TGHF partners with UWI to convene International Garifuna Conference

As part of its activities for next month’s National Independence celebrations, The Garifuna Heritage Foundation (TGHF) is partnering with the University of the West Indies Open Campus to convene its 3rd International Garifuna Conference.{{more}}

According to a press release by the foundation, the conference will take place at the Peace Memorial Hall on October 11 -12, 2016 and will be held under the theme:“The Garifuna Diaspora: Yurumein and St Vincent and the Grenadines – Retrieval, Inclusion, and Reparations”.

The release noted that following the 2012 conference, the foundation was able to successfully negotiate with the university to have a publication of the presentations at that conference in 10 of the papers in the University’s Journal and the Caribbean Quarterly: Volume 60 – No 2 of June 2014. Vice-Chancellor of the university Professor Sir Hilary Beckles has long been associated with CARICOM’s initiatives to secure reparations for native genocide and slavery.

The work of TGHF since inception in 2001, has been to deliver high quality public awareness and education programmes to the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The release lists some of the objectives of the foundation as: addressing the issue of reparation for any injustice suffered by the indigenous Kalinago and Garifuna people, creating a further interest on the part of students in SVG and elsewhere on the need to continue research into the Garifuna heritage and culture; making a contribution to the development of the International Garifuna Research Centre and following up the work commenced at the 1st International Garifuna Conference, held in St Vincent and the Grenadines, March 10 – 13, 2012.

It also stated that this conference is a part of their work of public education and awareness.

Registration for the two-day conference will commence at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, October 11, 2016. There will be presentations from the following three panels: Retrieval Techniques and Tools for Research; Experiences in Developing Relevant Educational Programmes for Indigenous Communities; History of the Garifuna People: Pre-colonial, Colonial and Post Colonial. Extensive information relating to the history of the indigenous people of SVG will also be presented and discussed by scholars who have carried out considerable research in this field.

Day 2 of the conference will focus on two panels: Reparations and the Indigenous Cultural Experience and Actions for Indigenous Retrieval.

An opening ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Methodist Church Hall on Monday, October 10, 2016 commencing at 5:30 p.m., and the special feature of the Opening Ceremony will be an address by Professor Guillermo Guevara, Dean of the National Experimental University of Tauca, Venezuela.