Peini, Punta Gorda, Belize commemorates Garifuna Survival Day 2024
In Garifuna communities across the globe, April 12th is regarded as Garifuna Survival Day. It marks the anniversary of the arrival, in 1797, of the Garinagu to Roatan, Honduras after being banished hundreds of miles from their native homeland of St. Vincent, by the British. On that fateful day, 9 British ships loaded with their Garinagu prisoners, arrived on Roatan and offloaded their human cargo on the largely uninhabited island at a place now known as Punta Gorda, Roatan, Honduras.
For the first time in the 227 years after this atrocious reality, it is commemorated in Peini Punta Gorda Belize, and it was organized by the Battle of the Drums Secretariat. Peini was originally founded by the Garinagu sometime around 1823. The Garifuna Survival Day event was held at the Central Park in Peini and it featured prayers, speeches, and presentations by school children, youth groups, and adults, as well as, by the Peini Garifuna Choir. Musical entertainment was provided by Georgie’s Garifuna Drummers and New Edition Band.
Two songs that were sung by the Peini Garifuna Choir resonated well with the audience; namely, Luagu Ubou Balliceaux whose lyrics reminded us that, “it was on the island of Balliceaux that we
sat and we cried” in a state of utter hopelessness and pity after the initial imprisonment of our people, by the British. The second song, Duna Orinagu, encourages our people to seek learning and intelligence. It also reminds us that educational institutions are available for us to seek advancement to ensure that we do not become the lowly of the earth.
At the end of the event the President of the Battle of the Drums, Darius Avila reminded the audience that the reason that the organization spearheaded the event was because “it is aligned to our organization’s strategic goal of pursuing Garifuna Cultural Retrieval and Preservation”. During the event, in line with the organization’s strategic program of providing support to Garifuna groups that are engaged in some aspect of Garifuna preservation, the President presented pledges of financial support to Georgies Garifuna Drummers (a young Garifuna drumming group) in the amount of $800.00 to purchase uniforms, to Peini Garifuna Choir for $800 to purchase uniforms and to the National Garifuna Council-Peini Branch, $1,200 to assist in covering the cost of annual Garifuna Re-enactment Ceremony (Yurumein) and to assist meeting the cost of Garifuna drumming during the 19 th of November festivities, this year.
See Garifuna Survival Day 2024 Activities here:
