The Garifuna Heritage Foundation (TGHF) is a non-profit, registered organization dedicated to promoting, and building awareness of the Garifuna Heritage and Culture locally and internationally through a diversity of programmes and activities. We are pleased to state that as part of our programme of activities for Heritage Month March 2014 we will be hosting a one-day National Garifuna Conference at the Peace Memorial Hall on Saturday, March 15, 2014 COMMENCING AT 8:30 AM..
This Conference will be held under the theme: “Back to our roots – Strategies for Survival and Sustainability of Indigenous Peoples in St. Vincent and the Grenadines”. This Conference will seek to (a) contribute to the broader public formal and informal education process in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on the importance of Indigenous cultural issues to National Development and (b) identify individuals and organizations who can support our goal of further developing our International Garifuna Research Centre (IGRC).
This National Conference will highlight and showcase ideas and presentations by Vincentians and also function as part of the process of planning our March 2015 International Garifuna Conference that will further bring together relevant practitioners, institutions, and organizations to help us attain our goals as a Foundation.
We are inviting the general public , especially our students and teachers to participate in this important and informative Conference*.
David ‘Darkie’ Williams
President
THE GARIFUNA HERITAGE FOUNDATION PRESENTS
Theme: “Back to our roots – Strategies for Survival and Sustainability of Indigenous Peoples in St. Vincent and the Grenadines”
Date: Saturday March 15th, 2014
Location: Peace Memorial Hall, Kingstown
The Garifuna Heritage Foundation (TGHF) considers all aspects of the Garifuna Heritage andCulture to be extremely important national subjects that should be discussed and debated by Vincentians . We have recently included the topic of Reparations as a part of our platform and as part of our programme for Independence celebrations of October, 2012, we held an International seminar under the theme “ The Garifuna: Land, Reparation, and Social Justice”, which saw presentations on various This Seminar followed our hosting of the first International Garifuna Conference in March 2012, held under the theme “Living the Garifuna Heritage and Culture – Strengthening links, Forging networks, Claiming Ancestral space” , which was attended by practitioners, scholars and organizations from seven countries.
The participants at this conference signed on to the Yurumei Declaration which:
1) Expressed support for the initiative of The Garifuna Heritage Foundation in organizing and convening this First International Garifuna Conference.
2) Approved the establishment of the First International Garifuna Research Centre here in
3) Recommended that the island of Balliceaux be preserved and protected as a sacred heritage site for the use of future generations.
4) Committed to the retrieval and documentation of historical and cultural information about
5) Shared our research with The Garifuna Heritage Foundation in a continued effort to augment its library and archives on Garifuna history and culture.
6) Supported all efforts to revitalize and encourage the Garifuna heritage, language and culture
7) Recommended the convening of an annual Garifuna Studies Conference or colloquium here in
8) Demanded reparation for the loss suffered by Afro-descendants, Indigenous People and
Garifuna People as a result of the actions of those responsible
The Garifuna Heritage Foundation continues to forge ties and affiliations with Regional and International Academic and Cultural Institutions, Organizations and Individuals who share a common interest in, and connection to the Garifuna, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the Caribbean Indigenous experience in general. This is in effort to strengthen TGHF’s ability to continue its work of reclaiming and revitalising the Garifuna culture in the ancestral homeland of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the further development of our International Garifuna The re-affirmation of traditional Vincentian and Garifuna culture here on St. Vincent has positive implications for our nation in terms of the ongoing process of decolonization, the addressing of social ills such a violence and drug use amongst the youth, and the project of nation building (social and economic) that we have currently embarked upon. Our first Symposium in November 2009 brought together local scholars and practitioners as well as persons who work with the University of the West Indies, the University of Trinidad and Tobago and York University and Urban Ink Productions in Canada.
This National Conference will highlight and showcase ideas and presentations by Vincentians and also function as part of the planning process for our 2015 conference that will further bring together relevant practitioners, institutions, and organizations to help us attain our goals as a Foundation.
OBJECTIVES OF NATIONAL CONFERENCE:
1. To bring together researchers, practitioners and Indigenous peoples with a common interest
2. To identify existing actions / research or other ongoing projects in St. Vincent and the
3. To identify the organizations and institutions which have some specific interest in promoting
4. To contribute to the broader public formal and informal education process in St. Vincent
5. To continue the process of developing a Plan of Action for the hosting of our 2nd
6. To identify individuals and organizations who can assist the Garifuna Heritage Foundation in the Garifuna Heritage and Culture , in an effort to create and strengthen links, as well as to identify possible opportunities for collaboration and communication; Grenadines and elsewhere which provide creative and innovative strategies for survival; research and action on issues relating to the Kalinago and Garifuna people in SVG; and the Grenadines in relation to the importance of the relationship between Indigenous cultural issues and national development. International Conference in 2015; continuing to develop the International Garifuna Research Centre.
We invite all persons to be part of this important and informative Event.
