“Oh I hear drumming,” said an American tourist as she walked down Pescador Drive in San Pedro Town. “It is a dance,” asked another. “No!” said a Belizean walking with them. “It’s the drums of the African ancestors signaling that they are glad to have found a land of peace,” he explained. And certainly, with the 19th of November just a few days away, schools as well as other cultural organizations are gearing up for the National Garifuna Day Celebration which is being celebrated this year under the theme, “Wawansera Memeba Lau Lubafu Bungui Hama Ahari – We keep going forward with the Power of God and the Ancestors.”
As part of the Garifuna celebration, today was observed as National Garifuna Awareness Day and various schools allowed students to attend classes in the traditional Garifuna outfit. At the Little Angels Pre-school, the teachers planned activities around the National Garifuna Awareness Day and had a small cultural exhibition depicting many of the traditional Garifuna food.
Holy Cross Anglican Primary School took the opportunity to celebrate Cultural Day. Students were divided into different ethnic groups. The various groups were tasked to create a booth displaying the music, food and the visual aids for visitors and other students to learn more about the cultural groups in Belize. The event was open to the parents who were also at hand to support and assist their children in the cultural presentations.
Both the National Garifuna Awareness Day and Cultural Day Celebration are encouraged as part of the primary school curriculum of the Ministry of Education. Primary schools will also participate in the reenactment of the Garifuna arrival to Belize later today, Friday Nov. 16th at the Central Park.
