Garifuna culture recognised by UNESCO

On yesterday’s newscast we highlighted the efforts of one man, Robert Mariano, to document, promote and profit from the preservation of Garifuna culture. It turns out that Mariano is not alone in his campaign. On Friday the World Heritage Centre at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris singled out the Garifuna Culture as a “masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.” What that mouthful of words means is that just as certain tangible attractions– like the pyramids in Egypt or the Belize Barrier Reef–can be recognised as precious to humanity, so too can intangible things like culture. The complex application for the prestigious designation was prepared by Roy Cayetano, who in addition to being CEO in the Ministry of Culture, is also the president of the National Garifuna Council. Cayetano told News 5 that while the honour is not accompanied by a financial reward, the recognition will make it much easier to raise funds internationally for projects that will benefit the preservation and development of Garifuna culture in Belize. It should be noted that the application includes acknowledgement of all the diverse ethnic groups of Belize and will bring benefits to cultural development for the entire nation.