So Dem Seh

Meeting Lord Rhaburn for the first time in my life in September of 2015 was worth more than a mountain of gold so to speak. It brought me close to a man that appeared to me from my growing up in Belize who was just a music man. But my conversation with him at the Los Angeles Belizean Community Belize Independence Day Celebrations at Hollywood Park & Casino in Inglewood, California while he passed by the BREDAA information booth was a moment of significance for yours truly.

Lord Rhaburn is a Belizean social and political scholar in his own way. We connected right away and immediately. He taught me some many things about Belizean politics that only someone who has journeyed through the realms of time in a country like Belize could break things down so simply and profound. His depth of knowledge is awesome, and he takes you from the politics of the streets of Belize City to the politics of tyranny in Guatemala. The Lord understands diplomacy better than any Belizean politician alive today, and if they would only know, they would take some advice from this Belizean legend and statesman.

He captured my imagination across a wide spectrum of how music and politics coexists in Belize, and how his work as the brainchild behind a band called the Lord Rhaburn Combo became a household name that withered the test of time, although many political challenges confronted him as a businessman in Belize who had an unorthodox style. But The Lord is a sharp intellect that speaks his mind, from the Belize / Guatemalan Dispute, and all the way to how Belizean politicians address various critical issues affecting Belize. He speaks with a passion for the liberation of his country from the Guatemalan Claim, and rebels against all in Belize that is not right about this issue.

While he waited for his turn to perform at the celebrations where he was invited by the Belize Cultural Association (B.C.F.) to grace the line up of many Belizean artists from home and abroad, The Lord was continuously bombarded by Belizean fans who wanted to take photos with the legend himself. But as soon as he was able to brush them off, he came right back to the conversation at hand as though it was something that he had to say for a long time now. His presence was powerfully moving in terms of his deep concerns that the many affairs in Belize are a thing that have not been going right, and that he shared a passionate concern about where Belize as a country will be going taking into consideration all the politics and geopolitics that pressures the country on a daily basis.

Belizean Legends hope to share with you something in living color soon about this Belizean brother, whose life transcends beyond the music that we know him for. He is a voice for Belize's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and wants Belizeans at home and abroad to know that. Let me say that these words were written for you as a message of love from Lord Rhaburn, and that he cared for his country Belize, and passionately loves the Belizean people.

(Photo through the courtesy of the Belize AMANDALA newspaper)

Lord Rhaburn!

by Bilal Morris

BELIZEAN MUSIC LEGENDS!