Author continues Garifuna series

If you were somehow lucky enough to run across the book “Journey On” by Nelita M. Doherty last year and enjoyed reading about the history of the Garifuna people, you’ll be pleased to know she has published two more books in the series. Doherty tells News Five that “Aba Wama,” which is suitable for readers as young as twelve and thirteen, is a continuation of the story of a young Carib Indian girl who falls in love with an African. Together they help to create the culture of the Garinagu. “Garinagus’ Exile” follows the struggles of the young tribe to find a safe haven and their flight through the Caribbean.

Nelita M. Doherty, Author

“”Garinagus’ Exile,” my third and last book in the Garinagu series, concludes the Garinagus’ exile. It deals with when the British troops went in to try to get them out of St. Vincent; what they had to do to evade the British soldiers. For a long time they were in hiding, in deplorable conditions, trying to evade the British soldiers until finally they were captured, exiled from St. Vincent. It goes on to deal with the first island they went to, which was Balicu, being moved again by the British soldiers until eventually they made their way to Honduras, and later branched out to British Honduras.

These three books have been very important to me, very important to my ethnic background. I am Garifuna; I am very proud of being Garifuna and I am always trying to learn more about my culture. It’s a very rich culture and I wrote the three books so that my children could know where they came from and be able to identify with their roots. I think that these three books don’t only concern Garinagu, they also concern the Belizean history because Garinagus are a part of Belize.”

Doherty, who lives in the Dominican Republic, says she will be taking a little break from writing to work on her painting. She did the cover art for all three of her books.