Wátina

When I first stepped onto Belizean soil in 1987 I could barely imagine this tiny country and its population of under 200,000 people could hide such superb cultural and natural riches. Belize is a stunning land sharing borders with Guatemala, Mexico and Honduras. It calls itself the Caribbeans of Central America yet its history reveals a unique mix between former British slaves, Arawaks, Caribs and Europeans. This is in large part attributable to the Garifuna, or Black Carib population that first arrived on its untamed shores in 1832.

I was immediately assailed by the complex nature of the music played by the Garifuna. It relies heavily on drum rhythms and call-and-response patterns that reflect the community’s roots in what we call today Nigeria, Congo and Angola. There were also the remarkable xylophone sounds emanating from the huge turtle shells that are strapped together and tied onto the chest of the musician. The songs were long and trance-like; they often would talk of work and ancestral traditions.

All these features (except the ‘xylophone’, perhaps) are reflected in Andy Palacio’s moving 12-track album “Watina”. Each song is based on Garifuna rhythms he has managed to resuscitate as part of his work in Belize’s Institute of Creative Arts of the Ministry of Culture. Here, he has been assisted in his quest by the ageless Paul Nabor (is that his voice on “Yagane”? It certainly is on “Ayo Da”) and several younger Garifuna artists like the talented Aurelio Martinez (check out his excellent solo album “Garifuna Soul”). And there is a helping hand from producer Ivan Duran, whose strumming of the electric guitar helps to blend the traditional beats with the modern riffs from the West. The best example of this, and arguably my favourite tune, is the swinging “Aguyuha Niduheñu” or “My People Have Moved On”.

And indeed they have. When I was enjoying the pulsating atmosphere of Belize City twenty years ago, it was swinging to pumping soca music and the gurgling first steps of punta rock. Palacio and Duran have rekindled the riches of the former’s Garifuna heritage for two decades now and this multi-generational CD is the most endearing result so far. Six years ago, Palacio and friends persuaded UNESCO to declare Garifuna culture “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”. Yet the threats to its existence continue to weigh, as the closing song “Amuñugü” emphasises: “Who will speak to me in Garifuna in times to come?” wails Palacio. “Who will perform the dügü? (a traditional healing ceremony bringing together family members – ed.)…We must preserve Garifuna culture now, lest we lose it altogether in times to come.”

With Palacio and Duran at the helm of an association of musicians called Garifuna Collective there remains a chance that such looming clouds are blown away. Duran is now completing “Umalali”, a project that brings together the best Garifuna women singers to revive their contribution to this Black Carib culture. It would be a fitting release to mark the 175th anniversary of their ancestors’ arrival in Dangriga on their yaganes, or canoes – the name of one of several fine compositions on this superb album.

February 2007

Daniel Brown

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