions and prevent the loss of the cultural
heritage of the society in which she or he works. Since folklore, by its
very nature, is oral, the professional folklorist
attempts to
preserve the oral text by recording it first and then transcribing word
for word as it was spoken. Another important approach used to preserve
the oral tradition in Belize has been the written collection of oral
narratives, in which the author recalls and recreates what he has heard
from his parents, grandparents or maybe even from seasoned storytellers.
The end result of the current anthology is If Di Pin
Neva Ben, collected and documented by Drs. Timothy
Hagerty, Mary Gomez Parham and Ervin Beck. It also includes works by Leo
Bradley Sr., Jessie Castillo, Elizabeth J. Cardenas, David Ruiz and Ines
E. Sanchez.
Dr. Mary Gomez Parham is the daughter of San Pedro
resident George Parham. She is an Associate Professor of Spanish at the
University of Houston-Downtown. She is also a poet whose work is often
influenced by her Belizean heritage. She has published numerous scholarly
articles on Hispanic literature, culture and folklore. Much of the
research she did for this book was funded by a Fulbright Scholar's Grant.
Dr. Timothy W. Hagerty (Mary Parham's
husband) is a Professor of Spanish and Linguistics at the University of
St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. He has published many articles on the
language and folklore of Belize. His doctoral dissertation was a
linguistic analysis of the Spanish spoken in Belize. Many of the tales
and legends contained in this book were recorded as he collected data for
his dissertation and in 1988 when he was a Fullbright Scholar in
Belize.
Dr. Hagerty told the San Pedro
Sun that interestingly enough he found out that legends
like the Duende (a small dwarf-like man with a big hat) thought to be
unique to Belize, go as far south as the jungles of Brazil and north to
Canada. The origins of this are also traced back to Spain and the Maya
people. It is universal and interconnects to other parts of the world.
Drs. Hagerty and Parham say that the primary objective in publishing this
series is to make Belizean literature widely available to all who are
interested, especially Belizean students who should have the opportunity
to read the works of local authors.
On Tuesday, April
18 th, 2000, Cubola
Productions launched a one-day workshop at the House of Culture to
introduce this wonderful volume which captures the essence of Belizean
oral traditions. Copies of If Di Pin Neva Ben:
folktales and legends of Belize will be available at
bookstores and gift shops throughout Belize. The San
Pedro Sun had the opportunity to read a copy of this
wonderful mosaic of tales and legends and highly recommends it for the
enjoyment of the whole family.
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