Syncopated New York 2007-Belize

Garifuna

Arrival day: July 13, 2007

v -When we first arrived in Belize, it looked very different starting from the time we arrived at the airport. We had to walk down steps from the plane, not straight to the terminal. I thought it was strange how we couldn’t take pictures when we were coming off the plane. The ride to Hopkins Village was very long. I didn’t like it because the van was very packed. When we got to the Cabana, I was happy because I have never seen cabanas before, and they were next to the beach. It’s been a while since I’ve been to the beach. Chelsea L.

v Belize is so beautiful. It is so amazing to see tropical trees, mountains, dirt roads, and waterfalls. I just love it! Some of the houses out here look like people are living in poverty, but otherwise, I love the sights. Kai B.

v The group just got to the cabins and they look very pretty. I am sharing a room with Matt. We are the only boys on this trip. We unpacked our clothes and now we are just chilling out, talking and having fun. Sekou R.

Day 2: July 14, 2007

Mabuiga,

Today started in a wonderful way. We all had a good night’s rest. We woke up feeling refreshed. What would often be the difficult of task of waking up a group of young people early in the morning was not difficult at all. In fact some students were up before the wake up call at 7 am. The group gathered to eat breakfast, and was treated to a tasty meal that included scrambled eggs, fried jacks, refried beans, avocado, and orange juice.

Today began our first interaction with the Garifuna youth. Our visit coincided with the 9th annual Garifuna Youth Conference that took place in Georgetown Village. Georgetown Village is a very small Garifuna community with approximately thirty families residing there. It is the only Garifuna village that is inland. All the other villages are located along the coast. Phyllis Cayetano, the woman who helped me arrange the exchange program, chartered a bus to take our group, along with Garifuna youth from Dangriga and other Garifuna villages, to the conference.

When we arrived at the Georgetown Culture Center, the Georgetown community, as well as, participants of the conference, welcomed us. First, Phyllis Cayetano talked about the cultural exchange program, and she then asked me to talk about Speaking in Rhythms.

We arrived on the second day of the conference. It began yesterday evening, and will end tomorrow afternoon. This three-day conference is intended to address some of the issues that face the Garifuna community, and also to celebrate and preserve the Garifuna culture. A dance/drumming group entertained us. Following the performance was a workshop about leadership.

After lunch, we left the workshop to go back to Hopkins Village. The students, along with the chaperones, spent the afternoon on the beach, which is a few feet away from the Whistling Seas, the place we are staying at.

We just ate dinner, and in a few moments, we will drive into Dangriga to see a concert featuring Punta Rock artists.

v Today was our second day in Belize. We went to a Garifuna meeting, which I thought was interesting. When we arrived at the meeting, there were a lot of people, so I took that as a sign that the meeting would be good. And it actually was. The Garifuna people were dancing and having fun, and I guess I was too.

At night, we went to a concert that was very, very nice. There was a very good sound system, and the performers performed great songs. Sekou R.

v Today we went to a Garifuna youth conference. The experience was very different. The people spoke a different language, and the place where people met didn’t have any air conditioning or tiles on the floor. It was funny how people cheered when they heard something they liked. The place was extremely hot, and uncomfortable. DeVeor asked me to get a drum and play with the Garifuna drummers. I didn’t want to play, but I did any way. Chelsea L.

v In the morning, we went to a youth conference. There were many people there introducing themselves, giving speeches, and dancing. I really started getting interested when I heard a man give a speech about leadership. I liked how the people had a discussion about their beliefs and argued their points. I also liked the performance. The way they dance here is different from the way people dance in the USA. Knowing about the Garifuna culture before the trip to Belize made it easier to understand what was going on.

At night, we went to a concert called Explosion. When we first got to the concert, there weren’t a lot of people, but as time passed, more and more people came. The thing I liked about the concert was how people were not afraid to open themselves up and dance in front of all the people that were there. I thought that made the concert more entertaining. People at the concert were all the same. I guess it’s because of the culture. I thought the performances were very good. The songs were sung in the Garifuna language, but I noticed that Spanish words were also used in the lyrics. Nicole M.

Day 3: July 15, 2007

Ida Biangui (What’s up)

Today most of us woke up feeling quite tired after hanging out in Dangriga last night. We went to see a concert that was a homecoming for Andy Palacio and the Garifuna Collective. Andy Palacio is a world-renowned Punta Rock artist. The Garifuna Collective is a collaboration of various Punta Rock artists. The homecoming concert was a celebration of the artists’ return home after touring the USA, Canada, and Europe. In fact, Andy Palacio and the Garifuna Collective performed in New York City about two weeks ago at S.O.Bs. We dismissed the curfew rules, so that the students could see the concert. We stayed at the concert until 12:00am.

We woke up today prepared to go to one of the Mayan Ruins. Mr. Elwin Ariola, our driver, drove us to the Xunantunich (stone lady) archeological site. We rode for two hours before we reached the Mopan River in San Ignacio, a town in the Cayo District of Belize. We then had to take a ferry across the Mopan River to get to Xunantunich. We met our tour guide, Dino Jimenez, who guided us through the archeological site. We learned so much about the Mayans, and how they lived thousands of years ago. We even climbed to the top of the largest temple in the compound. That was such an experience. Mr. Ariola provided us with a very special treat. After we left the Xunantunich Archeological site, we went to the border of Belize and Guatemala. We were able to cross the boarder, but were only able to go to no man’s land, which is the area that divides Belize and Guatemala.

After such a fulfilling morning and early afternoon, we went to Hodes Restaurant. The food was simply delicious. As we headed back to Hopkins Village, Mr. Ariola introduced us to many attractions of Belize, such as, The Sleeping Giant, which is an image that is created by three mountain ranges. He pointed out the cotton wood tree (the national tree of Guatemala), and he had us experience an optical illusion of a downgrade located on an incline. Day three of the Speaking in Rhythms’ trip to Belize was a wonderful adventure.

v Today we went the city of Xunantunich. It was a very nice. The experience of climbing the temples was exhilarating. We went all the way to the top. The tour guide gave us a lot of information before we climbed up the temple. He told us about the Mayans and a game that they played with a ball in which the players hit the ball with their elbows, hips and feet to get the ball into a hoop. The losing teams would be sacrificed to the god of Shebalba. I thought it was very weird to be sacrificed because someone lost a game. Kai B.

v Today we went to the Mayan grounds. We climbed up one of the temples that was really high. I was kinda scared because it was steep, and it reminded me of this dream I had. The dream was about me climbing up a hill, but I could do it. After I climbed the temple, I felt like I could do anything! The thing that helped me climb up was remembering something I read on the internet. It said, “When climbing up a hill your are trying to reach your goals.” I liked being on top of the temple, but I didn’t want to stay up there for long because the wind was getting kind of strong. Chelsea L.

Day 4: July 16, 2007

Ida Biangi? (How are you?),

I am writing you early today because the first day of the workshop ended about twenty minutes ago. The primary purpose for the workshop was to have students from both Speaking in Rhythms and Belize to come together and have a musical, social, and cultural exchange. The students from Belize participated in a workshop that James Lovell facilitated in 2005. James Lovell is the same person who taught members of Speaking in Rhythms how to play Garifuna music in New York. We had the workshop in Hopkins Village. All of the Belizean students came from Dangriga, a town 21 miles away from Hopkins. Approximately 20 students came to the workshop.

The workshop provided such a wonderful exchange. Phyllis Cayetano made arrangements to bring the children from Dangriga. She started the workshop with a welcome, and introduced Da Kuta (Serita Castille), the president of the Hopkins’ Chapter of the National Garifuna Council. Da Kuta welcomed us and said a few words. Mrs. Cayetano gave us a brief history of the Garifuna people as she told us of the survival of the Garifuna language and expressed how important it was to preserve the language. She taught us a few Garifuna words and phrases like good morning (buiti binafi), thank you (serime), and have a nice day (buidu la buweri). Because preserving the language is so important to the Garifuna people, the Garifuna children where asked to introduce themselves and then say something in their language. The students from Speaking in Rhythms had to introduce themselves and say something in Garifuna that they just learned. That went very well.

We then moved on to the next part of the workshop. There were some young Garifuna drummers who were participating in this workshop. They were asked to play paranda, a Garifuna rhythm. I then selected a Garifuna phrase, buiti binafi, and used that as the basis of creating a song using the paranda rhythms. We had so much fun making up this song.

Only the Garifuna drummers and members of Speaking in rhythms participated in the afternoon session of the workshop. The other participants left after the morning session. The purpose of the afternoon session was to develop music compositions that incorporated the Garifuna rhythms. This became a music- making experience in which the students were teaching each other. The members of the Speaking in Rhythms taught two compositions that were composed during the workshop in New York, and the Garifuna drummers taught members of Speaking in Rhythms two Garifuna rhythms. They developed a sketch of two compositions. For the next four days they will work on producing strong pieces to perform by the end of the week.

I forgot to tell you how we started the day. The wake up call was at 7:00am. At around 7:15am, we did an exercise routine. I led the routine, but when I needed to take pictures of the group do exercises, Yasmine took over.

Day 5: July 17, 2007

v Today we were in Dangriga for the workshop. For the first session, we learned about Paranda. Paranda is a style of music that is used to tell about social, economic and political issues. We then learned a traditional paranda song. In the second session, we put different parts of the music we were working on together. The people who were playing melodic parts had to learn how to play the melody to the Paranda song. That took a long time. It was hot and I started getting sleepy. When they finally got it, I really enjoyed playing even though I broke the skin on my finger and I got blisters-all for the love of music. Chelsea L.

v I think that the workshop was great and fun. It was a wonderful learning experience. I liked how everyone had so much energy and how people were into the music. I thought that learning a new song was going to take a long time to learn, but it wasn’t. It was nice how we were helping the little kids learn Miss Mary Mack, the song and hand game. I had a wonderful time. Nicole M.

Day 6: July 18, 2007

v Today’s workshop felt a like deja vu. We came to the same place at the same time with the same people and almost doing the same thing as yesterday. Matt P.

v Today we went to do the workshop. It was fun. We were basically going over what we were doing yesterday. Today we learned about the Garifuna at a time when they were exiled from St. Vincent. We learned that exile means to get banned out of your country. We talked about what home means; it is somewhere where you feel safe. Home is where you fee comfortable and where you rest your head. Chelsa L.

v Today we went to the workshop again, and well we did the same thing as yesterday. We played the paranda song, Miss Marry Mack, and we learned a song for the punta rhythm. I really liked the song. It was nice. By the way, today was my birthday. At the workshop, we had a small celebration with cake and ice cream. Everyone at the workshop sang Happy Birthday to me. I liked the way people celebrated my birthday; it made me feel special. Sekou R.

Day 7: July 19, 2007

v Once again another workshop, but today Brad had his day off. Before we headed into Dangriga, we dropped him off so he could go hiking. When we got to the workshop, James taught us a punta song. This song was one of my favorites. The one thing that I especially liked about the song was that Nicole and I did a call and response to it. We also fused Miss Mary Mack with one of the Garifuna rhythms. Kai B.

v Today was the 4^th day of the workshop, and it was a long day if you asked me. Interacting with the people of Dangriga, particularly with the children made, me realize the cultural differences are not so far apart. They are actually the same. There are a couple of major differences such as terminology and language. I think those two are the most obvious. Even though the Garifuna people speak English, as well as their own language, they pronounce some English words very differently from how I speak. Some of the words they used have a slightly different meaning than how we use them in the United States. Matt P.

v Today, at the workshop, we added another part to a song. I liked how the two parts went together like it was just one whole song. It was actually two different songs made into one. I’m really, really liking this learning experience. In the morning we were not fully energized, but by the time we came back from the break, it seemed like we drank some type of strong energy drink. This workshop gets better and better everyday. Nicole M.

Day 8: July 20, 2007

Greetings Everyone,

I am sorry I was unable to email you yesterday. The Internet café was closed. I am writing you on the last day of the workshop. The past two days were very eventful. Yesterday, James Lovell, Phyllis Cayetano, and I were interviewed on a local radio station owned and operated by the National Garifuna Council. It was a very exciting experience. Today the three of us were interviewed on a national Belizean radio station. The interview will be aired during the newscast all day today, and tomorrow.  During the interview we talked about the development, the collaborations, the participants, and the format of the workshop.  I spoke about Speaking in Rhythms, and the Syncopated New York Project.  Phyllis Cayetano hosted a lunch for us today, and we were able to hear the interview.  It was really exciting hearing our voices on the radio. The past two days of the workshop focused on preparing for Sunday’s performance.  We are performing three compositions.  There are over 50 children who will be performing with us on Sunday.  Today, a special guest came by the cultural center to see us.  Andy Palacio, the number one Punta Rock artist, stopped by and saw some of the rehearsal.  He then talked to the children about preserving their culture. He was a very inspirational.

Day 9: July 21, 2007

Reflections

v Being in Belize for a little over a week has made me get a real feel of the Garifuna culture. Compared to New York, everyday activity is less hectic, and more relaxed. I’m thankful that we stayed by the coastline to feel the cool breeze. Sometimes the heat was unbearable for me, but I managed not to let the heat get to me. Socializing with the youth so close to my age showed me that we are basically the same. We have the same interest in music, sports, and other things. Matt P.

v Wow! Being in Belize is so amazing. Having a cultural exchange was different. Learning new things from different people was nice and working with the little ones was amazing. This overall experience has taught me many new things that I will never forget. Meeting new people here was not as difficult as I thought it would be. It was actually memorable. Kai B.

v For the past 7 days, this experience has been a good one, but that is not what I thought at first. On the first day of the workshop I thought this workshop would be very, very boring, and we wouldn’t accomplish anything because we didn’t really do anything. On the second day of the workshop I actually couldn’t wait to leave, but then we did a paranda piece and it sounded so tight. The Paranda is a traditional Garifuna style of music. James Lovell is a Garifuna singer and teacher. DeVeor Rainey is my mom and the director of the Speaking in Rhythms Percussion Ensemble. We learned a paranda song and we combined it with one of the Speaking in Rhythms’ song. I was so amazed by the way it turned out that I couldn’t wait to do another song. Sekou R.

v Overall, I think this has been a very good trip. Although sometimes I go frustrated and tired, it was a very good learning experience. The workshops for the last five days were fun. It was tiring but we learned new songs and techniques. Everywhere we went we took a car, and the guy who was driving us around told us about the history of Belize. The roads were very bumpy so that made the ride exciting. I stayed in the room with Yasmine, Nicole and Kai. It was fun, even though we had some tough times when we were arguing about some stupid stuff. It was still fun. Chelsea L.

v Being in Belize for these past days has been a great experience. The people and places have been great. When I first arrived in Belize, I knew that it was going to be a great trip, but when we started the workshop and going to different places, it was better than great. I can’t even describe it. What I really liked about the trip was the workshop and going to the Mayan ruins. I think that being in the workshop helped me to gain more skills. We learned new songs and worked together a lot on fusing songs by Speaking in Rhythms with songs from the Garifuna culture. I hope that one day I will be able to come back to Belize. Nicole M.