Samuel Haynes (1899 - 1971) was a Belizean soldier, activist and poet best known for writing the national anthem of Belize, Land of the Free. Life and career He was a leader of the 1919 riot by Belizean soldiers who had fought in the First World War and refused to accept racial discrimination back home. In 1925, he composed the lyrics of a song named "Land of the Gods", which later became Belize's national anthem, "Land of the Free". Also, prominent in the Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association, Haynes was once the President of the Pittsburgh Division, editor/writer for the Negro World and for a brief period the Official American Representative for the UNIA-ACL 1929 under the Honorable Marcus Garvey. References Sources "BELIZE : Belize National Anthem - Land of the Free" SilverTorch Belize Quiz 1899 births 1971 deaths Belizean poets Belizean military personnel National anthem writers Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League members British West Indies Regiment soldiers 20th-century Belizean writers