Aurelio Martinez got a major putdown this week when the Belize Tourism Board apologized for choosing his song as the backing music for its own promotional video.
Well yesterday, the record producer Belizean Ivan Duran sounded off on facebook about the decision. He says , quote, "I'm really saddened to see some Belizeans treat Aurelio as a foreigner, Aurelio has done a lot to promote Belize and Garifuna culture throughout the world and he has been a key player, along with Andy Palacio and Paul Nabor in internationalizing the new 'sound of Belize.'"
Duran adds, "Aurelio, is in great part responsible for "saving" Paranda music in Belize...Aurelio has always been treated as a distinguished honorary citizen of this country and he has always represented us proudly."
And, Duran concludes,
"The song is question was recorded and produced in Belize, with Belizean musicians, sound engineers and music producers, furthermore, the copyright of this recording is owned by a Belizean record company. This recording is 100% Belizean, not only because of who owns the rights, but also because it represents an authentic Belizean sound which was conceived and created in Belize."
Duran closes with a question,
"Is the song Belizean? The answer is yes. Does it sound Belizean? The answer again is yes."
Martinez, who is presently in Belize and met with the Minister of Tourism on Wednesday, is, we are told, deeply hurt by the public uproar over the use of his song "Santo Negro." He declined an interview.
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