THE CARIBBEAN MUST BE ONE OF THE MOST culturally diverse regions in the world, especially when you live in Trinidad and Tobago, in itself a rich ethnic melting pot. After over thirty years of making films and taking photographs in most of the countries of the Caribbean, I thought I had an eclectic knowledge of the region. With my colleagues at Banyan, I have made films on Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Bahai, Spiritual Baptist, and Orissa traditions, but I had to travel to Belize to discover another piece of the Caribbean jigsaw, the existence of a Mennonite community.  

I attended a Caribbean Studies Association conference in Belize in 2003 and was on a visit to one of the many historic Mayan ruins, when I saw my first group of Mennonites. A horse and buggy was being driven by a blonde haired, blue eyed couple; the man dressed in black trousers and suspenders with a striped shirt and a white straw hat and his wife in a long plaid dress and a bonnet. They reminded me of the Amish people who featured in the Harrison Ford film 'The Witness'. I was told they were Mennonites and I was immediately fascinated by this addition to the Caribbean matrix.

The Mennonites take their name from Menno Simmons, a radical Anabaptist priest who established his own church during the European reformation. His followers believe in the absolute authority of the Bible and are opposed to all forms of war and violence. In order to escape persecution and honour their belief system, they have journeyed over the centuries from Holland, to Prussia, to Russia, to Canada, to America, to Mexico to Central and South America. In 1958, a number of them traveled from Mexico to Belize (then called British Honduras). There are now approximately seven thousand Mennonites who live in this English speaking Central American Caribbean nation.

I wanted to discover more about the Mennonite lifestyle and beliefs. They speak a low German dialect (although many now speak English and some Spanish), most do not watch television, they refrain from smoking or drinking alcohol and they do not allow their children to attend dances. I soon realized that there are many doctrinal differences among the Mennonites. Some conservative groups live as though they were still in the sixteenth century. They have long beards, wear traditional clothes, play no music in their churches, refuse to use electricity, drive horse and buggies rather than cars, while their tractors do not have rubber tires. They definitely do not like having their photographs taken, which makes it very difficult to make a documentary on the different types of Mennonites. Others, however, are far more liberal; they dress in normal clothes, have music in the churches, drive cars and pick ups and embrace technology. They are also some of the most prosperous and productive persons in Belize, especially in the agricultural sector. Oil has recently been found on Mennonite land and a few of them are planning to enter politics.  

The documentary took almost three years to complete. The research and initial filming took a couple of months but the viewing and transcribing the many tapes took many months followed by additional filming. The scripting and editing phases also took time as I was determined to find a structure that worked without the need for narration.  The first version of the film was 72 minutes long and I could not see how to make it any shorter. The Executive Producer of the film, Stewart Krohn, the head of Belize  Channel 5 TV, thought otherwise and requested that the film be no longer than an hour. This resulted in many more months of editing and focus group screenings until I had a tight 54 minute film.

I was now  concerned as to how the Mennonites in Belize would accept the film, especially as I had included some controversial elements, including an interview with a conservative Mennonite who stated that membership of the church must be restricted to white people and a pastor  who was willing to accept Mayan members once they rejected their 'pagan' beliefs. Stewart arranged two screenings in the Mennonite communities and the film was well received. It was also shown on Channel 5 and generated great interest although one or two persons were concerned about the comments made by the conservative Mennonite and the pastor. However, overall the film represented the Mennonites in a favourable light, stressing their peaceful nature and willingness to work with the local community. A series of case studies demonstrated their hard work, their entrepreneurial spirit, their strong sense of family, their religious belief and their love for their adopted land.

The film was made at an important time in the history of the Mennonites in Belize as the Mennonite schools are  gradually moving to teach in English rather than in German, while the increasing social and business contacts with the local people must inevitably affect the lifestyle of this once isolated community. The film's final sequence focused on a group of young Mennonite boys and girls as they 'hang out' together riding their motorbikes and enjoying themselves while respecting their community's traditions and having no regrets that they do not go to dances or become involved with smoking, alcohol or pre marital sex. - BRUCE PADDINGTON