As the Garifuna begin to slowly awaken from their slumber on land rights, amidst murmurs of Government taking their land from them then making them pay for it, the question will be, how do we start?

It was announced by the National Garifuna Council maybe two years or less ago, that they received funding which they would match before proceeding to engage in the demarcation of Garifuna territories. The rationale for this is that, at a meeting with the government, reps of the Garifuna community asked about land rights, and government claimed they did not know what lands are Garifuna lands. The National Garifuna Council, one can suspect, having a deficit of full understanding of land rights and seemingly getting very bad advice, seemed to accept that assertion from the GOB. Nonsense on the government’s part, of course, but nonetheless the NGC fell for it, hook, line and sinker.

For hundreds of years of Belize’s history, the Government, be it British-led or post-Independence, has pillaged Garifuna land unabatedly — even selling us land we already owned outright. The Government also made unjust laws which allowed Government to issue titles for land that is Garifuna reserves.  Reserve land is different from land settled prior to Belize becoming a colony. Other Garifuna land includes land given outright to the Garifuna after the southern part of Belize, south of the Sibun, was included or joined with the part north of the Sibun. Those lands given to the Garifuna are also being titled out.

The National Garifuna Council is trying to learn as it goes along and failing as usual to consult with knowledgeable Garifuna in order to come up with a comprehensive approach to demarcation and asserting land rights. The NGC is arguably the most divisive Garifuna organization ever in our entire history in Belize. This is evident, because, even as they claim to be asserting land rights, the Government of Belize continues, unabated, to give out private titles for Garifuna lands. It continues to damage the Garifuna as the NGC trips over its two big left feet.

Common sense must at some juncture be employed by the Garifuna leadership. The NGC has been given ample opportunity by the Garifuna to protect Garifuna interests. They have not done well. They continue along with Government and the majority and Opposition, to do the Garifuna lots of damage.

The government’s claims that they don’t know where Garifuna lands are incredibly, boldly, a lie. Being indigenous is about history, not just government processes. Indigenous means that “historically” those people inhabited those lands. One look in any history book or government’s own documents will quickly identify certain areas where the Garifuna were found prior to Independence. For the NGC to accept such a lame excuse from Government is evidence of all of their ineptitude. The Maya did not have to do such an exercise before GOB respected their rights. Why does the NGC accept such abuse on behalf of Garinagu from the Government of Belize?

If they do not know, let’s inform the National Garifuna Council right now. Your first duty to the Garifuna in terms of our rights, along with the Government and the political parties, is to stop the damage being done to our lands. Judge Conteh in his Supreme Court ruling said it best, that the Government must cease and desist from using Maya lands. That includes ceasing to use the land registry where Maya lands are concerned. I’m paraphrasing, of course. No more games. Get a cease and desist. This will immediately stop the damage from occurring any further.