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| Iris Velasquez
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| Lucy Velasquez
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| Elsy Soriano
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Aban Nasium, Aban Wanichigu, Aba Wagucha -
The Garifuna Nation is One Culture and Roots" is the official theme for
this year's Garifuna Settlement Day Celebrations. Garifuna people and
their culture play a great role in this country. They are a large portion
of the multi-cultural races living in Belize. Every year on November
19th, they celebrate what is now known as Garifuna Settlement Day, a
national holiday which honors the day that these people landed in Belize.
Led by Alejo Beni in the year 1832, most of the Garifunas settled in the
southern part of the country where they made their homes. Today, the
population has expanded throughout the country, where they share their
intricate traditions and way of life. San Pedro, Ambergris Caye has also
had its fair share of Garifunas who have chosen the island as their home.
Every year we honor this day with celebrations throughout town. This
year, a team of hardworking individuals have laid plans to make the
festivities this year bigger and better.
On November 13th, 1999, the first Miss Garifuna San
Pedro Pageant will take place at Central Park. Six lovely contestants
will compete for the title. The pageant, which will be a cultural one,
will showcase the participants displaying their traditional dresses,
dances and displays of lifestyle. The stage itself will be decorated the
way the Garinagu celebrate, with coconut palms, ground food, Garifuna
utensils, drums and of course, the Garifuna flag.
The contestants will be judged by a panel of five
judges; two from Belize City and three from San Pedro. The girls will be
required to appear on stage six times and throughout this time will try
to impress the judges by portraying the real picture of a Garifuna young
lady. Some of the performances by the girls will include the Hungu hungu
which is a mild dance that will serve as the girl's introduction. They
will also perform the Chumba which is a creative dance depicting the
Garinagu's everyday work like fishing, washing and making Cassava bread.
All this is done by action and no words. Another dance will be the
Paranda, which is a graceful, social dance. The girls will also perform a
talent presentation.
The six contestants are Margarita Medina, Lucy
Velasquez, Iris Velasquez, Elsy Soriano, Amancia Martinez and Sara
Castillo. The six young ladies will be traveling to Belize City on
November 6th to witness the Miss Garifuna National Contest. One of the
six San Pedro contestants will be chosen to represent San Pedro that
evening but will not compete for the title. The winner of this year's San
Pedro competition will then compete in the National Pageant held in the
year 2000.
The San Pedro pageant is scheduled to commence at 7:00
p.m. and will feature Spanish and English translators throughout the
pageant. If anyone or any business is interested in sponsoring any of the
girls or contributing towards the celebrations, they can do so by
contacting a member of the committee. The Queen Committee is spearheaded
by Mrs. Julia Martinez and consists of Joseph Eligio, Debbie Spain,
Joanne Nuñez, Elsy Soriano and Alex Noralez.
The general public is invited to join the Garifuna of
San Pedro and be witness to a wonderful celebration. More information on
the pageant and the Garifuna Settlement Day Celebrations will follow in
upcoming issues of the San Pedro
Sun
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| Amancia Martinez
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| Margarita Medina
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