The hidden beauty of Garifuna Belize
Lebawit Lily Girma
August 20, 2013
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/20/travel/garifuna-belize/
Lebawit Lily Girma
August 20, 2013
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/20/travel/garifuna-belize/
The Garifuna culture is a rare relatively unheard of culture. Located in southern Belize, the Garifunas live mainly in the Toledo district. One of the smallest groups in the country, they make up just
4% of a total population of around 325,000. The Garifuna are descendants of Carib Indians and West
Africans who escaped Spanish slave ships wrecked off the coast of St. Vincent
in 1635. The language of the Garifuna's is becoming extinct due to the "embarrassment" children have with it. Tremendous efforts are being put fourth in order to save it.
The article really shocked me. I have never heard of the Garifunas before. I am a little surprised that the culture originated from slaves escaping a shipwreck back in 1635. They swam to shore and found a spot which they thought would be sufficient for colonization. They must have known what they were doing with around 325,000 people still around nearly 400 years later. I am proud of their efforts in attempting to keep their language going and passing it down from generation to generation even though the majority of Belizean people do not speak it.
The Garifuna culture is one of many in Belize. A diversity of cultures is big in Belizean beliefs. Appearing the way they did from a shipwreck and continuing life is important for Belize in showing what kind of people they have there. No matter what the circumstances are, they will try and accomplish the inevitable. The continuation of the Garifuna language is important in Belize because without it the tales told from generation to generation will never be able to be understood again with nobody being able to translate it.
The article really shocked me. I have never heard of the Garifunas before. I am a little surprised that the culture originated from slaves escaping a shipwreck back in 1635. They swam to shore and found a spot which they thought would be sufficient for colonization. They must have known what they were doing with around 325,000 people still around nearly 400 years later. I am proud of their efforts in attempting to keep their language going and passing it down from generation to generation even though the majority of Belizean people do not speak it.
The Garifuna culture is one of many in Belize. A diversity of cultures is big in Belizean beliefs. Appearing the way they did from a shipwreck and continuing life is important for Belize in showing what kind of people they have there. No matter what the circumstances are, they will try and accomplish the inevitable. The continuation of the Garifuna language is important in Belize because without it the tales told from generation to generation will never be able to be understood again with nobody being able to translate it.