The National Garifuna Council will host its 40th annual convention this weekend in San Ignacio at the Cayo Center for Employment Training.
The theme for the convention is "Unity,Culture, Progress- The future is ours" and the Council plans to discuss and focus on strengthening the Garifuna identity, and advancing a shared national vision for future generations.
Today we spoke to president Alex Nolberto who gave us an overview:
Alex Nolberto, President NGC
"But the whole intention behind the convention is really to get the membership together for us to have open, honest conversations. So there are some very interesting conversations that we be having. For example, we are inviting Jerry Enriquez is no stranger to the news. Jerry will be talking to us about, the redistricting exercise for us as a people we think it's important and it provides an opportunity because there's a lack of representation, Garifuna representation in government. And that is something that we're seriously looking at. So the redistricting will provide hopefully an opportunity for Garinagu people to look at politics as an option to look at how we get involved at the highest level.And make the decisions that positively affect us. "
And more than just electoral participation - one of the topics to be discussed on Sunday is Garifuna land rights. We asked Nolberto what that includes:
Alex Nolberto, President NGC
"We have been intimately involved in the Hopkins/Sittee situation I don't know if you have been tracking that when there's a boundary dispute between Hopkins and Sittee. There's also a boundary dispute between Placencia and Siene Bight. And then there is the issue between Barranco and Midway. There's also the issue between Georgetown and so on. So our Garfiuna communities are under threat, so we have been in the background preparing ourselves to address these threats, from a legal standpoint to be honest with you. "
Jules:
"How do you see the issue of land rights in terms of, you know, it's usually framed within the context of indigenous peoples and the argument would be made that well the Garifuna have a Settlement Day, so they are not indigenous, they are settled. But how do you all see it? "
Alex Nolberto, President NGC
"We are indigenous. And that has been documented. That has been accepted. There's a legal working definition for it. So for us as Garinagu there is no argument, there's no misconception that we are indigenous. So by virtue of that, what is owing to one indigenous group or applies to one indigenous group applies to all indigenous groups. And that is our argument. "
The National Garifuna Council was established in 1981.
