Measured by awards, chart listings and critical acclaim, Garifuna artists have a high profile on the world music scene, even though their community numbers less than one percent of the population in the Central American countries—Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and Nicaragua—they call home. At the center of this small Afro-Indigenous civilization is the Belize-based Garifuna Collective … More The Garifuna Collective: Aban
Aurelio Martínez, the greatest living Garifuna singer-songwriter, has a powerful, velvety voice and infectious energy, but there is more fueling his inner flame than passion for music: He is trying to preserve his culture and language. The Garifuna people emerged when shipwrecked African slaves found refuge on St. Vincent Island in the Caribbean and mixed with indigenous Arawak Indians. The British deported their descendants to Central America; the Garifuna today live in Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua … More Aurelio: Darandi
The Garifuna people emerged on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent when African slaves intermarried with Carib and Arawak Indians. Deported to Roatán, off the coast of Honduras, they eventually spread to the Central American mainland. With their hybrid heritage—physical appearance closer to their African roots and language derived from Island Carib—they created a rich musical culture. … More Aurelio: Lándini
