by Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Apr. 23, 2025
Belizeans from various parts of the country were in attendance at the Bliss Institute for Creative Arts in Belize City on Wednesday, April 23, to witness the release of the legendary Kenny Morgan’s book, If unu tink da lai.
“It’s a heartwarming experience,” Morgan said. “I was overwhelmed by the turnout, the reaction, and the response of the people who came out. I was expecting it to flow smoothly, but I didn’t know it would be that much of an expression of appreciation from the people who came, for which I’m extremely grateful,” he added.
l-r Kenny Morgan, Pulu Lightburn and Yassar Musa
“This will be Volume One. We’re for sure trying to do Volume Two, which will be called, tentatively from the Belizean proverb, Peep si. If you notice, they link up: ‘If yo tink da lai, peep si.” It’s an old Belizean proverb that says that you must always not take things at just face value. If you want to check it, get inside it and find out for yourself, which is what the book is about. Please read it; find out what’s happening in there,” Morgan remarked to the attendees.
A younger Kenny Morgan performing
While Morgan is renowned for his earlier work as a musical artist in the 80s and 90s as one-third of Belize City’s iconic rap trio, Fresh Breeze Crew, with Morgan himself, Leroy ‘Grandmaster’ Young, and Trevor ‘Turbo’ Morgan (as a result of which he had earned himself the title of Belize’s original lyricist), he has also now become a published poet. There are nineteen poems featured in the newly released book, highlighting the daily lives of Belizeans.
“Most of my inspiration comes from situations that I observe in everyday life, persons that I interact with, and mostly I try to pick on themes that I believe will [resonate] with the larger population. I strongly believe that utilizing the art form should always be to create positive change or motivate someone to want to do something about something. So, if one line from one of the poems can reach out and accomplish that, I feel justified,” he said.
“… Our society, as we know it, what we’re living in right now, needs a lot of changes in how we interact with each other, how we impart knowledge to the younger citizens, and how we appreciate our senior citizens. So, if anything within this book, by one person wants to make a positive change, that’s it for me,” Morgan added.
If unu tink da lai was published by the Imagination Factri, run by Yasser Musa, who became an enthusiast of Morgan’s work and Morgan of his, during Musa’s tenure as Director at the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH).
“Kenny Morgan, in my mind, [is] an enigmatic artist. He’s an artist who has a spectrum. One of the presenters, Gina Scott, called him a ‘multi-man’, and I think that is a powerful phrase for him because, not only is he an incredible poet, but he’s also an amazing lyricist, a musician, a person who speaks not just for his generation, but for the current generation. If they would pay attention, they would recognize the universality of his messages. I think that his book is going to transcend,” Musa said.
A physical copy of Morgan’s book can be purchased at the Imagination Factri.
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