The Garifuna Women's Project - Umalali

Richard Marcus in Blogcritics Magazine for April 7, 2008, has published a review of The Garifuna Women's Project - Umalali, which in what is overall a very enthusiastic piece (enough to convince me to see them in Montreal later this month, a stop in their Andy Palacio memorial tour), he explains:

Until now the only music from the Garifuna communities the world has heard has been that performed by the men. Now, after ten years of extensive field research and recordings, Ivan Duran, producer of Stonetree Records in Belize, has released Umalali, featuring the voices of The Garifuna Women's Project.

These women have learned the music and the rituals of their people from their mothers and grand-mothers in an unbroken chain that stretches back to their ancestors who first landed on these shores in the aftermath of the shipwreck which gave them their freedom. The songs that they sing are about their lives; the heartbreak of losing a son, the joy of a new born child, or finding a job.

For more on Umalali, I warmly recommend the beautiful and informative website at:
http://www.cumbancha.com/albums/umalali

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Garifuna Symposium and Concert in Honour of Andy Palacio

Below is the final version of the public service announcement and the itinerary for "A Symposium: Garifuna Popular Music and Arts as Identity" and the Tribute to Andy Palacio concert to be held April 14 - 20, 2008 in Atlanta, GA.

These events are being sponsored by the School of Music, the Office of Student Life and Leadership/Intercultural Relations, and the Rialto Center for the Performing Arts at Georgia State University, the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History, and the Georgia Humanities Council. The Tribute to Andy Palacio concert will be held at the Rialto Center (Box Office: 404-413-9TIX/9849). The symposium will feature a film series on Garifuna history and culture, a discussion and demonstration on Garifuna music, a drumming master class, lecture-presentations on music and culture by invited scholars, a visual arts exhibit, and a panel discussion on the Garifuna arts as a commodity. All symposium events are free and open to the public.

Tribute to Andy Palacio: Concert & Symposium on Garifuna Music and Arts

Week-Long Celebration of Garifuna Culture at Georgia State University

ATLANTA – Georgia State University’s School of Music, Rialto Center for the Arts, Office of Student Life and Leadership/Intercultural Relations, and the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History are partnering for an exciting week of Garifuna culture and a tribute concert to Andy Palacio April 14 through April 20, 2008. The Symposium on Garifuna Popular Music and Arts and the musical Tribute to Andy Palacio will be held at various venues on the campus of Georgia State University and at the Auburn Avenue Research Library. On April 19th the Garifuna Collective, Umalali, Adrian Martinez, and Aurelio Martinez will perform a concert in honor of the celebrated musician Andy Palacio at the Rialto Center for the Arts at 8 PM.

For tickets to the Tribute to Andy Palacio concert contact the Rialto Center Box Office at 404-413-9TIX (9849). All symposium events are free and open to the public. For information on specific symposium events contact the School of Music at 404-413-5900, the Office of Student Life and Leadership/Intercultural Relations at 404-413-1580, the Auburn Avenue Research Library at 404-730-4001, ext. 303 or visit www.rialtocenter.org/garifunasymposium.html.

The late Andy Palacio, Cultural Ambassador of Belize and a UNESCO Artist of Peace, was the Garifuna musician whose 2007 critically acclaimed and award winning CD “Watina” (BBC Radio 3 and World Music Expo awards) brought international attention to Garifuna traditional and popular music. The Garifuna are an African and Native American people who live along the coast of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua and in urban centers in the US. The symposium will feature a film series on Garifuna history, music, and ritual arts traditions, a discussion and demonstration on Garifuna music, a drumming master class, lecture-presentations on music and culture by invited scholars, a visual arts exhibit, and a panel discussion on Garifuna arts as a commodity. This project is supported by the Georgia Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities and through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly. The evening will conclude with a concert to commemorate the music and legacy of Andy Palacio.

The Tribute to Andy Palacio, featuring the Garifuna Collective and Umalali, will include guest artists Aurelio Martinez, a guitarist, vocalist, and congressman from Honduras, and Adrian Martinez, a rising Belizean Garifuna musician. The collective features Garifuna musicians selected specifically by Andy Palacio. Umalali, a vocal ensemble of Garifuna women, performs songs typically sung by women.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS & CALENDAR LISTINGS:

A Symposium: Garifuna Popular Music and Arts as Identity –
Contemporizing the Traditional
Monday, April 14 – Sunday, April 20, 2008

Monday – Sunday (April 14 – 20) Garifuna Art Exhibit (Rialto Center Lobby)
(Watercolor paintings by Greg Palacio.)

Tuesday - Thursday (April 15 - 17) Film Series (Auburn Avenue Research Library)
Tuesday: The Garifuna Journey by Andrea Leland, 12:00 pm.
Wednesday: Play, Jankunu Play: The Garifuna Wanaragua Ritual… by Oliver Greene, 12:00 pm. Thursday: The Garifuna – An Enduring Spirit by Robert Flanagan, 12:00 pm.
(Films on Garifuna history, cultural practices, music, and processional rites.)

Friday (April 18) Demonstration and Discussion (Rialto Center Lobby)
Garifuna Collective & Umalali with Aurelio Martinez and Adrian Martinez, 1:10 – 2:00 pm.
(Garifuna Musicians perform various styles of traditional music and explain how such music is transformed into arrangements of popular music.)

Drumming Master Class (Haas Howell Building, Room 150)
Garifuna Percussion Music, 2:15 – 3:15 pm.
(A master class for students of Georgia State University and the general public.)

Saturday (April 19) Lecture Presentations (Rialto Center Lobby)
“It’s a Global thing, Now”- Cultural Iconicity and Transnational Garifuna Identity - Preserving the Traditional through the Popular
Oliver Greene – Punta in Office: The “Politics” of Garifuna Popular Music, 11:00 am.
Michael Stone - Garifuna Global Groove, 11:30 am.
Joe Palacio (Keynote address) – UNESCO Proclamations & Popular Identity, 12:15 pm. (Lectures by researchers of Garifuna culture and music will examine how popular music and musicians help preserve cultural identity locally and across national borders.)

Lunch Provided (Reservations required.) 1:00 pm.
Contact Rialto Box Office: 404-413-9TIX (9849)

Panel Discussion – (Rialto Center Lobby)
“Reflections on Andy Palacio,” 1:30 – 2:00 pm.
“The Commodification of Culture: Punta as Preservation and Profit,” 2:00 – 3:00 pm.
Moderator: Leslie Gordon (Rialto Center), Participants: Oliver Greene, Ethnomusicologist (Georgia State University), Andrea Leland, Independent Filmmaker (Chicago/Virgin Islands), Greg Palacio, Painter (Los Angeles), Joe Palacio, Cultural Anthropologist (Belize), Michael Stone, Cultural Anthropologist, (Princeton University).
(Reflections on the life and influence of the late Andy Palacio will be followed by a dialogue on the performing arts as a commodity and as a tool of cultural preservation).

Pre-Concert Discussion: Michael Stone, 7:00 – 7:30 pm.

Rialto Series Presents:
A Tribute to Andy Palacio featuring the Garifuna Collective & Umalali
Guest Artists: Aurelio Martinez and Adrian Martinez
Afro-Caribbean Soul
Saturday, April 19, 8:00PM
The Garifuna Collective pays tribute to the late Andy Palacio with Afro-Caribbean rock and soul. Palacio dedicated his life to presenting Garifuna culture, unique in its blend of West African and Native Caribbean heritage. The sound is undeniably soulful – nodding to its African origins – with Caribbean swing and echoes of Jamaican, Haitian, and even coastal-Mexican styles. The April 19th concert also features Umalali, a female singing group, in addition to guest artists Adrian Martinez and Aurelio Martinez.
Venue: Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University
Cost: $26/$36/$52 – Free Parking
(Group and Georgia State University faculty, staff, and student discounts available)
Contact: 404-413-9TIX (9849) or www.rialtocenter.org

Sunday, April 20, 2:00pm. Reception: Meet & Greet Garifuna Musicians & Film Makers
A reception for members of the Garifuna Collective, Umalali, Aurelio Martinez, Adrian Martinez, and film makers whose works have been presented during the symposium.


Venue Locations:

Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University
80 Forsyth Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303 (on the southwest corner of Forsyth and Luckie Streets)
Box Office Phone: 404-413-9TIX (9849)
For directions see: http://www.rialtocenter.org/directions/index.html

Haas Howell Building, Room 150
75 Poplar Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303
(Ground floor, on the northwest corner of Forsyth and Poplar Streets)

Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History
101 Auburn Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30303. 404-730-4001
(On the southeast corner of Courtland Avenue and Auburn Avenue)

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Joseph Palacio: In Memory of Andy Palacio

[Received by e-mail from Dr. Joseph Palacio in Belize, Friday, 25 Jan. 2008]

Andy Palacio – some reflections

In the past few days we have heard much about Andy Palacio as the musical icon. I would like to share a few words about Andy Palacio as the product of the Garifuna community of Barranco and the larger emerging nation of Belize.

The questions I am raising include – what was the community setting that gave birth to such a great person? What were some of the incubating factors that nourished the artistic talents of Andy? How did his immediate family – mother, father, and assorted relatives – give form to the potential in the child Andy Palacio so that he could climb to the highest pinnacle of world artistic achievement? Can his home community continue to produce geniuses? Finally what lessons did he pass on to the Garifuna community; and, indeed, the world at large?

The family tree of Andy Palacio endowed him with the seed that would grow as a baby and slowly develop the gift with which he was born. Let me mention some of the family surnames of his ancestors. They include from his father’s side the Palacio, Cayetano, Marin, Cesario (or Antonio), and Zuniga; from his mother’s side Avilez and Contreras.

Around the time when Andy was born in 1960 his home village was passing through probably the last phase of an economic boom generated by farming and fishing. His father excelled in these two ways of earning a livelihood. More especially Ruben, his father, was a man of the sea. He carved and repaired his own dories and produced his fishing gear, while being an expert on navigation and the coastline from Punta Gorda to Livingston.

In day and night and under all kinds of weather conditions, Ruben was able to travel wherever he wanted to go and come back home safely. Ruben took along young Andy with him on his fishing and other sea-faring trips. From such experiences in his early formative years, Andy developed a great love and adoration for his father. He learned to appreciate the bounty of the sea and coastline. Furthermore, he acquired much self-confidence and a determination to hold his own whether in good or bad weather. I would add that he also learned to appreciate music and singing from his father, who was a walking collection of songs in Garifuna, English, Spanish, and Latin. From his mother, the anchor who held the family together, he received the highest form of love and respect for the immediate and extended family, which included the whole village. During these early years, therefore, Andy acquired his abiding sense of rootedness in people and things Garifuna.

What was the cultural environment in Barranco that influenced Ruben Palacio and, which he in turn, passed on to young Andy? Music, singing, and dancing formed a continuous sound track within the village. Almost everyone could create songs and then popularize them during the several festivities taking place in the annual calendar. One of the main instigators had been S.B. Daniels, the village schoolmaster who taught music as seriously as he did writing, reading, and arithmetic. All of Daniels’ students were introduced to the best of music at that time available in the colony of British Honduras. And Ruben passed this treasure to his son Andy.

Can the home village continue to produce geniuses like Andy? In my usual sense of optimism, my answer is yes. Of course, the economic life of the village has declined very much since the 1960s. But there still remains among the members of the community a vibrant musical tradition that needs to be studied extensively and revitalized. Andy himself was doing exactly this kind of revival as seen in the global success of the world acclaimed album ‘Wátina’. In ‘Wátina’ Andy was integrating traditional Garifuna music into contemporary form. A continuation of this exercise would have been his next concerted effort, as he continued to re-discover what had been his daily nourishment in the village.

Having been incubated in that very supportive cultural environment of Barranco, Andy’s short life has been a bundle of lessons for the Garifuna community, our beloved Jewel, Belize; and indeed the world at large. They include hard work, perseverance, perfectionism, and carrying one’s greatness with a deep sense of humility. Let us not forget that in his earlier life Andy was a trained primary school teacher and that through his music he was also teaching many positive values to the rest of the world. His greatest legacy to all of us will be the lessons he championed throughout his artistic life.

MAY HE REST IN PEACE!
MABUIGA NAMULE
Joseph O. Palacio

________________

Mourn Only That You Will Not See Andy Again in this Life

Andy Palacio had such a brilliant and soaring 2007 that few would have expected such a drastic change in 2008, with his departure from our little scene. Many people, let alone his close family and friends, will be heartbroken by his departure. It is in moments like these that I remember the wise words of the late Carib Queen, Justa Werges, when she said, with a smile and light in her eyes as if seeing far into the distance: "My people live in a green valley and they have prepared a home for me with them. When I leave this earth I will be surrounded by the beautiful faces of my people and I will live with them forever in that valley". Andy Palacio has gone on to join his loved ones, his ancestors, all those he knew that have passed on, and his music in that other place is now more wonderful than ever. Sad are those who are left behind to wait for the day when they too can sing with Andy.

So say it loud and let it ring
We are all a part of everything
The future, present and the past
Fly on proud bird
You're free at last.
(Charlie Daniels)

Good men must die, but death can not kill their names.
(Proverbs)

Andy Palacio Passes On

Belizean Musician Andy Palacio Passes Away After Heart Attack and Stroke

January 19, 2008 - Andy Palacio, an iconic musician and cultural activist in his native Belize and impassioned spokesperson for the Garifuna people of Central America, was declared dead tonight at 9pm Belize time due to a massive and extensive stroke to the brain, a heart attack and respiratory failure due to the previous two conditions.

Palacio, 47, started feeling poorly last week and eventually visited a doctor with complaints of dizziness and blurred vision. On the 16th of January, he began experiencing seizures and was rushed to a hospital in Belmopan, Belize and then on to another hospital in Belize City. At this point, most people were hopeful Palacio would recover.

On January 17th, Palacio's condition worsened and he began experiencing more seizures. He was placed on an air ambulance to Chicago where he was expected to get treatment at one of the premier neurological facilities in the country. En route to Chicago, the plane stopped in Mobile, Alabama to clear immigration. At that point, Palacio was unconscious and it was determined that he was too ill to continue on the flight to Chicago. He was rushed to a hospital in Mobile, and placed on life support. There, doctors determined that the damage to his brain function was severe, and that his chances of recovery were slim. On January 18th, his family requested that he be flown back to Belize so that he might die in his homeland.

A national hero in Belize for his popular music and advocacy of Garifuna language and culture, news of Palacio's condition sent shockwaves through the community. At 5pm today, a public service was held in Belize City for Palacio as people prayed for his recovery. Ceremonies were also held by Garifuna spiritual leaders in an effort to help with the situation. Belize is in the midst of a heated election, but the local news was entirely dominated by Palacio's health crisis.

The reaction has also been strong around the world. Until the recent turn of events, the past year had been one of tremendous accomplishment for Palacio as his album Wátina, which was released at the beginning of 2007, had become one of the most critically acclaimed recordings of the year in any genre. Perhaps the most unanimously revered world music album in recent memory, Wátina appeared on dozens of Best of the Year lists in major media outlets around the globe and was roundly praised in glowing terms.

In 2007, Palacio was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace and won the prestigious WOMEX Award. Wátina was also nominated for the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards. At home in Belize, the international success of Wátina has sparked a revival of Garifuna music, as young musicians have become inspired by Palacio's example. Even in the days since Palacio's health crisis began, the accolades have continued to pour in for his work.

That Palacio has been struck down at a moment of such international acclaim only increases the sense of shock and tragedy felt at his sudden and untimely death.

Andy Palacio will be honored with an official state funeral. A massive tribute concert is planned in Belize City on Friday, January 25th.

Friends and supporters are invited to post messages in memory of Andy Palacio to his MySpace page (www.myspace.com/andypalacio) as well as to the blog of his international record label Cumbancha (http://cumbanchamusic.blogspot.com/).

_____________

Garifuna Musician Andy Palacio in Grave Condition

From

http://blog.myspace.com:80/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=141640536&blogID=348839894

--notice forwarded by CAC editor, Cheryl Noralez:

Dear Friends:

We're deeply saddened to report that Andy Palacio has experienced what was apparently a severe heart attack and is in grave condition. He is currently on life support and the prognosis is not good. We are all hoping for a miracle and that Andy will regain consciousness, but at this point this does not seem likely.

Andy started feeling poorly a few days ago and visited a doctor with complaints of dizziness and blurred vision. On Wednesday he began experiencing seizures and was rushed to a hospital in Belmopan, Belize and then on to another hospital in Belize City. The doctors initially though Andy, who was still conscious and communicative at that time, had experienced a stroke, and were even diagnosing multiple sclerosis at one point. At this point, we were all hopeful Andy would recover.

Yesterday, Andy's condition worsened and he began experiencing more seizures. Andy is a national icon in Belize, and the story of his illness has not only been big news there, the Prime Minister has been putting his full support behind Andy's treatment. When Andy's condition started to decline, he was placed on an air ambulance to Chicago where he was expected to get treatment at one of the premier neurological facilities in the country.

En route to Chicago, the plane stopped in Mobile, Alabama to clear immigration. At that point, Andy was unconscious and it was determined that he was too ill to continue on the flight to Chicago. Andy is currently in a hospital in Mobile, Alabama where he is in a coma. His cousin is by his side and Andy's daughters will be arriving shortly .

It is impossible to describe the pain we feel from this unfathomable tragedy. We will notify you if we hear any significant updates on Andy's condition. In the meantime, keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

Ivan Duran (Stonetree) and Jacob Edgar (Cumbancha)
____________

Andy Palacio: UNESCO Artist

Thanks to CAC editor, Cheryl Noralez, for the following news item from the Garifuna Heritage Foundation:

Belizean musician Andy Palacio designated UNESCO Artist for Peace

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, has designated the celebrated Belizean musician and singer Andy Palacio a UNESCO Artist for Peace.

OCTOBER 1, 2007 - UNESCO Artists for Peace are internationally-renowned personalities who use their influence, charisma and prestige to help promote UNESCO's message and programs. UNESCO works with these distinguished personalities in order to heighten public awareness regarding key development issues and to inform the public what our Organization's action is in these fields. Andy Palacio's designation makes him the 40th UNESCO Artist for Peace alongside prestigious international figures such as Manu Dibango, Celine Dion and Gilberto Gil.

Born in 1960 in the coastal village of Barranco, in Belize, Andy Palacio started to gain popularity in Belize and abroad in the late 1980s. He has since become his country's most popular musician and one of the most prominent defenders of the regional Garifuna culture and traditions.

With his band The Garifuna Collective, Andy Palacio has created a unique musical style known as Punta rock, an upbeat, popular dance form based on Garifuna rhythms. Palacio also sings in the Garifuna language, which blends many linguistic influences and which UNESCO declared in 2001 a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Andy Palacio is Cultural Ambassador for his country and holds the position of Deputy Administrator of the National Institute of Culture and History.

http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=39602&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

_________

UNESCO Nominates Garifuna Andy Palacio as Artist for Peace

Thanks to Michael Polonio for circulating this news:

He has one of the most celebrated world music albums of the year, and Andy Palacio has received one more honor. But this one isn't just an award, it's a distinction presently afforded to only 40 artists worldwide. Palacio has been nominated to act as a UNESCO artist for peace.

In the field of music, he joins Canada's Celine Dion, Brazil's Gilberto Gil, Cameroon's Manu Dibango and Peru's Tania Libertad.

In Belize to make the announcement, was UNESCO Secretary General Koichiro Matsuura. After the Secretary General spoke, Palacio reflected on his career from his boyhood in Barranco to the bright lights of stages worldwide.

After the speeches, Palacio presented Matsuura with a copy of his Watina CD. He also announced that Watina has been honored by the jury of the prestigious World Music Expo as the number one world music album of the past year.

Along with producer Ivan Duran, Palacio will go to pick up the award on October 28, when he will perform a number of European dates.

Palacio is also scheduled to perform on November 19th for the Garifuna community in Oronico Nicaragua.

Joan Lucas Lopez
Waruguma miritu

Andy Palacio and National Garifuna Council School Benefit

ANDY PALACIO & THE GARIFUNA COLLECTIVE: A Benefit Concert

The Garifuna is one of the most misunderstood, unique and threatened cultures in Central America. Enter Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective, an all star team of musicians assembled in Belize bringing the voice and message of this unique and inspiring people. They are the ambassadors of the Garifuna culture, bringing with them a unique blend of paranda and punta from the Garifuna communities of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. These are the songs of the ancestors that connect the people with their spirituality, Garifuna spirituality.

I had the honor to witness Andy Palacio, Paul Nabor & The Garifuna Collective’s magnificent performance during GAHFU’s (Garifuna American Heritage Foundation United) benefit concert in Los Angeles, California on Friday August 3rd, 2007. The band included the primera and segunda garaoun (garifuna drums), the sisira man (shakers), the bass and the lead electric guitars, then Andy’s acoustic guitar and the main vocalist as well as the enchanting performance of Mr. Paul Nabor. Nabi as his fellow musicians call him, stole the show. He was the high light of the performance. The audience stood up and applauded his vibrant and energetic voice. During the sound check, Nabi told me that he was very pleased with his touring of Europe and the United States. Nabi also said that he would do it again. The man looked marvelous for a man his age.

It feels unbelievably good to know that “Watina”, the album, has taken The Garifuna Collective to new horizons; from Central America to Europe and from Europe to America as in the United States of America. The tour has taken them from the east coast to the west coast and from Jazz houses to nightclubs; from nightclubs to theaters around the country. The album hit number two in May 2007 in The World Charts Europe. For those of you who have seen the show, you know that it is priceless.

The benefit concert that featured Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective featuring Paul Nabor, was a contribution from Andy himself, his promoters and Grand Performances in Los Angeles. The benefit concert celebrated at Latino Night Club was organized by GAHFU, Inc. and it kicked off a month long fundraiser for school supplies for “NGC School” (National Garifuna Council) in Dangriga, Belize.

The NGC School will open on Monday, September 3rd, 2007 and the community is very excited about it. The school will be managed by the NGC located in the Monument Site area of Dangriga. The school will have 5 teachers and it will start with lower division education as in Pre-School, Infant 1, Infant 11 and Standard 1. Ms. Venancia Flores is the school principal with 20 years of teaching experience under her belt in the rural areas which includes 5 years in Seine Bight.

The NGC School will seek to develop a curriculum that will include and exceed the minimum educational guidelines of the Ministry of Education for Pre and Primary Schools. The traditional curriculum will be taught which prepares children for the School-Leaving-Exams. In addition, the curriculum will be integrated with additional subject matter that would produce competency in the Garifuna Language, history and culture. Traditional Garifuna life skills and values will be taught particularly in the early years of schooling. Children will be taught to read and write in English and Garifuna in parallel and they will also be taught practical courses in agriculture. There will be a special endeavor to teach the children the skills of their ancestors and to have greater appreciation for their culture as well as the multi-cultural nature of Belize’s society.

Parents in Dangriga town have shown a strong interest in this project and so far over 75 children have been enrolled in the NGC School. There was a vote taken by the parents to make the uniform reflect the garifuna culture and the colors will be black, white and yellow. Although there is some delay in the construction of the school building, there are plans to rent a nearby facility and probably buy one house from the Mennonites which will be used for the Principal’s Office latter on. Moreover, The Gulisi Garifuna Museum facility would be utilized for the Principal’s Office. There are plans to launch NGC’s own fundraising drive with the help of Hamalali Garifuna Radio by means of a Radiothon.

GAHFU, Inc. is looking to collect through your generous donations new or used computers with capabilities for internet connectivity. Also, printers, photocopy machines, projectors for video, VCRs and filing cabinets. School books with subjects such a math, English, science, geography, etc. for pre and primary school levels to be used as teaching aids. There is a great need for new pens, pencils, erasers, exercise books, folders, magic markers and coloring pencils. A P.A. (public address) system is also needed for school announcements. Monetary donations are also welcomed to purchase material for the school uniform which the students will be wearing.

The collected donations will be shipped to Dangriga, Belize duty free through National Garifuna Council and they will distribute the school supplies accordingly. GAHFU, Inc. is hoping to have these barrels shipped by the end of August 2007.

If you are interested in helping, please contact www.garifunaheritagefoundation.org website or by calling (323) 898-6841. You can also send your tax deductible donation in cash, check or money order to GAHFU P.O. Box 10054 Long Beach, CA 90810.

Written by: Rony Figueroa

-------------------------------------

Andy Palacio in Los Angeles

Thanks to CAC editor Cheryl Noralez for forwarding the following announcement:

Garifuna American Heritage Foundation United (GAHFU) is proud to announce that Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective will be performing a Benefit Concert for GAHFU’s 2ND Annual School Supply Drive/Fundraiser in Los Angeles, Ca on August 3, 2007 at the Latino Night Club located at 3054 West Pico Blvd. (corner of Western).
Please call (323) 898-6841 for information.

Please view for concert details: http://www.garifunaheritagefoundation.org/327.html

The concert will benefit the new NGC School in Dangriga and the children of Belize. The school supplies donated will be distributed by the National Garifuna Council (NGC). A percentage from the Benefit Concert will be donated through GAHFU, INC. directly to the NGC to purchase additional supplies. The president of NGC Michael Polonio has provided GAHFU with a “Wish List” of the supplies needed for the new NGC School.

1. Net workable computers with facility for internet access
2. Printers, photocopiers, a projector, a VCR, filing cabinets
3. Books of all different fields that serve as teaching aids at the pre and primary school level in all of the typical subject areas of Math, Language, Geography, Reading, Sciences and so on
4. Standard teaching and Learning aids such as pens, pencils, exercise books, folders, magic markers, erasers, coloring pencils and the like.
5. A speaker system for school announcements would also be nice.
   

Please arrive early the concert will begin at 8pm sharp with an opening performance by Guwie Posse.

View pictures of GAHFU’s 1ST School Supply Drive which benefited the children of Livingston, Izabal-Guatemala in August 2006.

Thank you in advance for your support and we hope to see you there.

More on Andy Palacio...

From The San Jose Mercury News:
Palacio uses music to keep Garifuna culture alive
By Andrew Gilbert
(2007/07/26)

"Everybody wants to be cool, especially young people," says Andy Palacio, 45, the moving force behind the Garifuna Collective, a band that's attracting international attention to the endangered, little-known Garifuna culture of Central America.

A native of Belize, the singer and guitarist has assembled a cross-generational cast of leading Garifuna musicians in an ensemble mixing traditional instruments and rhythms with electric guitars, bass and keyboards. The result is a galloping sound built on distinctive Garifuna punta grooves.

With the release in February of the Garifuna Collective's debut album "Watina" on the new label Cumbancha, Palacio is helping to spearhead a cultural renaissance in the Garifuna enclaves of Belize, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, while introducing the world to a people whose origins are as dramatic as their music is soulful....(read more at the link above)

Andy Palacio: Diffusing Garifuna Culture Internationally

Andy Palacio, a Garifuna singer and songwriter from Belize and a former teacher and current government minister, has been recording a string of hits and making news across Central and North America. Recent coverage in the US press has included feature articles in The San Francisco Chronicle (see: "Music that could save a culture," by Chuly Varela, Wednesday July 25 2007, which appeared on page E-1 of the print edition), and The Wall Street Journal (see: "Black, Amerindian and Proud of Building on a Tradition," by Ed Ward, June 26 2007, which appeared on page D5 of the print edition).

In The San Francisco Chronicle article, Palacio speaks at length on the issue of the Garifuna language. He says: "I think my generation in Belize is the last to be raised where Garifuna was our first language in the home, streets and playground. But in the classroom, English was the language of instruction." He adds that, "in its essence Garifuna is one of the Arawak family of languages, with borrowed words from Africans, who intermarried with Arawaks and Caribs. The French also had a significant impact on the Garifuna vocabulary when we were relocated to the Central American republics."

Palacio also praises the role of women in maintaining Garifuna culture: "[It is] the women who have nurtured these songs and kept them alive [and the] men who have been beating these drums all along. Our mothers who have retained in their minds recipes for tasty Garifuna dishes. It is at their feet that I sit in order to learn."

The article in the SFC also notes that, "in 2001, UNESCO proclaimed the Garifuna language, music and dance Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Palacio played an important role in securing that recognition, and that led to his appointment as deputy administrator of the National Institute of Culture and History in Belize."

The Wall Street Journal article also reveals Palacio's concern for the loss of the Garifuna language, rooted in a visit to a Garifuna community in Nicaragua where the language had virtually disappeared: "This established a certain consciousness in me, that there was the frightening prospect that we could wind up in Belize like the Garifuna in Nicaragua."

The article ends on a note of ambiguity, indicating that while Palacio has generated a great deal of excitement at home and abroad, it is doubtful whether his success will help to preserve the language. On the other hand, as the writer of the article noted, similar efforts to revive Cajun music and Irish music in the 1960s and afterwards proved successful.