Garifuna Settlement Day Celebration
About this Event
Garifuna Settlement Day Celebration
Join us at the Afri-Soul Education Center on November 21, 2026 at 2:00 PM (MST) to celebrate the rich Garifuna culture! This unique Afro-Indigenous heritage started back in 1635 on St. Vincent, where shipwrecked West Africans blended with Kalinago and Arawak peoples.
Despite forced exile in 1797, the Garifuna spread their vibrant traditions across Central America. November 19 marks their arrival in Belize in 1802, celebrated each year with boat reenactments, drumming, and singing.
Experience the spirit of their language, ancestral percussion rhythms like Punta music, and enjoy their delicious coconut fish stew. It’s a great chance to connect with a culture recognized by UNESCO for its resilience and creativity.
Garifuna Hudut Soup
Agenda
🕑: 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Drum Workshop
Info: Garifuna drum rhythms are the heartbeat of Garifuna culture, blending West African and Indigenous heritage into expressive beats used for celebration, storytelling, and sacred ancestor worship. You will learn Punta, the most famous Garifuna rhythm. It is a fast-paced, high-energy secular beat that drives rapid hip and foot movements in dancing. (It later inspired Punta Rock, which adds electric guitars and conch shell horns).
🕑: 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Garifuna Food Demonstration
Info: This comforting dish consists of a rich, aromatic coconut milk broth simmered with fresh herbs, garlic, onions, sweet bell peppers, and local spices. A whole fish, usually red snapper or grouper, is pan-fried until golden and crispy before being gently poached in the savory soup. Plantain accompanies this dish and is mashed in mortar. You will get hands on experience making this dish. This dish will be available to purchase. Send email to [email protected] to reserve your food.
🕑: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Panel Discussion: Garifuna History
Info: The Garifuna are a distinct Afro-Indigenous ethnic group whose history is a powerful narrative of shipwreck, resistance, forced exile, and cultural survival. Today, their vibrant diaspora stretches across the Caribbean coast of Central America and major cities in the United States. Garifuna natives will share how they keep the culture alive while living in America.
🕑: 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Punta Dance
Info: The Punta is the most famous traditional and celebratory dance of the Garifuna people. It is a high-energy, fast-paced courtship dance that serves as a profound expression of joy, survival, and communal bonding.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
