WOMAD Preview: The Garifuna Collective, The Beating Heart Of A Vibrant Culture

The Garifuna Collective is a globally acclaimed musical group from the Central American nation of Belize that first introduced global audiences to the unique Cultural fusion of traditional Garifuna rhythms. The group was formed in the early 2000s, to bring together talented musicians from across Belize to celebrate and preserve their distinctive cultural heritage. With infectious rhythms, soulful vocals, and a deep sense of the tradition of this fascinating creole culture, they have earned critical plaudits and built a devoted international following. They perform at WOMAD 2023 next weekend.

Who are the Garifuna People?

The Garifuna are a people with a rich history, descended from West and Central African escaped slaves, and the Carib, and the now almost entirely extinct Arawak indigenous peoples of the Caribbean island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In the 17th century, many escaped slaves or ‘Camaroons’ intermarried with the indigenous population and created a new society with a distinct Culture and music in the islands in opposition to the Colonial British rule.

In 1795, the garifuna fought a major uprising against the British. but were ultimately defeated, and many were deported to the island of Roatán off the coast of Honduras. Despite their forced migration, the Garifuna were able to maintain their culture and traditions through a combination of isolation, strong family and community ties, and the use of music and dance to pass on their history and traditions. The Garifuna also developed a strong sense of identity, which has helped to preserve their culture and traditions over the centuries. They eventually spread to various parts of Central America, primarily Belize and Honduras. Belize was/and is the only English-speaking country in Central America, being essentially forged as a nation by English pirates (also escaping the spreading British hegemony in the Carribean in the 1700s) and the Garifuna Creole speakers.

Check out Hamala - a laid-back and beautiful song featuring the local village life of Belize for a quick taste of the Culture and music.

The Origins of Garifuna Music

Music was a huge force in the Cultural fusion of native American and African peoples who established the first Garifuna communities as it brought them closer and helped them to create a new Culture that was distinctly theirs and incorporated elements of the spiritual traditions and oral histories of both peoples. This music continued to preserve and maintain their unique cultural traditions in a form of ‘schizmogenesis’ or conscious cultural opposition to the dominant British and Spanish colonial cultures as they spread to the Central American mainland.

Garifuna music is an essential aspect of this distinctive cultural heritage and is characterized by a blend of African rhythms, Afro-Caribbean melodies, and indigenous instrumentation such as flutes, bone jaw harps, maracas, clave, guiro, and turtle shells,. The primary instruments used in Garifuna music include drums (primarily the primera, segunda, and tercera), and a wooden slit drum called the sisira.

In Belize, Garifuna music gained prominence in the 20th century with the rise of influential Garifuna musicians like Andy Palacio and Paul Nabor. They played a crucial role in promoting Garifuna music and culture on a global stage and were instrumental in the emergence of the Garifuna Collective in 2000 which brought together the best of Garifuna musicians from Belize and other countries in the Caribbean and Central America.

Today, Garifuna music continues to evolve and flourish in Belize, with the Garifuna Collective and other musicians working to preserve and innovate the genre by fusing with modern styles and instrumentation to share their rich cultural heritage with the world.

The tragic death of Andy Palacio

Andy Palacio was the former lead singer and charismatic driving force of The Garifuna Collective, and played a crucial role in forming the collective and bringing Garifuna music to international audiences. He was born in the village of Barranco in southern Belize in 1960 and grew up steeped in Garifuna culture. Palacio was a prolific songwriter and performer who used his music to celebrate Garifuna culture and promote social justice. I actually saw him perform and met him in Mexico city in the early 2000s and was so taken by the fascinating Garifuna Culture that I took up an invitation to come and see them perform in Belize City. Belize is truly a fascinating and historically rich country and I’d encourage readers to check it out if they ever have the capacity to do so.

In 2007, Palacio died tragically at the age of 47 from a heart attack after undergoing surgery for a stroke. His untimely death was a devastating loss to the Garifuna community and the music world as a whole. However, his legacy continues to inspire and inform the work of The Garifuna Collective and other musicians who are dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Garifuna people. The group continues to perform and record, keeping alive the vibrant spirit of Garifuna music and honouring the spirit of Palacio - may he rest in peace with his ancestors.

Here is the band with Andy Palacio singing Watina off their last album released the year of his passing.

The Collective’s Music

The music of the Arawak people is known for its intricate rhythms and the use of call-and-response vocals - much like many African traditions. Before colonization, the Arawak people are thought to have had a diverse range of music styles, with different styles and instruments being used in different regions. For example, the Taino people of the Caribbean were known for their use of a ceremonial dance called the Areyto, which involved a mix of music, dance, and storytelling.

After colonization, the traditional music of the Arawak people was influenced by the introduction of European instruments such as the guitar and accordion, as well as African rhythms and melodies brought over by slaves. Today, the music of the Arawak people has evolved into many different genres, including Garifuna music, which is a blend of traditional Arawak rhythms and melodies with African, European, and Latin American influences such as Cumbia and Salsa.

The Collective has performed at various venues and festivals around the world, including WOMAD, the World Music Expo (WOMEX), the Monterey Jazz Festival, and the Vancouver Folk Festival, among others. Some of their most notable performances include the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway, in 2008 and a tour with Joan Baez in 2007.

Today the Garifuna Collective is known for their high-energy performances, with soulful vocals, traditional Garifuna rhythms and call-and-response vocals, layered with intricate guitar work and reggae-style heavy bass. They fuse the Cultural melting pot of their Caribbean home to combine Afro-Latin, Carribean rhythms like reggae, blues and soul. The result is a unique sound deeply rooted in their tradition with echoes of the ancient roots of their Culture as well as modern and cosmopolitan sensibility. This is no museum-bound or plastic Cultural recreation, you truly get the sense that you are being brought into a vibrant living and evolving Culture with a rich musical heritage. If nothing else this music evokes a sense of joy and fun, and is pretty hard not to dance to.

Here is the Collective with Aban - a driving number that incorporates some of the driving Afro-Indigenous vibes of the infectious Cumbia music that also emerged from a synthesis of the Arawak and Taino Cultures on the Caribbean coast of Colombia.

Why Garifuna Music Matters

An interesting aspect of the Garifuna is that they and other creole groups, are essentially some of the most vibrant remaining examples of the Arawak Culture and religion. Arawak people suffered a tragic cultural destruction due to colonisation. With many press-ganged into slave labour, subjected to violent persecution and massacres, and exposed to diseases to which they had no immunity. The Arawak people in the Spanish colonies were also forced to abandon their traditional way of life, including their language, religion, and cultural practices, and adopt the culture of their colonizers. Many Arawak people were forced to convert to Christianity by the Inquisition and English colonialism, and their traditional beliefs and musical, dance and Oral history traditions were suppressed or lost. They were almost entirely robbed of their traditional lands and resources by European settlers. As a result of these forces, the Arawak people suffered a profound cultural and demographic decline, and many aspects of their culture were lost forever.

The Garifuna are one of the last traces of this distinctive Cultural heritage as they avoided this destruction due to the better immunity gained by their African genes and better ability to resist the rule of the Europeans to forge their own communities. Their music and dance forms still incorporates many elements of this now-lost Culture, and importantly it embodies the spirit of these Indigenous people. It is truly a unique and precarious journey that this musical tradition has navigated to even be still alive today, and the fact that the Garifuna Collective will be bringing it to WOMAD is something we should be truly grateful for.

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