Nearly 80 Musicians Unite to Celebrate Belizean Classics

The Belizean classics that have entertained people for decades are back for a new generation to enjoy. The Belize Music Project and the Belize Tourism Board partnered to celebrate Belizean culture with four musical ensembles consisting of over seventy-five artists. This weekend, the musicians will unite to perform new interpretations of traditional songs to bridge the gap between young artists, audiences, and their cultural roots. News Five’s Britney Gordon stopped by the Artist Development Center today to meet a few of the performers participating in the event. 

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

The traditional music that many Belizeans grew up with continues to resonate in the hearts of many to this day. However, it is at risk of being lost to newer audiences. To preserve these rich musical traditions and innovations, the Belize Music Project and the Belize Tourism Board are uniting, for the first time, four musical ensembles featuring more than seventy-five musicians from all corners of the nation. Al Ovando of the Belize Music Project spoke with us about this historic endeavor.

 

Al Ovando, Belize Music Project

“It’s a research and history research and initiative. And the main objective is to document the history of music in Belize and based on the records in the archives, It shows that we have music based from the 1920s. It’s the earliest existence of music in the archives, Belize archives. So we’re using that, and we’re using that coming up. So now, and we use that as a, especially with the broke down with combo, we’re exploring all these sounds, all these this harmonies, these melodies that we find, and we are incorporating it with these new people, these new energies we have our own, and we’re trying to make it  one new sound,  but at the same time, celebrating the past and all this work that happened before. Each of the four combos is comprised of three generations of Belizean musicians and singers who have prepared an arrangement of songs spanning over one hundred years of music, from early logging days camp chants to popular tunes from the 1970’s and, of course, punta and dancehall. Singer Barabara Herrera of the rock band combo explained how this project is bridging the gap between generations.”

 

Barabara Herrera, Lead Vocalist

“The importance of preserving this culture is to identify our culture and keep it alive. So I believe this project is very important for both the young and the old because I believe that this culture in particular had never been displayed this much. I feel like we should keep this project alive.”

 

 

 

 

 

Joining Herrera is singer Crysel Gabourel-Moro. She says that she is honoured to be singing alongside legends in the industry.

 

Crysel Gabourel-Moro, Lead Vocalist

“I’m extremely excited because I’m the newest of them all. And I’m, among legends here, being a part of something that, just coming out and already being a part of the big international stage is really like a one of the goals that I had and I didn’t know it was going to happen so quickly, but it did and I’m, I really am appreciative of, teaming up and being on, this dynamic female duo right here.”

 

 

 

 

Following in his father’s footsteps is the son of the famed musician Aurelio Martinez, Newani Aurelio Martinez. He is one of the youngest artists to join the ensemble, at eighteen years old. Martinez will be playing the guitar as well as performing some of his father’s songs.

 

 

 

 

 

Newani Aurelio Martinez, Musician

“Being young in this, me and Diane we’re here learning more about our culture as well as representing. It’s good for us because, there’s a lot of,  kids in our culture that don’t want to express and be a part of their culture. So this is gonna show them that, I’m a Garifuna, I can do big things too. So it’s just gonna help us as the younger generation to be confident in who we are as Garifuna people and continue to build that legacy as well.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.