Garifuna Collective off to Spain for WOMEX 2018

Back in June, we shared the good news that the Garifuna Collective was selected to perform at the WOMEX Showcase to be held at Grand Canary Islands, Spain, in October of this year.  But to go to the showcase, the band needs over fifty-thousand dollars and today the Music Ambassador Shyne Barrow made a presentation to the band. Digicell handed over twenty thousand dollars, while the Belize Tourism Board gave five thousand dollars and the Office of the Music Ambassador pledged five thousand dollars. We were at today’s handing over of the funds. Here’s more from the event.

Shyne Barrow

Shyne Barrow, Music Ambassador

“I thank the Garifuna Collective, for being such outstanding musicians because that was the gravity of my presentations. They are legends, the group itself and the accomplishment in being selected to perform at WOMEX I something that will go down in history. The last person to do that was Andy Palacio, the late great Andy Palacio. Since then no Belizean has been selected to perform at WOMEX. It is a very impossible mission to get selected to perform at WOMEX no matter which part of the world you are from. I think the type of contributions that we got, sends a message as far as the commitment from BTL, Government of Belize, BTB, Office of the Music Ambassador, that we believe in musicians. We believe in the creative industry and hopefully this will serve as a catalyst of renewed vigor, determination and belief in what is the possibilities of being a musician are in this country.”

Marconi Leal

Marconi Leal, Deputy Chief of Sales & Marketing, BTL

“We have been supporting music over the years and we have partnered with the Garifuna Collective. So why not partner with them for WOMEX 2018. They will be presenting the Belizean music an so it was definitely an opportunity to give back to Belizean music to have that international exposure of Belizean music abroad.”