Garifuna Collective Checks in from Europe Where It’s Still on Tour

The Garifuna Collective is currently on tour in Europe and will hit North America later this summer.  They are a seasoned band of musicians from across different generations, with a dynamic that comes from playing and traveling the world together, sharing their music and stories with global audiences.  Their performances spark the history and soul of Garifuna culture into vivid life.  The Collective has performed in over thirty countries in five continents and has been part of the most celebrated Garifuna albums of all time, including the well-received album Watina by Andy Palacio.

Emilio Thomas

Emilio Thomas, Member, Garifuna Collective

“Presently, the Garifuna Collective is on tour in Europe and they’re doing six weeks of tour which will be ending in three weeks time.  And then after that they are going to be going to the U.S. and Canada before returning back to Europe.  So this is one of the biggest tours that the Garifuna Collective will have leading up to December, you know, and this is something that we have not been inspecting but we know it would come because of all the work that we’ve been putting in.  There was the possibility of this happening, but the question would be if we were ready to take it on.  And with all the sacrifices that we have been doing, it is the only band that operates how it is operating now because normally a band structure or a band would be managed by a management and all of that.  Well, we are the people who make it happen, the members of Garifuna Collective have been doing a tremendous job in managing, in building and putting things together and putting all the pieces for these tours.  You know, we had other previous opportunities that we had to cancel out on because of the time that the opportunities came, so I think that we really have to be prepared in getting a lot of help in order for these tours to happen.”