Last night we showed you the brewing problem of traffic regulation on Caye Caulker. But that is not the only issue in the small tourist hotspot. Over the past few weeks there have been complaints by entertainment businessmen that they are not being allowed to play loud music on the caye, in particular live Garifuna Music.
And just like the traffic tiff, the drum debate has as many nuances as a well beaten primero.
Alfonso Noble, Reporting
For most the pulse of Garifuna drums with shakas are an invitation to dance.
Add those contagious rhythms to an island setting and you have a recipe sure to entice tourists.
And that's just what Jeovanni Melendes has been serving up at his herbal tribe establishment for years.
But now Melendez says he can't mix drumming with drinking and dining anymore.
Strict enforcement of publican licenses on the island has forced Melendez to muzzle his drums.
Marcial Alamilla
Chairman Liquor Licensing Board
The law says that if you have a publican special or any kind of liquor license and you want to have live or loud music on your premises you must soundproof. We have given one particular establishment a few hours to play like maybe 6 to 8 in the evening, he claims that it's for cultural purposes, which is nice.
(But) He became a nuisance to the neighborhood. You could pass there and you could see and hear the music being played loudly. After several letters, he refused to comply
But Melendez says, he's not refusing to comply, he simply wants to show off his culture.
_But culture to some is noise to others at least that's the logic of the Chairman of the Liquor Licensing Board in Caye Caulker.
Melendez disagrees.
_Jeovanni Melendez
Owner, Herbal Tribe Restaurant
Everytime I request to play couple hours of culture music, they say no.
Marcial Alamilla
Chairman Liquor Licensing Board
You give them tow hours and they take three, four, five, you give them one day and they take three, four days.
Jeovanni Melendez
Owner, Herbal Tribe Restaurant
Most of the times we play 15 minutes, then we stop and then we come back in 15 minutes, and play another 15 minutes. It's not noise it's just two drums, a primero, bass and a shaka man and turtle shell. And everyone accuse me of doing noise pollution. That's what they calling the drums, the culture, noise pollution, I don't know…
Marcial Alamilla
Chairman Liquor Licensing Board
Like I told him and every other establishment if he soundproof, he can play when he wants, whether I am on the board or not.
If you allow people to just "rif-raf" the place, the place will look "shisshy"
To avoid this, the publican license regulations state that those wishing to play loud music must sound-proof their establishments.
That solution is one that Melendez simply won't entertain.
Marcial Alamilla
Chairman Liquor Licensing Board
When it comes to prejudice and all that, it has nothing to do with what the law is saying; it's simply put, if you want to play live music, you must simply soundproof.
Jeovanni Melendez
Owner, Herbal Tribe Restaurant
Soundproof I really don't want to do it. I better give them the rights and things. If culture is noise pollution, I'll leave that. It's their mentality. My mentality (says) the drumming is just culture and if you not support culture, what we gonna have later?
Now culture is against the law, or the law is against the culture you know?
And there lies the conundrum that Caye Caulker is grappling with: where does culture and commerce end, and the community's right to quiet nights begin?
Melendez told us that to comply with the Liquor Licensing Board, he did not have celebrations for the 19th November.