BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Nov. 14, 2019– Activities leading up to Garifuna Settlement Day, on November 19, are being held countrywide. This Friday, November 15, an awards and recognition ceremony will be held at the Mexican Institute of Culture, located at the corner of Newtown Barracks Road and Wilson Street.
The purpose of the event is to recognize individuals, past and present, who contributed to and supported the preservation of the Garifuna culture in Belize. The event is a collaboration between the Mexican Institute and the Belize City Garifuna Council.
The Belize City branch of the National Garifuna Council said that Professor Sebastian Cayetano, proprietor of the Luba Garifuna Museum, Belize City, will deliver a speech on the importance of Garifuna Settlement Day. There will be displays of Garifuna arts and Garifuna music at the institute.
The award ceremony will commence at 6:30 p.m. Friday evening and conclude at 8:30 that same evening.
Other activities to be conducted in the city are a Garifuna mass at the St. Martin De Porres Church in Belize City on Sunday morning, November 17, and on Sunday evening, there will be cultural activity at the corner of Freetown Road and St. Thomas Street, where Aurelio Martinez will make a guest appearance..
Then, a massive all-night concert will be held on Monday night at the Lerisi Garifuna Restaurant on Marine Parade.
In attendance will be heavyweight entertainer Aurelio Martinez and his band; also taking the stage will be Aziatic, from Los Angeles; Peter “Titiman” Flores; and C. Wills from Hopkins, among others. The concert will conclude at 6:00 a.m., and the Yurumein (the reenactment) will commence.
The council said that there is no need for residents of Belize City to travel to any other part of the country for Garufuna Settlement Day celebrations, since there is going to be a number of activities and massive entertainment in the city.
The theme for this year’s Garifuna Settlement Day celebration is: “Lererun Garifuna laguchabei lagaridum Garifunaduau” (Garifuna Language is the foundation of Garifuna Survival).
Feature photo: Mexican Institute