By Belize Live News Staff: With Garifuna Settlement Day less than two weeks away, the Punta Gorda branch of the National Garifuna Council is raising concerns about funding.
The Peini branch says the National Garifuna Council received $60,000 from NICH last month, on top of an annual subvention of $60,000. Of that combined $120,000, the PG branch says it received only $2,000.
Normally, the branch says, it receives $2,900 from the annual subvention to help stage its November celebrations. This year, it says that money never arrived.
As a result, the branch is warning the public that some parts of its celebrations will be significantly reduced.
Garifuna Settlement Day, observed on November 19, marks the arrival of the Garinagu in Belize in 1832 and is one of the country’s most important cultural celebrations. Communities across the south, including Punta Gorda, Dangriga, Hopkins, Seine Bight and Barranco, hold re enactments, drumming, dancing and church services.
Despite the shortfall, the PG branch said it is still hopeful that the rest of its activities will proceed as planned.
The National Garifuna Council has not yet commented on how the funds were distributed.
