That march led to the Memorial Park for the official ceremony to commemorate
Garifuna Settlement Day. November 19th has been an official holiday since 1977
and in its 32nd year the call for renewal was stronger than ever.
Ernest Castro, President – National Garifuna Council
“He reminded us and very eloquently about the call of our ancestors
and encapsulated that call in the plaintive message of his song. I will just
read a few lyrics from that song: ‘I wonder who will bake cassava bread
for us in times to come. I wonder who will speak to me in Garifuna in times
to come. I wonder who will sing to me in times to come. I wonder who will heal
us with the dugu in times to come.’ Our ancestors fought to remain Garifuna.
Why must we be the ones to lose our culture. Let us not do it.”
“Who among us will take the baton now from Andy P and carry on the
role of preserving Garifuna culture and language? This I believe is important 
since in order to answer the call we must first be cognizant of the language,
the culture, and the way of life. How will the next generation be able to answer
the call then if they are not able to understand the language in which the call
is issued?”
Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister of Belize
“We continue to congratulate Garinagus then on this and every Settlement
Day for their efforts to preserve and promote their culture and for lodging
that culture so firmly and beneficently within the larger Belizean society.
I close then by endorsing and embracing the theme adopted by the National Garifuna
Council this year: Watina – let us answer the call of our ancestors.”
The marking of a Settlement Day first started in 1941 and the first
holiday was in 1943 but that was only observed in Stann Creek.
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