Happy Garifuna Settlement Day 2009! And spotlight on another Moon Belize contributor

By Joshua | November 19th, 2009 | No Comments

Today is the anniversary of my first day ever in Belize, 6 years ago, when I woke up on Garifuna Settlement Day in Belize City. Here is a fantastic piece by Susanne Hackett for National Geographic:

Happy Garifuna Settlement Day!

She writes, “While in Belize for Garifuna Settlement Day last year I had the opportunity to sit down with and interview Andy Palacio, the late musician and leader of the international movement to preserve Garifuna language and culture, two months before he died unexpectedly at the age of 47. Palacio’s final album Wátina (”I called out”), released in 2007, propelled him onto the international stage and sparked a Garifuna cultural revival. “Andy P,” as he is affectionately known in Belize, passed away on January 19, 2008, after suffering a stroke. In the video above, Andy explains the significance of Garifuna Settlement Day.”

Anyway, today all my friends are celebrating in Belize, so the least I could do is post a few related stories. On that note, Chicki Mallan is more than a mere contributor to Moon Belize—she is the original author! She wrote the first five editions, including this essay on Garifuna Settlement Day in Dangriga (appears on pp. 168-169 of the current edition).

If you have any other good links, please post in the comments, especially photos of the ongoing festivities.