Garifuna Settlement Day is tomorrow and as is the tradition in the
city there will be a renactment of the arrival of the Garifunas known as Yurumei
at 7:30 a.m. at the Court House Wharf. But the celebration starts with drumming
tonight at the Memorial Park. In fact – Trudy Cuthkelvin from the Belize
City Branch of the National Garifuna Council says there will be six hours of
non-stop drumming starting at midnight.
Trudy Cuthkelvin, Belize City Branch – NGC
“Tonight is going to be activities having to do with storytelling,
poetry, dancing, singing, and drumming. All of these will be contests so anyone
who is interested in partaking, you can partake in that and we will have a lot
of prizes and giveaways for tonight. Come twelve midnight, the music will stop
from Hard Rock Sounds and it is going to be drumming until tomorrow morning
at 6:30 to start the re-enactment which is the Yurumei, the arrival of the Garifuna
people on Belizean shores. That is going to start at 6:30. They will go out
at sea and come in for 7:30 at the Court House Wharf.
From Court House Wharf there are going to parade to Holy Redeemer Cathedral
where we will have the thanksgiving mass. After the thanksgiving mass tomorrow
we are going to Memorial Park. That will be all day jamming until six and we
are going to have Griga Boys there, we are going to have the official crowning
of our queen Kathleen Sabal by Daedra Gentle. So tomorrow we will also have
activities out there at Memorial Park.”
And while that’s what’s happening in the city, Garifuna
Settlement Day activities will be held all across Belize – literally from
Corozal to Punta Gorda. Of course, the heart of it is in the south, the culture
capital, Dangriga. And as we close on this 18th night, we take a look at some
past celebrations, set to the music of Paul Nabor’s anthemic Naguya Nei.
Have a joyous 19th.
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