World Garifuna Organization meets in Dangriga
We usually associate things Garifuna with the month of November, but currently in Dangriga a conference is underway that is taking a closer look at the people who form vibrant communities over much of Central America’s Caribbean coast, not to mention the USA. The sponsoring body is called the World Garifuna Organization.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
The four-day conference looks at the history of the Garifuna people and how far they have come since their ancestors were slaughtered and expelled from the island of Yuremei.
Dr. Ted Aranda, Chief, WGO, Belize
“The sufferings we have had as a result of the expulsion from Yurumei and the atrocities committed on the island at that time and that has left sort of a psychological damage, psychological injuries as we call it.”
According to WGO Chief, Dr. Ted Aranda in 1797 the Garinagu were driven out of Yuremei now St. Vincent, put on a boat and shipped to Roatan, Honduras with no land or economic arrangements. Today the WGO wants England to compensate them for those injustices.
Dr. Ted Aranda
“Yes the Garifuna people have been talking about it as a matter of fact it goes back to, here in Belize as early as 1991/1992 and the idea of it is that it has been a long wait. We went to Honduras somewhere in 1993/1994 to discuss the same issue and in the United States we have been talking about it for quite sometime. As a matter of fact, it was St. Vincent who wanted to attempt it sometime ago but there was no coordinated effort to do so. So yes the Garifuna people have been talking about it for quite sometime.”
The participants are also discussing the economic and social problems that exist and will try to find ways to improve the lives of the Garifuna people. Aranda says in Belize while the Garifuna people have excelled in education, they continue to struggle.
Dr. Ted Aranda
“The isolation and disrespect of the Garifuna people and all of that. What makes us very aware of that is that many of us are highly trained, highly educated, people who are respected within the society. But when you get out into the society at large, you run into a lot of problems and that’s not simply at the individual level but very many many times it goes all the way to government.”
Jacqueline Woods
“Because that leaves me to my other question, they are very educated people but when you really look at the reality of things, they are amongst the very poor, why is that?”
Dr. Ted Aranda
“That is one of the major issues. The economic activity and the economic participation and the development in the country, the same thing happens in Guatemala, in Honduras and even in the United States when we migrate to the United States.”
The conference will culminate this Wednesday with an all day entertainment at the Garifuna Culture Park.
