Garifuna Day Message

By: Hon. John Briceño,

Leader of the Party Leader

All Belizeans are grateful for the contributions of our Garinagu, from their love of our country to the many contributions they have made to the development of the nation.

When the first Garinagu landed on our shores they were looking for a new home.  Exiled from their lives in St. Vincent, they were sent by the British to Roatan, Honduras.  Four years later, the first Garifuna set foot on Belizean shores and determined that this was a place they could live in peace, raise a family and practice their culture.

When the Garinagu came, in addition to the drums and the food, they brought with them their spirit of determination, a spirit fostered through their fight against subjugation, oppression and slavery; they fought for their right to live as free men and women, to practice their culture and ensured that they children would be born free.

Wherever they went the Garinagu took with them this determined spirit, their pride in who they are as a people and their desire for a better life.  They never surrendered, they never gave up, and they never doubted themselves.

Rooted in this heritage, Garifuna Belizeans have been an integral part of the social, political and economic development.  Their integration into Belize’s ethnic diversity has enhanced our uniqueness in the region.  Their contributions in leadership from community based organizations to among the highest offices in civil and religious organizations are proof of their indispensible role in our national development.

Of course there are no cultural expressions more celebrated in Belize than our Garifuna Culture.  The rich language, food and dance has captured so much of our national spirit that today every Belizean enjoy dancing the punta, eating hudut or learning some of the colourful words that make up the Garifuna language.  Through our appreciation others too have come to love and value Garifuna culture, so much so that on 18^th May 2001 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized the Garifuna Culture as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity. Through this recognition, UNESCO calls on all of us to preserve this rich heritage so that the world will always be able to enjoy and appreciate the importance of the Grarinagu.

And so as we celebrate Garifuna Settlement Day, 2009, let us be give thanks to our Creator for richly blessing our nation; let us celebrate our diversity, pausing to appreciate the contribution of the Garifuna People to our development as a Nation.

On behalf of the People’s United Party, we wish all Belizeans a happy and safe Garifuna Settlement Day.  And let us all in our own way live the spirit of the theme for this year’s celebrations and answer the call of our ancestors: WATINA: Gúnfuli Waméi Hayumahan /Wayunagu/WATIAA

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