7 News Belize

Okeke Rages Against City Hall
posted (July 24, 2013)
Stepehen Okeke, he's been fighting an uphill battle longer than Sisysphus; it seems he's always at the losing end of some public sculpture deal gone sour. He struggled for years to get the Phillip Goldson bust adopted and paid for, and now he's having the same problem with the recently completed Antonio Soberanis Bust.

As we told you, a few months ago, Okeke took on the project when it was announced that Battlefield Park would be completely renovated. Okeke found a rare picture of Soberanis – and set out to make a defining bust of the legendary labour leader – to replace the once that was in the park – which was not faithful to the man's features.

Now, the bust is finished, but it seems another Okeke ordeal has just begun. We got a look at the bust and a listen to Okeke's rage against City Hall today.

Stephen Okeke - Frustrated with City Hall
"There is no photograph of Antonio Soberanis - there was none at the archives department and it was difficult to even get family members to provide one. I was over the Facebook and the media asking for just a picture - eventually after years of searching, I was able to find one. Here we are telling a story - so what goes into here is not only a form of the man but his character that is why you have to read about the person because what you are doing here is called 'Public Visual Dialogue'. Once you're looking at the sculpture, you're actually feeling the man, feeling his presence and looking at it tells you who this person could - that makes you ask the question "who is he?" Then the dialogue begins from there."

And while the public dialogue is one thing - Okeke's mood turns dark when he talks about his dialogue with city hall - proving the old song lyric that behind every beautiful thing there's been some kind of pain, in this case - nothing but pain.

Stephen Okeke
"It has been a terrible treatment by the City government - I will want to use this opportunity to ask the Mayor and the government to treat people with some level of respect - to stop treating people like piece of slobs, some level of decorum, level of respect. Since then I've been going and I wait for so long and then I'm told to leave and then when I come back I am then told to come back and it's been a mess."

Jules Vasquez
"So what's the upshot of it? Will this sculpture be in the Battlefield Park?"

Stephen Okeke
"I don't understand either - I was told it's been adopted and that is what will be there - this is what the family wants - for it to be there and one person tells me it's been adopted and the other person tells me they are thinking of it and another person tells me they have considered it and it's okay. Then another person tells me to go back and get paid and then another person tells me we are still thinking of the payment, then that they want to pay me in piece and I say 'no problem' but all I want it to be in the proper place because everybody will benefit from it. It's been a mess!"

Jules Vasquez
"How do you answer the criticism that 'well it's inevitable that you go through this if you do something like this if you do something that no one asked you to do' - that you are engaging in (what we call in Creole) a 'bed raise'."

Stephen Okeke
"Bed raise? Nobody asked the Indian, Belizean what he should put up on Albert Street for sale. Nobody asked anybody else what they have."

Jules Vasquez
"You're selling for $50,000 at least."

Stephen Okeke
"Why is the Battlefield Park being built for $400,000? Is that $50,000? This is not $50,000 - the price for this is the price of a used Corolla car. This should cost more than $50,000 for what he has done for Belize and for my quality and level of art. I shouldn't be appealing and begging and apologizing for being paid for an excellent work class piece of rendition - something wrong somewhere man."

Jules Vasquez
"This happens every time Stephen, this is what we call a 'pattern of behavior'."

Stephen Okeke
"Pattern of behavior by whom? Not me - I am the curator, I have created and right at the Phillip Goldson after 2 1/2 years everybody is saying thank God, this is a great thing so whose problem has it always been? Is it wrong to be creative, do Belizeans have to apologize for ingenuity, for creativity?"

Jules Vasquez
"But the problem is.....(interrupted by Okeke)"

Stephen Okeke
"The problem is I am black."

Jules Vasquez
"That is not the problem."

Stephen Okeke
"That's the problem - I have been told that by the advisor to the Mayor, I have been told that by Belizeans over and over - you African can't come here and do things to show us you know what we don't know."

Jules Vasquez
"Every time you create these things without someone clearly defined to purchase it and then when they don't want to purchase it for the price because...(interrupted by Okeke)"

Stephen Okeke
"It's not the price - you're getting it wrong again! Consultants come to Belize and they are paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to talk nonsense and when they leave the problem either remains the same or gets worse and nobody complains. So why it is that price becomes the first consideration after I create works of excellence. Why does somebody not ask me 'what about the price -lets negotiate'. The consistence is that 'why are you Africa coming here and getting paid'".

Jules Vasquez
"So if you know that is the view - why do you persist then?"

Stephen Okeke
"Why do I persist? Why do I persist? I have Belizean fans all over the world that are saying 'thank you for persisting'. If I wasn't persistent these kinds of things wouldn't be available."

The mayor did not respond to our request for a comment on whether the council will or won't adopt the bust.

In exasperation, Okeke is offering it to any private person or group.

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