The Museum of Belize today opened a new exhibit.
It's a display of the defining stamp collection of Belize's postal history. It includes just about every Belizean stamp issued from the mid 1800's to the present. We today visited the museum and found out that more than just collectors' curiosities, these stamps tell an intriguing history of Belize.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
The latest exhibit to be mounted at the Museum of Belize features just about every Belizean stamp ever issued between 1868 to the present. Everything from birds, fishes, animals right down to the pope are captured in stamps. Culled from the compendious Craig family collection, the stamp catalogue Belize's history and 40 years of diligence by avid philatelist Meg Craig.
Yasser Musa, NICH President
"She has been collecting stamps for the past 40 years and she has a vast collection as you have seen. From stamps dating back to the 1870s right up until the last issue, I think it was the parrot issue in 2003. We have a complete timeline of the history of stamps and you can look at Belize in a historical way through the window of a stamp. So it kind of chronicles; it gives an impression of history clearly. The second thing is that the artwork, and I find this to be very fascinating, that the art work on the stamps says a lot in terms of its design and its ability to show a country."
Emilia Cayetano, Belize Philatelic Bureau
"It's a very good move. I think it is very historical because the Belize Philatelic Bureau has been existing for over a period of time and our stamps have been here since 1865 and so this move that the museum has done will serve from one generation and to the next. And seeing the stamps with Queen Victoria, King Edward, and King George they bring back memories of history; history of the past that our children today don't know. And our elderly members of our society will then see how important it is to pass on information and history to our children. It will keep our history alive."
And while the collection provides a broad historical view, it would not have been possible were it not for the tireless labors of Meg Craig who in the most modest fashion declines any celebrity from her work. But even as she declines recognition Musa says her work is invaluable and her efforts could never be repaid.
Yasser Musa,
"There is no way you can quantify her contributions. Obviously she has a material collection of things but you cannot quantify the work that has gone into such collections. And it is not just one collection as you point out. Stamps, bottles, photographs, all kinds of things; she has been a repository for this country for the past 40 years and I think we will never be able to repay her. However by doing this kind of thing that gives her great satisfaction. She is a very humble person. She doesn't want to be acknowledged but I think she gets a lot of personal satisfaction from seeing other people gain knowledge and education from what she has done."
And if that is her goal, she would not tell us on-camera at least but with this latest exhibition she is surely accomplishing her aim.
The stamp exhibit will be on permanent display at the museum.