Dangriga and the Garinagu

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During our stay at Mamanoot's Backabush, a few of us ended up taking a daytrip into Dangriga in the Stann Creek District of Belize. There's not a whole lot to do in Dangriga (a few cool little bars, some decent restaurants), but the people who live in and around this little seaside community are worth mentioning.

Walking or driving around the town you'll be greeted with bright smiles and friendly waves from the locals as they go about their daily business on their cruiser bicycles. Picking up a conversation is easy, Dangrigans, like most Belizeans, are pretty easy going and happy to chat it up with just about anyone.

A significant portion of Dangriga's population is made up of the Garifuna people (Garinagu plural) who are of African and Amerindian decent. Their language is an incredible amalgamation of Arawak, Yoruba, Swahili, Bantu, Spanish, English and French, but they speak good ol' English as well, along with the local Belizean "Kriol."

In short, the Garifuna culture originally sprung up on the caribbean island of St. Vincent in the 1600s where escaped and shipwrecked African slaves "intermingled" with the local Caribs and got to making some babies. This cultural merger of the music and spirituality of Africa with those of the natives of St. Vincent also happened to be the birth of the Garifuna culture. In 1796, after an ugly series of disputes with British colonists, the Garinagu were exiled from their St. Vincent homes and relocated elsewhere in the caribbean. Struggling to survive, and hopping from island to island, they slowly made their way to Honduras. Following more persecution, a large portion of the Garinagu eventually found their way to Belize, which was the first country to grant them autonomy.

Dangriga is an important city to the Garifuna people as the landing point in their exodus from Honduras. They came via dugout canoes on November 19th, 1832. As you travel Belize you'll be sure to see old dugout canoes scattered all over the place: at restaurants, in hotels, I even saw one on top of a billboard sign. The event is celebrated annually across the country as Garifuna Settlement Day. If you're lucky enough to be in Dangriga during that time you will no doubt hear some of the most amazing drumming and punta music of your life. Supposedly the drums are audible all the way back to Mamanoot's in the jungle.

Punta music, or punta rock is the local music of choice; you'll hear it everywhere you go in Belize and it's purely a Garifuna creation. The punta rock sound is centered on unique and complex drum rhythms which make for some great booty shaking. It often comes paired with some hillariously cheesy (to my ear at least) synth thrown in to boot, though lately it's gotten back to its roots with acoustic intruments as well. If you get a chance to see some punta music while in Belize, don't pass it up, the drumming will rock your socks off. If you’re curious what punta music sounds like, Andy Palacio and the Garifuna Collective is as good a starting point as any. Palacio is probably the most well known punta musician out there right now and definitely worth checking out (find the newer stuff if you want to avoid the synth madness).

Besides being the focal point for the Garifuna culture in Belize, Dangriga is also an important travel hub. It has a small airport where you can hop a plane to other nearby destinations, or you can charter a boat out to any of the nearby cayes (pronounced keys) including Tobacco Caye, which I had the pleasure of visiting a few years ago. As you wait for a flight, make your way over to the fancy Pelican Beach Resort to grab a drink and a bite to eat. It's right next to the airport and has a nice beachfront dining area. It was a bit rainy when I was there, but what can you expect? In the tropics it's going to rain every now and again.

There's also a small thrift store in the middle of town that has some interesting stuff if you're into thrifting. And don't forget to check out some of the great store names (Blooming Dale's, the Price is Right Store), and the wonderful hand painted signs.

If you're considering it, it's definitely worth spending at least a few hours in Dangriga and exploring the town while you wait for a boat or a plane. Talk to the locals, they're unbelievably friendly and nice, and pick up a punta rock CD while your at it.

SAD NEWS UPDATE: I'm extremely sorry to say that I just found out punta rocker, and award winning musician, Andy Palacio died of a stroke and heart attack this past week on the 19th of January at the age of 47.
Link to NY Times Obituary