Toledo Kriol Council to Launch in Punta Gorda this Saturday

The preservation of Kriol heritage in southern Belize is set to receive a major boost later this month. The Toledo Kriol Council has announced plans for its official launch in Punta Gorda, marking what organizers describe as a historic step for cultural advocacy in the district.  According to a press release issued Sunday, the formal launch builds on the cultural legacy of the late Kriol Queen, Lila “Leela” Vernon, and represents a renewed push to safeguard Kriol identity, language and music in Toledo.  Organizers say the initiative has been in development since late 2024, when a nine-member pro-tem committee began working to consolidate preservation efforts across the south. Throughout 2025, the committee focused on strengthening the cultural foundation needed to support a formal council structure.  During the inaugural ceremony, the pro-tem committee will be officially endorsed as the council’s first Board of Directors. The board is expected to serve a two-year term with emphasis on community outreach and institutional growth before elections are held for a successor executive body.  The official launch is scheduled for Saturday, February twenty-eighth at the Father Ring Parish Hall in Punta Gorda Town. The council is inviting members of the wider community, particularly persons of Afro-descent and those who identify as Kriol, to witness the historic occasion and hear the group’s strategic vision for southern Belize.