The Garifuna Nation Goes from Belize to Baliceaux

The Garifuna Nation recently returned from a trip to North America and the Caribbean aimed at celebrating the achievements of Indigenous Peoples in different communities. The first stop was in Los Angeles, California, where the group attended a ten-day conference about Rights in the Americas, which was coordinated by the University of California, Los Angeles. Some of the topics of discussion included the different challenges and difficulties that the Garinagu face in today’s day and age.  The second stop was in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where a delegation visited Baliceaux Island (Bali-sow) where Garífuna was held after losing to the British in War in 1796. Ambassador at Large of the Garifuna Nation, Cynthia Ellis-Topsey, explains that several members of the international Garifuna community have called for the island to be declared a sacred heritage site for the Garifuna people from around the world.