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The Family
The Former First Lady of Belize talks family, romance, saving yourself and dealing with criticism
Interview & Words Phadria Prendergast
It was a late Wednesday afternoon in London and I had just rounded up a meeting with friends. It was nice to be able to host many of them again. I briefly scanned over my notes as I waited for the clock to hit 18:00 and to receive Kim’s Zoom notification. Kim Simplis Barrow, the former First Lady of Belize, was an exceptional woman. She was an activist, philanthropist and had served alongside her husband; the 4th Prime Minister of Belize Dean Oliver Barrow, for his entire 12-year tenure, ultimately breaking a barrier as the first black, Belizean born First Lady. It was going to be our second interview together. We had kept in touch since the last one.
Former Prime Minister Dean Oliver Barrow, carried the nation of Belize from 2008 and 2020. He was the country’s first black Prime Minister. An attorney by profession, he is also the father of former rap star ‘Shyne’, his eldest son, who found fame after moving to New York City and becoming heavily affiliated with P Diddy (Sean Combs), joining his Bad Boy Recordings label. Now, having returned to Belize, Jamal ‘Shyne’ Barrow, as he is also known, uses his words to influence as a politician, following in his father’s footsteps.
Her familiar face shone across the screen as we both greeted each other with a smile and began catching up. She looked amazing; a beautiful silk scarf wrapped elegantly around her neck, she was wearing no makeup, except for a bold red lip - which I just adored, and a silk cream button-down shirt. Her hair was loosely pulled back into a bun.
Speaking with Kim was like gisting with an old friend. She had been helping her 17-year-old daughter prepare for university and of course, that preparation involved selecting which university she would ultimately go to. It was an important decision for sure - especially as the daughter of the former Prime Minister and First Lady of Belize.
From a young age, life had trained Kim to be independent, focused and driven. Her mind was set on being the best at whatever she did. Aged just 17-years-old, she left home to pursue a scholarship in tourism management, which she had received through the Mexican government. It wasn’t originally part of the plan, but it was a way out. “I think that was my big break,” she commented. The former First Lady had initially aspired to study law, however her dreams were cut short as her parents were unable to afford the fees at the time. “They couldn't even afford to send me to a sixth form [...] I was like, ‘Whatever the area of study being offered, I’m going to take it right now, because this is an opportunity for me to get an education. At that point, doing law was not an option.” Arriving in Mexico, Kim experienced mixed feelings. She was excited about the opportunity she had been given, but on the other hand there was still a language barrier. Though bilingual, it wasn’t to the extent that was required for her studies. I could relate. That familiar feeling of stepping off the plane in Italy in 2018, armed with only the Italian I had picked up during my first two years of university. It was like déjà vu. Nevertheless, and as resilient as ever, she pursued her studies. When she returned to Belize, she became the Executive Director of the Belize Tourism Association, before turning to NGOs.
When her husband first won the 2008 elections, Belize had no term limit, meaning that those elected could run indefinitely - a change he quickly made, enforcing a three-term limit thereafter. He became the first Prime Minister to serve for three terms. Previously, his counterparts had only served for one or two. She describes her time as the First Lady as one which was challenging, yet very rewarding. “I think I had great support from so many people at so many different levels. I do believe that it was because they saw that I was determined to do, to work, to influence. So when people saw my accomplishments, then the support came easier. I've said it before, but I really don't take it lightly. As spouses, we don't have power, but we have influence and we must always use that influence in a positive way. It was not only in what I did, but also in how I advised the Prime Minister in his role, and how I separated my role as the Special Envoy for Women and Children, from that of the wife of the party leader. Because even though yes, he is the leader of a country and yes, he is the leader of a party, you have to know how to transcend the partisan politics. No matter your political affiliation, you always have to be cognizant that you represent all people - whether they voted for you or they didn't vote for you. You represent all people.”
People began to recognize that the First Lady was far more than her title. She didn’t limit her scope and engaged in many initiatives to help the people within the nation of Belize. During her service, she created the Inspiration Centre which helped many children who had disabilities. The neonatal and paediatric intensive care unit at the National Referral Hospital, which saved the lives of hundreds of children, was also amongst the work and influence that Kim had contributed towards. When she was diagnosed with stage three cancer in October 2011, what initially could have been a private family matter and an opportunity for her to wallow in self pity, instead became a powerful saving grace to many, many women whose lives were never the same again through her transparency. “I came out and said, ‘I am thirty-nine-years-old and I have stage three breast cancer,”’ she reveals. “The medical guidance is that you don’t even get a routine mammogram until you're 40. People were so scared. They were sad. They were angry.” Many of her friends had admitted to her that they had never even had a breast exam. “Because I openly and publicly spoke about my diagnosis, so many other people found out that they had cancer. So just imagine you coming out and saying that you have cancer, in a room filled with people and they go home and they say, 'you know, let me go and just check..” Many stories unfolded as women began to get tested.
Kim revealed that after her cancer journey, she was even more motivated to create initiatives which would help more women and children. However, her office as a Special Envoy for Women and Children came without a budget, paid no salary to her and in the beginning, she only had the support of the Human Development Ministry, but they also had their own roles too. “It was not just [about] coming up with a strategy and coming up with projects, it was also finding the funds to implement these projects. It was also trying to find partners who believed in the work that you were doing, to help make these projects into a reality.” Despite the lack of funds, she decided she was going to give back to her country either way.
Moving on, I wanted to know how Kim had run a country alongside her husband and her home. She was after all his (primary support) advisor, and therefore always had to ensure that he remained level headed, which meant she had to remain level headed. Everything had to be together. Her response: “I always wanted to separate our life at home from his public life. Keep in mind that when he won the election, my daughter was almost three, so he won the election in February 2008. She turned three in April 2008.” Kim knew her first priority was to protect their daughter. Of course Dean was also a priority too, but she knew her husband would be OK. “Dean is a very, very intelligent man. He has so much experience and I knew that he was going to find a way to balance work life and family life.” Kim put many precautions in place for Salima leading up to and following the election. “Some of the things that we did was that we didn't watch the television. We didn't engage in any kind of political discussion about any candidates in front of her, because she was also in a small school and there were also children whose parents are affiliated with other political parties.” The former Prime Minister and First lady wanted to allow Salima the opportunity to create her own opinions instead of taking on their own. “It is a balancing act, and sometimes I think back and I don't even know how I did it [referring to her cancer]. I mean, I'm thankful that I had good help in the house. My family was very supportive.”
Being the First Lady wasn’t without its own challenges and burdens. With many people wanting her time, guidance and attention and during her husband’s tenure, she always ensured that she regularly took time for herself, which included exercising or taking a trip to her boutique hotel in Placencia, a village in Belize. “I think the beauty of Belize is that you can jump on a little plane and in 15 minutes you can be on the beach,” she explained. “It was hard at first to take time for myself. I felt guilty and then I stopped letting myself feel guilty about self-care. I think my illness really shifted my focus and I started telling myself, ‘I have to find time for me.’ When I say me, I mean, without husband, without child, it's me because it is so important. Without me, they won't work.” It was refreshing to hear a woman with so much power say this.
On the subject of criticism and being influenced by the opinions of others, Kim comments “It is about knowing what it is that you're doing. It's about knowing who you are as a person. It's about knowing. I do this because I want to help. I'm not doing it for a salary. I wake up every day and I work like I'm making a million dollars a day. So, when they criticise, I'm not saying that it doesn't affect you, but you don't let it control you. You don't let it take you over and you certainly don't let the naysayers rent any space in your head. There will always be criticisms but it's how you respond to it and how you don't respond to it.”
The conversation shifted slightly, as I was interested to know how Mr and Mrs Barrow met. Ironically they met at a wedding! Kim had already heard of him. It was hard not to know who Dean was back then. He was a well-known politician and attorney when they met. Admittedly, she didn't really like him much at first. She laughs as she recalls the story. “I wasn't very fond of the persona that he had. Not that I knew a lot about him, but you know, he was single, successful - he had already been a foreign minister, deputy prime minister, minister of immigration and all of these different things. He's an attorney and a very successful attorney. Everyone wanted him to be their attorney, and he was known for having a lot of girls,” she laughs. She didn’t want to be one of them, however upon having their very first conversation, she had changed her stance. “It took a 3 - a 180, let’s say. Not 360 yet,” she chuckled. Eventually, she was wowed by his intelligence. When the pair got married, no one could actually believe that he had. Whilst they were dating, he had stated that he would never get married again, having been married previously. “I said, ‘Well, that's OK. I will get married. It may not be to you, but I will get married,”’ she recalls. I had to laugh. She had quite the sense of humour.
Their daughter Salima proved to be bright and focused quite like her mother and father. Despite being responsible for an entire nation for almost 13 years, the former Prime Minister made sure that he always took his daughter to school. “He took her every single day, as long as he was in the country. He took her every day throughout her primary school years,” Kim stated. “They used to do this thing where every morning he would give her a word of the day on her way to school. Then when I picked her up, I would ask her, 'So what was the word of the day?’ And then she would tell me.
Now being out of the office, however not outside of the public eye, Kim has been left with an even greater desire to help more women. She would like to continue to work on initiatives which empower women equality and tackle issues such as domestic violence and equal pay. Additionally, she is working on a consultancy firm alongside a group of women and also looks forward to continuing her work on the NGO she created; Women for Peace, Justice and Equality. “I tell everyone who asks me, I say, 'well, now it's time for me to make money. It's time for me to make a salary, because I've been unemployed for the past 13 years,” she chuckles. Mr Barrow, on the other hand, dives back into his law firm. “My husband will say he's old...he is, [laughs] but he's back in his law firm."