Garifuna Project

The Garifuna Save the Language Project

With the failed plans to oppress and exterminate the Garinagu/ Garifuna/ Black Caribs/ Kalinago people, 200 years of culture dance, music and language, the Garinagu/ Garifuna people— have fought four wars against submission of slavery and colonization against the British and the French.

According to UNECSO, there were 10, 000 languages that arrived to Americas (North, South and Central America) – 2,000 arrived to Brazil – 1,500 African languages arrived in the United States, and were all destroyed; in the Caribbean 1,000 languages arrived, and only the Garifuna language has survived 200 years later.

The indigenous Garinagu people of Belize are facing extinction of their language and culture—that intangible heritage needs urgent safeguarding. In 2001, UNESCO Proclaimed the Garifuna language, music and dance “Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”. The Garinagu people are determined to preserve their culture and language and they need your help to do it!

The Garifuna Culture has been given the same status as precious, natural and cultural sites such as the Statue of Liberty, the Pyramids of Egypt and the Belize Barrier Reef”

This is a Call to Action. Rotary Club of the Southland is seeking your partnership to safeguard this endangered intangible Heritage—The Garifuna Language and Culture—as one of Rotary’s initiative, for education.

Our goal is to raise $2,000,000 to build a library to safeguard this Intangible Heritage. The Garinagu people need your help, or Culture will be lost forever.