Garifuna Panel Discussion Addresses Social Issues

Today, the Belize City branch of the National Garifuna Council held a panel discussion on pertinent social issues affecting the Garifuna community. The event was held at the University of Belize Global Campus on Princess Margaret Drive and forms a part of the events leading up to the celebration of settlement day on the 19th. Panelists at the session included attorney and former Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley, as well as career nurse and lecturer Matthew Martinez. Bradley’s presentation focused on land and addressed the issues of general land rights, indigenous land rights, and land grants and representations given to the Garinagu when they settled in Belize. He stressed that the law in Belize can be discriminatory to certain cultural groups, including the Garifuna, and that Belize needs to develop systems that acknowledge how cultural groups deal with land ownership. 

Martinez’s presentation focused on the issue of culture and how keeping culture alive comes down to ensuring that it is practiced and taught to children. He called on Garifuna youth to take on their responsibility to ensure the survival of Garifuna culture in the generations to come. 

The National Garifuna Council is celebrating this year’s November Celebrations under the theme, Our Land, Our Culture, Our Future: Involving our youth for Garifuna survival after 200 years in Belize