Heraldry in the News!

There has been a controversy about a recently-published new book, A History of Belize in Thirteen Chapters, by Assad Shoman.

The controversy is not about the text of the book; it’s about the Belize coat of arms used on the front cover.

In an article published on October 12, 2026 (and I will include URLs of each of the articles I cite here, so that you can see their full context and get additional information), on the website Greater Belize Media, we learn that:

The National Kriol Council (NKC) is objecting to what it calls “exaggerated racial imagery” on the cover of the recently published edition of Assad Shoman’s A History of Belize in Thirteen Chapters and is calling on the author and publisher to explain it.

The Council said the depiction of exaggerated Black figures “evokes degrading racial caricatures historically used to ridicule, dehumanise, and undermine the dignity of people of African descent.”

It added it recognises the historical and foundational significance of the Coat of Arms and its place in the evolution of Belize’s national identity. It said it “unequivocally condemns the disrespectful portrayal of our ancestors” and rejects any representation that diminishes their humanity, distorts their experiences or perpetuates racial stereotypes.

“Our ancestors were not caricatures. They were people whose labour, resilience, resistance, knowledge, and cultural contributions helped shape Belize.”

https://www.greaterbelize.com/kriol-council-our-ancestors-were-not-caricatures/

Here’s an image of the arms from the cover of the book that the NKC complains about:

In a response on the same website published the next day, October 13, Mr. Shoman replied that the image exactly reproduces the 1907 British Honduras Coat of Arms and was not altered to mock African men.

He said he chose it because it shows the colonial depiction of African men as “hewers of wood”, which he says illustrates the book’s thesis that colonialism is inherently racist and exploitative.

Shoman said his work honours the resistance of Belizean ancestors. “What I have always sought to emphasise, as I do now, is that our ancestors always resisted colonialism, from slave revolts and escapes to peoples’ uprisings and working-class movements. My work honours that resistance.”

He applied to the College of Arms in London and obtained an officially photographed copy and secured a licence to use it. Shoman said the book explains the process in a note titled “The front cover of the book” on pages 14 and 15. He said the College of Arms allowed him to share its email correspondence confirming the image’s authenticity, and he attached it to his letter.

https://www.greaterbelize.com/shoman-book-cover-is-exact-1907-coat-of-arms/

In another article published on October 13 on the website of 7 News Belize, Mr. Shoman is further quoted as saying:

"The reason for it is to highlight the fact that this is what is colonialism, right? So as I said, we seem to have forgotten that the enemy of Belize was colonialism. People seem to think of independence as something that happened, but why? What were we fighting against? So putting this on the cover is a way of confronting colonialism head-on. Let me say this: that's number one. But number two is to show that colonialism continues, because if you look at the flag today, it's the same thing almost. They changed a few things, they paint things differently, they take out one or two things - the Union Jack is not there, but the ship is there, the two men, I mean to represent slavery, the ship that represents slavery brought in the oppressors and that took out our natural resources. So it's a cover that says, 'This is the past, but it's also the present.'"

https://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=80221

In that same article, his critics responded by noting:

That high-flown point was certainly missed by the many Kriol critics of the cover in the social media sphere, where condemnation spread rapidly and advocacy group Belize Creole Kriol Cultural Heritage labeled the cover image a "degrading blackface caricature". The group raised doubts about whether the cover was an authentic historical document or a distorted version.

They note also that the image on Shoman's cover differs from the one on display at the Museum of Belize - which does not have those exaggerated racial features.

The next day, on October 14, 7 News Belize reported that the controversy had deepened:

Just days after the College of Arms in London released correspondence authenticating the 1907 Royal Warrant image used on the cover of Shoman's A History of Belize in 13 Chapters, a Kriol cultural leader is now alleging that the College of Arms may have been shown a different image than what was actually published.

Detra Gillett, founder and president of the Belize Kriol Heritage Association, has written to the College of Arms, requesting an immediate appointment for a representative to visit the archives in London to inspect the original 1907 Royal Warrant in person.

https://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=80236

And then, on October 16, in an article posted on the website of Love FM, the Culture of Belize, Francis Fonseca, stepped in to state that he understands the National Kriol Council’s concerns, but believes Shoman intended to get Belizeans talking about colonialism and the oppression that came with it.

“I mean, I’m sensitive to the concerns being expressed by the Belize, I think it’s Belize Kriole Council. But I also understand the point that Assad has made. I think he was, as he often does, was trying to provoke discussion and stimulate discussion about our colonial history, which is a colonial history of oppression, you know, of slavery, enslavement, of, you know, of real extraction, extracting from Belize our resources. And he has made the point that the cover photo is really, the same cover, it really is the 1907 coat of arms, right, the colonial coat of arms. And I think his thinking was that he would put that on the cover of the book to remind Belizeans and to provoke discussion about that colonial history and that colonial heritage of oppression. So, you know, I understand I’m sensitive to the views of the Creole council and I understand the points that they have made, but I also understand very clearly what Ambassador Shoman was trying to do. He is, you know, by every measure, he’s a Belizean nationalist. He’s a patriot. He’s an absolutely our best historian, national Belizean historian. So I know, I know for a fact that he did not mean at all any disrespect to the Kriol culture. But as he often does, he’s trying to stimulate and educate the Belizean people.”

https://lovefm.com/minister-francis-fonseca-backs-assad-shomans-explanation-for-controversial-book-cover/

That statement did not, of course, put an end to the controversy.

But who would have ever expected this much contention over a depiction of a coat of arms, especially one in the comparatively small Central American country of Belize?