This is an article about the struggles of the Garifuna people who were forcefully removed by the British Crown from their homeland "Yurumein", now known as Saint Vincent & The Grenadines, on March the 14th 1797 to Roatan, in the Bay Islands, now a part of Honduras in Central America.

Garifuna now live in the countries of; Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Belize and the United States of America.


In March of 1797 after our people lost the war to the British Crown and surrendered, about 5,000 of our people were rounded up, unlawfully imprisoned on the isolated island of Balliceaux, tortured, killed and those who survived subsequently forcefully removed to the distant island of Roatan now a part of the Bay Islands in Honduras. They landed there on April the 12th of that same year but were not happy with the conditions on the island. The soil was not fertile for them to grow their food and the lack of enough water supply was a major concern of theirs. Immediately, some of the Garifuna leaders were looking for other places to migrate.

Discussions between the British and the Spanish Crown, led to some of our Garifuna people be given permission to migrate to Trujillo and other coastal areas. However, during that transition most of their names were changed from native and French names to Spanish names  which a majority of them have up to this day. There are a few Garifuna original names remaining such as, Parchue, Elijio, Sabio, Avaloy, Sambola, Chatoyer, Satulle, Franzua etc. Others left Roatan to go to Belize in 1802 and established a settlement in the southern part of Belize now known as Dangriga Town. Due to the British control of, Roatan, the Bay Islands, Belize and the Mosquito Coast in Nicaragua, Garifuna people moved from all these territories back and forth with their permission.

As Honduras nationalism grew to seek their independence from Spain, fighting emerged between factional groups which led to a full scale Civil war. The Garifuna people were involved in these wars and became victims of some of these factions. Many of them were slaughtered and those who survived had to flee to; Nicaragua, Guatemala and Belize. Many of them sent for their relatives to join them in these countries where they live up to this day. Despite the fact that the Garifuna people live in different countries they see themselves as one people and that is; “Garifuna”  as individuals and “Garinagu”  as one nation totaling about 600,000 people worldwide. They did not come together in the past to confront  the British Crown about the Genocide committed against them in Saint Vincent & The Grenadines.

Three years ago a group of Garifuna individuals established theGarifuna Nation, whose primary goal is to address this and all the other issues affecting their people in the countries of; Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Belize, the United States of America and elsewhere. They believe that the British Crown committed Genocide against their people and that this issue must be addressed by them and no other group, nation or regional organization. They have also examined the social, economic and political conditions of their people in the countries where they reside today and see a continued pattern of; racism, discrimination, land encroachment, economic deprivation, violation of their basic human rights and many other infractions. Some of these countries are also receiving funds to address the issues affecting the Garifuna people but the funds are not being spent in their communities to improve their living conditions.

Only through the internationalizing of the Garinagu plight  in the countries where we reside as Representatives of  the Garifuna nation will our people see fundamental changes with their lives and in their communities. We have had many of our leaders killed in the past and our Garifuna organizations infiltrated to cause chaos, disunity and friction among ourselves. Some of us have become so selfish that our individual goals and objectives are being championed over the collective goals and objectives of all of our people. A few even think that they are the change and changes cannot occur without them. Fundamental changes will occur when all of us come to the realization that we must come together and contribute to the Garifuna Nation as one people.

Some of us want changes to come but refuse to do anything on our part to bring about the changes we so desperately need. My fellow Garifuna brothers and sisters, if you are proud of the fact that you are a Garifuna, you are not happy with the current state of affairs with our people and you want to bring about positive and fundamental changes,  please  get involved in this struggle and become a part of the change. 218 years have passed and we cannot wait for another year to seek justice on behalf of our people and  ancestors, who gave up their lives so that we can still retain our beloved culture.

Wellington C. Ramos, a Garifuna now living in New York City from the town of Dangriga in Belize, Central America. Adjunct Professor History and Columnist

Telephone (718) 223-3193

Photo: Garifuna singer from Guatemala

Credit: Jody

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Date: 17/02/2016


United States of America


Racism/Discrimination/Hate speech
Culture and Tradition

Press Contact Information

Name: Wellington C Ramos

Telephone: 7182233193
