And in other news, Garifuna Settlement Day was celebrated on Saturday, and in Dangriga, the town seemed to be bursting with excitement after a two year pandemic pause. The residents went all out - the Yurumein, the ceremony, and the parade had throngs of people who traveled from all over the country - indeed, all over the world. It was a celebration of culture and unity, of music, dance and drumming…..and our news team was there from the start to the finish. Courtney Menzies has this story.
Courtney Menzies:
There's no better place to celebrate the 19th of November than the culture capital, and after two years, Dangriga Town came alive. Drums echoed through the streets, accompanied by the voices of the Garifuna people, singing ancestral songs carried through generations on rhythms brought to this side of the world centuries before. And with their black white and yellow flags held high, it was a celebration bathed in rich culture, in the way only the Dangriga residents know how to do.
The day started at 6:30am with the Yurumein - the demonstration of how the Garifunas arrived on the shores of Belize over 200 years ago. Droves of residents - both from the town and from across the country - crowded the riverside - many still dressed in the outfits they wore at the celebrations the night before - to watch as the boat sailed under the bridge.
From there the festivities continued with a parade - these cultural celebrants like a choir in motion, belting out the lyrics to traditional Garifuna songs - that ended at the Sacred Heart Church.
It was here that the prime minister joined the celebrations. And after a two hour mass, residents went to the Alejo Beni Park for the official ceremony. Dangriga area rep, Dr Louis Zabaneh, explained that it was one of the grandest 19th they've seen.
Dr Louis Zabaneh, Area rep, Dangriga
"For all of us here in Dangriga, we were so excited by the turn out, this has been one of the largest in history for Dangriga. People from all over the country and certainly as we say, Grigalizeans from abroad, from the United States especially, came by the hundreds and we're so grateful that the prime minister could have joined us today from the very beginning from the mass, marching back here to the Alejo Beni park so it's been a really wonderful day for us here in Dangriga."
But it's not just about the hudut and sahou - the speeches at the ceremony emphasized the need for a conscious effort to keep the culture alive.
Sheena Zuniga, President, NGC
"Today is more than another day, today is a day that we celebrate our existence, struggles, and future. While today starts the arrival of our ancestors to Belize's shores, it should also be a month of reflection and preparation for the future. Let us be the change we so often complain we need. Let us actively work on making a positive contribution to benefit our Garifuna people. Let us go back to being our brother's keepers."
"Years later, we have lost the essence and meaning of au bun amuru nu. We no longer look out for one another, but choose to bring down each other, rather than looking at what is happening in front of us. How our culture is dying, our youths no longer want to identify as Garifuna, only around celebration time. We will never move forward if we continue fighting each other. We need to stop blaming other people and government agencies within our culture that we have control over to change."
"Let us move forward with one collective voice, it is time to heal the wounds and come together for the survival of our Garifuna people and culture."
Desiree Pascual, Guest Speaker
"We need to learn to motivate each other and look out for each other. This is the only way the Garifuna culture will continue to celebrate success."
"What have you done to help keep the culture alive? What have you contributed to keep the culture going? How have you helped to impact the new generation with our dance, language, food, music, spirituality and clothing? As I said, I will leave you to ponder on those questions. If your answer is nothing, I will say to you, it's not too late. If your answer is yes, I have done something, I will say to you: do more. If you say you have done a lot, I will say to you, more is never enough. The culture is only as strong as its people make it to be."
And the prime minister added that the 19th of November is also used to unify the different cultures in Belize - and urged the Garifuna people to keep on passing the traditions to the younger generations.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"What is also special though is our ability to use occasions like these not only to embrace but to celebrate the diversity and to reject those sentiments of our past to divide us. Today we are all shareholders of this amazing, vibrant, Garifuna culture. So together we pray, together we give thanks, together we dance, together we eat, together we celebrate."
"Together we have to preserve this culture. Garifuna parents, you must ensure that our Garifuna children speak the language, hear the stories. As I have said before to our Garifuna mothers sing to your babies in Garifuna, so that from early they can hear the Garifuna word and be uplifted by the very sound of that colorful language. Teach your children Garifuna history, because Garifuna history is Belizean history. And even as we celebrate, let us remember our Garifuna ancestors who lived and died to promote this culture and who played their part in building Belize."
