Ongoing issues facing the indigenous Maya of Southern Belize are regularly featured on the evening news. The persistent matter at this time is the very slow implementation of Maya communal land rights that have been reaffirmed by the Caribbean Court of Justice.
In the same way that this group of Belizeans is vocal about the struggles that occur when their traditions don't harmonize with modern norms of land tenure, the Garifuna, is starting to ramp up awareness about their communal land rights.
Last week, it was the National Garifuna Council who stepped forward, and today, a group called the Garifuna Nation called a press conference. We are told that the Garifuna Nation is made up of Garinagu from Belize, and others from the diaspora. This morning, they held a 3-hour teleconference session to highlight a few of the challenges they are currently facing.
Here are few excerpts from that press conference, including a thumbs-up to the Briceno Government for the establishment of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs:
Cynthia Ells Topsey - Representative, Garifuna Nation
"We, first of all, would like to thank the Government of Belize for taking that revolutionary step. It's very much appreciated. We also want to thank the Government and the People of Belize for having acknowledged the Garifuna. We do have a Garifuna Settlement Day, which a national holiday, the 19th of November, and that's unique in the Caribbean and in the World."
"We also want to recognize the fact that when people from different parts of Central America arrived at what is now known as Belize, we were given a space to settle. That is different from the issues that we're focusing on now."
Joseph Guerrero - Speaker, Garifuna Nation
"It's very important that we claim and assert our land rights so that we can have a space to be Garifuna. You know. I don't have to tell you that all over Belize, where we go, many of us would have lost our culture. I have cousins in Cayo who don't even know they're Garifuna. Many in Belize get lost in the assimilation process."
"I'll confess; I can't pass on Garifuna Duo to my kids because my parents, both of whom speak Garifuna fluently, never spoke it to us. Instead, they speak English to us. So today, I am of an opinion that a part of what we must do to gain control of our lands is to change how we teach in our schools in the south. That is primarily in Garifuna and to teach in English as a second language only. This will revive our language, and within our language lies our culture. But, none of it will be possible without having land on which we can be Garifuna unapologetically."
Sebastian Cayetano - Owner/Curator, Luba Garifuna Museum
"There are 3 Garifuna communities facing some land issues in Belize. That's Barranco and Midway, Seine Bight and Placencia, and Georgetown and Maya Mopan. To me, Barranco and Midway are not that serious because these are indigenous peoples. And as indigenous peoples, we have to learn to work together."
"Government can intervene and set the boundaries, help set the boundaries between Barranco and Midway so that Midway does not go into Barranco, and Barranco does not go into Midway."
"When it comes to Seine Bight, it would seem as though Seine Bight does not exist anymore. All we hear about is northern Placencia. No man, Seine Bight Village is still where Seine Bight Village is. We cannot skip Seine Bight; it's a village of over a thousand population, Garinagu. It cannot be Northern Placencia. Placencia and Seine Bight are two separate villages."
"Then, we have Georgetown and Maya Mopan. I don't hear about things flaring up there again, but these things need to be studied and addressed in the right way before things begin to stir up."
Prominent members of this community are starting to establish important sacred spaces for the Garifuna culture to preserve their heritage, and to teach to younger Garinagu.
