A Calendar of Activities at Lerisi in Belize City for Garifuna Settlement Day

Garifuna Settlement Day is quickly approaching and this year, the activities in Belize City kick off earlier than usual. The Belize City Branch of the National Garifuna Council is putting on a host of events to promote the Garifuna language which is at the core of their survival. Aside from the anticipated constant drumming there will be cultural entertainment provided by many groups. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

The National Garifuna Council, Belize City Branch today issued its official calendar of events for the 2019 November celebrations. It is being held under this year’s theme: “Lererun Garifuna lagùchabei labagaridun Garifunadúaü,” which translates to “the Garifuna Language is the foundation of Garifuna survival.” As President Nerisi Lopez says, this branch is doing things differently; kicking off the celebrations on November first with an official flag raising ceremony at the Lerisi Garifuna Restaurant on Marine Parade.

Nerisi Lopez

Nerisi Lopez, President, National Garifuna Council, Belize City Branch

“Every year we usually wait until nineteenth to have that ceremony. Not this year; I think we in Belize City are setting a trend with starting these events on the first of November. So we officially launch our calendar with a ceremony; it starts here and like what happens in September, we are doing a flag raising ceremony so we raise not only the Belizean flag, but the Garifuna flag as well. We have the keynote address being given by our mayor, we have welcome and cultural entertainment by the different organized dance groups here in Belize City. So it is going to be fun, it is going to be official cause we are talking about our history. Come nineteenth, I don’t think people really listen to our story because by then it is party. So we are starting it off with education.”

Gone are the days where you would have to travel down south to experience the nineteenth celebrations as the calendar of events will also feature a solidarity mass on November second. On the eighth, there is a karaoke night and then the NGC Youth Arm Cultural Night takes centre stage. If you are into pageants, the Mister and Miss Yurumei takes place also on the ninth at Lerisi. On November seventeenth, there is a Garifuna Awareness Day and Culture Fair followed by an exhibit at the Mexican Institute in Belize City. There will be a mega concert featuring well-known Garifuna artists like Aurelio Martinez, Aziatics and C-Wills among others on the eighteenth of November. The activities culminate on the nineteenth with all day festivities at Lerisi following the mass at the Saint Martin’s De Porres Church.

Nerisi Lopez

“We insist that people understand this Duane because for this year, Belize City it’s happening. And if you notice nineteenth falls at a time that you don’t want to travel and you don’t have to. Because people look for culture, we are giving you culture. So come to Lerisi Garifuna and we are making it even more interesting because we know Marine Parade is far away and we know people don’t drive so we are offering shuttle services from Pound Yard Bridge, from Saint Martin’s area to come here. So the same dollar you mi wah pay, you pay that and come to Lerisi Garifuna cause it is happening here.”

The popular Lerisi Garifuna Restaurant opened its doors back in 2018 with a mission to keep the cultural heritage alive. It provides tourists and Belizeans alike with an authentic cultural experience when it comes to Garifuna cuisine and music. Owner Adette Tillett says that the idea is to keep the tangible and intangible culture alive.

Adette Tillett

Adette Tillett, Owner, Lerisi Garifuna Restaurant

“Our goal is the preservation of the Garifuna culture. The National Garifuna Council across the country does that, so our best partner to collaborate with is the National Garifuna Council Belize City branch and we’ve done that. And the reason that we’ve done that is to ensure that from a preservation perspective, we are looking at all the different aspects of preservation. Lerisi does a portion of it on a daily basis. N.G.C.’s role is to do it across the community and so the coming together of N.G.C. and Lerisi will ensure that the community gets a full preservation of this culture.”

Duane Moody for News Five.

The opening ceremony is on Friday at seven p.m. at Lerisi Garifuna Restaurant.