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It is sung in a language few will understand but strangely remains easily accessible. The language is Garifuna and spoken by the people of the same name. In 1695, two European ships crashed off the coast of St Vincent in the Caribbean; its cargo of slaves from West Africa managed to reach land and quickly integrated with the locals. The fiercely independent Garifuna didn’t take kindly to British attempts at colonisation and were exiled, eventually making their way to Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Belize, where Palacio comes from.

The Garifuna may have managed to survive Europeans’ attempts to kill them off but globalisation is proving a more pervasive enemy. The African style villages in which many once lived are rapidly disappearing, as is the language they speak.

Belizean musician and producer Ivan Duran has dedicated the last ten years to his attempt to popularise and preserve his country’s rich musical history — he has found the perfect partner in Andy Palacio. While he has released over a dozen albums on his Stonetree label Palacio was on his own mission to inspire Belize’s youth through punta rock, a dance beat inspired by Garifuna rhythms. Duran convinced Palacio to ditch the commercial sounds and concentrate on more traditional Garifuna beats. Wátina is the product.

Palacio is the lead singer on half the twelve tracks while the rest are divvied up among six others, the most notable being veteran Paul Nabor. The album draws on the musical talents of Honduras, Guatemala and Belize, and features a multi-generational line-up.

As you would expect from an album sung in a language you can’t understand and by a people you probably haven’t heard of the music is refreshingly new. It is also an easy listen; it draws you in but fails to tire. The sound is Afro-Latin with a distinctively Caribbean slant.

If Andy Palacio’s giant grin beaming out from the album cover is not enough to make you smile his music certainly will.

Link:
Garifuna music (Wikipedia)