How does Zee Edgell's novel Beka Lamb portray Belizean nationalism in the 1950s?

In her widely read novel Beka Lamb (1982), the Belizean author Zee Edgell portrays the emerging sense of nationalism in 1950s Belize City through the perspective of a young Creole girl.1

The 1950s was a pivotal decade for Belizean political identity, marked by the formation of the People’s United Party (PUP) in 1950. This movement arose following the 1949 devaluation of the currency by the British governor, which galvanized trade union leaders and the Creole middle class to demand constitutional change and independence. Edgell’s narrative captures this transformative era, reflecting the social and political shifts as the country began to move away from its status as a British crown colony toward self-determination.2314