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These high school kids were up early preparing for the
next day's Settlement Day, which commemorates the 1832
Garifuna arrival in Belize from Honduras. People re-enact
the landing in rowboats, and everything's festooned with
vines and palm fronds. I was still groggy, but the kids
were having a blast.
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On Settlement Day, three boats arrive at dawn from the
Caribbean, full of men and women who've been out drumming
and celebrating all night. Everyone's wild and drunk and
exhausted.
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I thought about getting on the boat with my cameraman,
but the whole re-enactment is about escaping the British,
so why should they let two white guys on board?
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The music at the Catholic church for the Settlement Day
mass was a strange, mellow mix of Garifuna rhythms and
psalms. Sort of Christian rock, Garifuna style. Worshippers
made offerings of bananas and grapefruit.
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Aurelio Martinez is a sweet Garifuna guy in his 30s, from
Honduras. He is one of the youngest Paranda players and
has definite star quality. He's performed in Central America
and Europe, but this was his first concert in Belize --
which he thought of as the mothership of the Garifuna
people.
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