Garífuna Cultural presentation in Livingston, Guatemala. Presentación cultural en Livingston

From the Formative or Preclassic period: (2,500 BC-300 AD). The Arawaks and Caribs are mentioned among the first inhabitants of the Americas, 2 groups from which the Garifuna People ethnically and culturally descend. Our history does not begin at the time of transatlantic African slavery. It is necessary to emphasize that the Garífunas had already established themselves as a nation long before the European presence in the Americas. When we say that we are a people that resists throughout history, we mean to a number of struggles that we have had to face to preserve our culture in all its expressions, approximately 2000 years BC and our Arawak and Caribbean ancestors inhabited all the territorial areas of the Caribbean. It is not until the Post classical period: (900 AD until the arrival of the Spanish in 1492). That we began a hard fight with those forces in defense of what until now we knew as Freedom and Autonomy, such was the fight of our ancestors that Yurumein was the last Island to be colonized, however in exile and current migration we have continued resisting and preserving our millennial culture. Being Garífuna is more than knowing how to move your hips to dance punta or eat a delicious machuca, being Garífuna is synonymous with struggle, resistance, freedom, autonomy, history and preservation; The blood of brave people runs through our veins.
Today many struggle with their identity or deny our history, we are ashamed of speaking our millennial language because the systemic forces of a colonial, racist and classist legacy have put into our psyche the shame of what we truly are, if we understood and were aware of What we represent were the human beings most proud of being what we are, those of us who are based on the spiritual know that Bungiu Baba has never abandoned us and has been with us in each of our stages. Today, in the digital age, many things concerning us as a people have become polarized, we have a tremendous internal struggle that needs to be brought to the table and see what we can do together to seek preservation mechanisms and strategies that guide us towards the future. Today in Guatemala we commemorate the 221st anniversary of the arrival of the first Garífunas to Labuga (Gulfu Iyumon) and it is necessary to make a deep analysis based on the reality that we face, free of polarized and Westernized individualistic thinking, today we must seek true solutions to the problems we face; This will never be the struggle of an individual, this is the struggle of an entire People that today is dispersed throughout the coastal strip of Central America and with a great presence in the interior of the countries where they are also found in the American Union and other places. geographical in the world.
Spanish…
Desde El periodo Formativo o Preclásico: (2,500 AC-300 DC). Se menciona entre los primeros habitantes de las Américas a los Arawakos y Caribes, 2 grupos de los cuales étnica y culturalmente desciende el Pueblo Garífuna.
Nuestra historia no inicia en la época de la esclavitud trasatlántica africana, es necesario enfatizar que los Garífunas ya se habían constituido como nación mucho antes de la presencia europea en las Américas, cuando decimos que somos un pueblo que resiste a través de la historia nos referimos a un si número de luchas que hemos tenido que enfrentar para preservar nuestra cultura en todas su expresiones, 2000 años aproximadamente AC ya nuestros antepasados Arawakos y Caribes habitaban toda las áreas territoriales del Caribe.
No es hasta El periodo Post clásico: (900 DC hasta la llegada de los españoles en 1492). Que empezamos una dura lucha con esas fuerzas en defensa de lo que hasta el momento conocíamos como Libertad y Autonomía, tal fue la lucha de nuestros antepasados que Yurumein fue la última Isla en ser colonizada, más sin embargo en el destierro y actual migración hemos seguido resistiendo y preservando nuestra milenial cultura.
Ser Garífuna va más haya de saber mover la caderas para bailar punta o comer una rica machuca, ser Garífuna es sinónimo de lucha, resistencia, libertad, autonomía, historia y preservación; por nuestras venas corre sangre de gente valiente.
Hoy en Guatemala conmemoramos 221 del arribo de los primeros Garífunas a Labuga (Gulfu Iyumon) y es menester hacer un análisis profundo fundamentado en la realidad que enfrentamos libre de un pensamiento individualista polarizado y occidentalizado, hoy debemos buscar verdaderas soluciones a las problemáticas que enfrentamos; esto jamas será la lucha de un individuo esto es la lucha de todo un Pueblo que hoy se encuentra disperso por toda la franja costera de Centroamérica y con gran presencia en los interiores de los países donde se encuentran así mismo en la Unión Americana y otros lugares geográficos en el mundo.