Wabaruagoun is the Garifuna word for “Forward” and on Friday, June 21, 2024, the Belize City House of Culture witnessed the presence of plethora of educators and leaders interested in updating their knowledge of the Garifuna Culture.
The Wabaruagoun group, led by Mrs. Arreini Palacio Morgan, Mrs. I. Myrtle Palacio, and Mr. E. Roy Cayetano extended an invitation to educators in Belize to the symposium to receive an emic perspective of who are the Garifuna people and what is Garifuna culture from the experts themselves, I. Myrtle Palacio and E. Roy Cayetano.
The objectives of this symposium were achieved through presentations entitled A People’s Story: From Enslavement and Indigeneity to Kalinago and Garinagu and A Walk-Through Garifuna Spirituality by I. Myrtle Palacio and Garifuna in this Decade of Indigenous Languages: Implications in Education by E. Roy Cayetano.
Secondary level teachers in attendance were able to obtain Professional Development hours for their participation in this educational exercise through collaborative efforts with the Ministry of Education.
Subsequently to the presentations, a revised edition of the Primer on the People Called Garifuna, written by I. Myrtle Palacio, was presented to representatives of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology, the Belize National Library Service and Information System, the National Institute of Culture and History, the National Garifuna Council and to all participants that were present.
The Primer on the People Called Garifuna is set to be distributed to schools nationally and is also available online at this link: THE PRIMER ON THE PEOPLE CALLED GARIFUNA
Here are a few more photography highlights from the symposium:
Written by Sigourney Allen
NICH-ISCR: Research and Education Assistant
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