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Monday, July 5, 2010

Report from Ciriboya and Vallecito: Garífuna hospital + land reclamation are seeds for a vision of a new Honduras and new world

Building a new world while resisting the old: Garífuna hospital, land reclamation advance despite repression

“Health care is a human right, not something to be bought and sold. It's not just about flesh and bone, but about well-being, with all the social, psychological and cultural elements that entails,” explains Dr. Luther Castillo, founder of the first Garífuna hospital, which is located in a small Garífuna town on Honduras's north coast called Ciriboya. Since the founding of the hospital, which is the first Garífuna hospital in the world, over 400,000 patients have been seen completely free of charge. The hospital prides itself on the fact that it provides care to the poorest of the poor without charging anything for medicines or diagnostic testing. Based in a vision of a world where the human right to health care is respected, protected and fulfilled, the hospital does not accept money from any of its patients. The goal, explains Dr. Castillo, is to help develop a consciousness of health care as a human right as part of the ongoing work of the resistance to envision an alternative to the current reality of good care for the rich and poor or no care for the rest.

Dr. Castillo, is a leader within the Garífuna community, a graduate of the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Cuba, a spokesperson for the National Front of Popular Resistance, and is currently coordinating the over 700 ELAM alumni who are in Haiti responding to the medical needs of the Haitian population at 28 sites around Haiti. He has been able to bring Cuban doctors to help staff the hospital, leverage medicine donations from around the world, generate tremendous popular support for and consciousness of the hospital and the vision it represents and survive numerous threats from the coup-installed de facto government. After the coup, the military entered and briefly occupied the hospital under the pretense of searching for drugs. The intimidation, however, has neither stopped nor slowed the work of Dr. Castillo and the rest of the hospital team. They continue to see between 100 and 125 patients per day, in addition to frequent clinical visits to outlying communities.

One of the areas where the hospital hopes to set up a satellite clinic is a nearby land reclamation that helps grow food for the surrounding Garífuna community. The Garifuna people in Honduras live on the Atlantic coast on lands that by Honduran and international law should be protected as indigenous ancestral lands, but their communities and their land have long been in the sights of wealthy landowners and developers who want control of the extremely beautiful beach and coastal areas. On July 2 the delegation visited the Garifuna agricultural cooperatives in the Vallecito area of Colon. The cooperatives are on lands reclaimed by the Garifuna in 1995. There are 6 agricultural coops working the land growing a variety of crops including yucca, coconuts, bananas and other foods. The delegation visited one of the coops, Empresa Industrial Coco. That coop grows bananas and coconuts and has a coco processing plant on site. The members talked about their experiences and plans for their project as well as the threats to their lands.

Although the legal titles to the lands were granted to the Garífuna communities, the largest landowner in Honduras, Miguel Facusse, continues to try and force the Garifuna communities off the land with both violence and fraud. Coop members told us that since their recuperation of the lands, Facusse’s hired guns have assassinated coop members and tried to intimidate the communities into abandoning their claim to the land. He organized attempts to physically seize lands and even planted African palms on part of the land to try and claim it. African palm is a significant cash crop in Honduras because of its use as a biofuel and Facusse owns thousands of acres of African palms and a palm oil processing plant. The Garifuna are opposed to cultivation of the African palm in their lands because it displaces food crops and natural plants in the fragile coastal ecosystem.

In addition, a narco-trafficker recently invaded part of the coop lands and put up an illegal fence cutting the cooperatives off from the beach and ocean and claiming that he owns the land which he calls “Rancho Dorado.” In total 600 hectares of the titled 1,600 hectares have been seized illegally.

The Garífuna communities and organizations are fighting back. In April of this year they organized protests at the National Agrarian Institute (INA) against the illegal land invasions and the lack of action by INA. In response, the INA sent an investigation team to the region - the team was met by around 100 community members supporting the cooperatives. INA has agreed to send a team in August to re-establish the boundaries of the Garifuna lands. The communities are concerned that Facussé will attempt to block the process through political pressure as well as repression and intimidation and are asking for support.

The cooperative members and Garífuna organizations have plans to establish a health clinic and the first Garífuna University on the lands in the future.

All of the members both of the coops on the land reclamation and of the hospital are also active members of the Honduran resistance. Recognizing that achieving land rights and the human right to health care require profound structural changes, the Garífuna of Ciriboya and surrounding areas, like most of the Garífuna throughout Honduras have been active supporters of and leaders in the resistance and its push for a national constitutional assembly.

…UN AÑO DESPUES DEL GOLPE DE ESTADO

LUNES, 28 de JUNIO 2010, de 4:00PM a  7:00PM

Rally Salida: Times Square (42 Calle y Ave. 7th) – New York, NY

Trayecto: Calle 42 hasta la calle 48 y 1ra Ave (Frente Embajada de Honduras)

Marcha del Pueblo Hondureño contra el golpe de estado de Junio 28 del 2009

·      Alto a las violaciones de derechos humanos en Honduras

·      Alto a los asesinatos políticos

·      Alto a la impunidad por violaciones y asesinatos

·      Exigimos la libertad a los presos políticos y la repatriación a los exiliados políticos

·       Apoyamos la refundación de Honduras con una nueva Asamblea Constituyente

Para más información, comuníquese al: 917.841.3643 (celcas2000@gmail.com), 646.924.5621 (avilareed@yahoo.com), 212.633.6646 (TeresaTejana1@gmail.com)

Organizado por: Resistencia Honduras NY/NJ, Organizadores auspiciadoras: National IAC, May 1^st, Troops Out Now Coalition. Trabajo de solidaridad donado por organizadores comunitarios

  Aumentarán las exportaciones de casabe a los Estados Unidos

TEGUCIGALPA.- Mujeres garífunas organizadas en las comunidades de Iriona, Colón y El Porvenir, Atlántida,  se trazaron la meta de superar el envío de ocho contenedores de casabe que registraron durante el año pasado hacia el mercado de Estados Unidos.

El casabe de exportación bajo la marca “O’ Big Mama”, también es muy aceptado a nivel nacional.

“Nuestra empresa se llama Wabagari Distribution, que significa distribución de nuestra vida”, expresó la gerente de esa organización, Lina Hortensia Martínez en el momento que presentaba requisitos para expandirse a nuevos mercados por medio de la cadena de tiendas Walmart. 

Informó que operan a nivel de siete empresas asociativas conformadas hasta por 50 mujeres organizadas que producen la materia prima, mediante especificaciones de calidad, tiempo y convenios.

“La meta siempre ha sido elaborar un producto de calidad por manos de mujeres garífunas y que lo degusten en Honduras y todo el mundo, el casabe no sólo es nuestra herencia, sino un trabajo sostenible en nuestras comunidades”, agregó.

Recordó que la empresa Wabagari Distribution y su marca O’ Big Mama, nació en el 2002 con la visión de exportar, sueño que alcanzaron en el 2008 cuando el producto nostálgico ingresó a Estados Unidos.

Las emprendedoras han sostenido las exportaciones, pese al impacto de la crisis financiera internacional. “En Nueva York trabajamos con una empresa que también es garífuna, se llama Inversiones Horizontes, son nuestros importadores”, indicó Martínez. 

Las exportaciones de productos nostálgicos alimenticios hondureños superan los 23 millones de dólares, pese que se trata de un rubro pequeño en comparación a otras exportaciones representa un gran potencial de crecimiento en el corto plazo.

Su valor estratégico se puede medir en la generación de empleos para productores artesanales y en la promoción de la imagen país en el exterior creando interés en otros productos hondureños.

En lo social representa el alto valor agregado para las comunidades locales y un gran impacto en el ingreso rural relativo a las exportaciones.

Increase cassava exports to the United States
Economics June 16, 2010
To Comment
TEGUCIGALPA .- Women in organized Garifuna communities Iriona, Colón and El Porvenir, Atlántida, were laid out the goal of overcoming the shipment of eight containers of cassava that occurred during the past year towards the U.S. market.

Cassava export under the "O" Big Mama "is also widely accepted nationally.
"Our company is called Wabagari Distribution, which means distribution of our life," said the manager of that organization, Lina Martinez Hortensia when presenting requirements to expand into new markets through the retail chain Walmart.

Reported operating at seven-help organizations for up to 50 women formed organizations that produce the raw material by quality specifications, time and arrangements.

"The goal has always been to produce a quality product by women's hands and that will taste Garifuna in Honduras and throughout the world, cassava is not only our heritage, but a sustainable work in our communities," he added.

He recalled that the company and its brand Distribution Wabagari O 'Big Mama, was born in 2002 with the vision of exporting, a dream that reached in 2008 when the product entered the United States nostalgic.

The entrepreneurs have sustained exports, despite the impact of the international financial crisis. "In New York we work with a company that also is Garifuna, called Investment Horizons is our importers," Martinez said.

Exports of food nostalgic Honduran exceed $ 23 million, although this is a small item compared to other exports represent a great potential for growth in the short term.

Its strategic value can be measured in the generation of jobs for craft producers and in promoting the country's image abroad by creating interest in other Hondurans.

In what represents the high social value for local communities and a major impact on rural income for exports.

Name of our Garifuna brothers that are members of the Honduras National Team that will be participating in this World Cup South Africa 2010 lets big up and support our Garifuna brothers.

1.     Edgar Alvarez

2.     Osman Chavez

3.     Oscar Garcia

4.     Maynor Figueroa Rochez

5.     Pery Martinez

6.     Erick Noralez

7.     Johnny Palacios

8.     Carlos Palacios

9.     Wilson Palacios

10.   Hendry Thomas

11.   Oscar Suazo

November 3, 2009

Dr. Luther Castillo, voice of the voiceless in Honduras, gets rousing reception in San Francisco

by Willie Thompson

Dr. Luther Castillo - Photo: Gail A. Reed

“Doctor Luther! Doctor Luther, give it to the Honduras oligarchy hard!” Dr. Luther Castillo, who represents the National Resistance Front against the Military Coup in Honduras, brought to San Francisco the echoes of Cuba’s former President Fidel Castro on Thursday night at the Centro del Pueblo. He spoke for almost two hours with passion, conviction and a keen understanding of the savage rule of the minority oligarchic coup government in Honduras.

“More than 40 people have been shot down in the street and many women have been raped by the coup government. Ten families who control 90 percent of the wealth have closed the Garifuna hospital. They have expelled the Cuban doctors and teachers who treat the sick in isolated communities and eliminated illiteracy in six months.

“These oligarchs haven’t paid taxes or utilities for 38 years. They live in big houses and refuse to pay minimum wages to the workers. How can we be at the side of these rapists and assassins?” he asked rhetorically in response to a questioner who said she and her Honduran family represent the minority who support he coup government in Honduras. The audience of more than 100 Hispanic-, African-, Asian- and European-Americans shouted their enthusiastic support for Dr. Luther.

The National Resistance Front against the Military Coup in Honduras has been demonstrating in the streets of Honduras for more than four months and has absorbed the repression of the coup government. The Resistance is now asking for the support of the international community.

“Companeros y companeras, it’s time to raise our voices and to call on the heroic people of the United States in order to stop the barbarity of the coup government in Honduras. Where are the voices of humanity? Where is the solidarity? Where is the Nobel Peace Prize?” Dr. Castillo asked finally with sarcasm.

Dr. Luther Castillo treats a young patient at the Garifuna Community Hospital, which he led the community to build. It was shut down by the coup government on Oct. 7.

“We are not in agreement with the compromise of San Jose, Costa Rica,” he said. “The oligarchy cannot name their family members to lead us. We have decided to be the voice of the voiceless and the poor because no clean election can be held under the present conditions in Honduras.” The Honduran oligarchy must now answer to the Honduran Resistance Front and its international allies.

“Honduras is only a laboratory, an experiment. If it succeeds it will be repeated in other countries in Latin America. ‘Patria o muerto. Venceremos!’” Luther concluded with the same words Fidel Castro frequently used to conclude his speeches to the Cuban people. “We haven’t heard such a speech in San Francisco for a long time,” Gloria La Riva said as she asked the audience for financial support, before beginning the question and answer period.

Dr. Castillo is founder of the Garifuna hospital in Ciriboya and was named director of international cooperation in the Honduran Foreign Ministry by the democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya before he was overthrown by the military this year on June 28. The hospital is supported by the Sacramento Labor Council, Global Links, The Birthing Project, MEDICC and others.

Dr. Luther spoke at a fundraising event for the National Resistance Front Against the Military Coup in Honduras. The event was sponsored by the Bay Area Latin America Solidarity Coalition, (415) 821-6545. Dr. Castillo may be reached at wasurusian@yahoo.com or ligemeriluther@yahoo.es.

Dr. Luther Castillo of the Resistance Front Against the Honduran Coup

The announcement of this event, which was held at Centro del Pueblo, 474 Valencia St. at 16th in San Francisco on Thursday, Oct. 29, casts more light on the revolutionary work of Dr. Castillo:

Dr. Luther Castillo is a young Garifuna doctor and community organizer who is the founder and director of the hospital that bears the name “For the Health of Our People” (“Luaga Hatuadi Waduheno” in the Garifuna language). On Oct. 7 at 6 a.m., three army patrols broke down the doors and stormed the Garifuna hospital.

The hospital and clinic is dedicated to providing the most important health services to the indigenous communities isolated on the Atlantic Coast. After graduating from the Latin American School of Medicine in Cuba in 2005, Dr. Castillo returned to the coast of Honduras and led the construction of the first Garifuna hospital, which now serves 20,000 people in the area. The hospital opened in December 2007 and Dr. Castillo was named Honduran Doctor of the Year for 2007 by the International Rotary Clubs of Tegucigalpa.

Since the military coup on June 28, 2009, Dr. Castillo and the hospital have been subject to many threats of closure and other attacks by the military.

The event is a fundraiser for the National Resistance Front against the military coup in Honduras. It is sponsored by Bay Area Latin America Solidarity Coalition, of which the ANSWER Coalition is a member. Call (415) 821-6545 or visit http://www.pephost.org/site/R?i=sPEWoyUvrgcfaVlLcY9NRw for more information.

Before taking advantage of this extraordinary opportunity to meet a great young leader whose name is sure to become a household word, read these stories: “Takeover imminent of Honduras’ Garifuna Community Hospital” and “The implications of the coup in Honduras on Afro-descendants.”

Willie Thompson, president of the Organization of African North Americans, is professor emeritus of sociology, City College of San Francisco. Email him at willliemackthompson@msn.com.

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Filed Under: Haiti and Latin America

Tags: Dr. Luther Castillo, Global Links, Gloria La Riva, Honduras,MEDICC, Military Coup in Honduras, President Fidel Castro,President Manuel Zelaya, San Francisco, The Birthing Project, the Garifuna hospital, the Honduran Foreign Ministry, the National Resistance Front, the Sacramento Labor Council, Willie Thompson

 Compañero(a)s: This is another historic event for Honduras... Thank you for your continued support.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/world/americas/31honduras.html?hp

 

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Deal Reached in Honduras to Restore Ousted President

By ELISABETH MALKIN

Published: October 30, 2009

MEXICO CITY — A lingering political crisis in Honduras seemed to be nearing an end on Friday after the de facto government agreed to a deal that would allow Manuel Zelaya, the deposed president, to return to office.

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Esteban Felix/Associated Press

Honduras' ousted President Manuel Zelaya surrounded by his supporters, smiles at the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, Friday.

The government of Roberto Micheletti, which had refused to let Mr. Zelaya return, signed an agreement with Mr. Zelaya’s negotiators late Thursday that would pave the way for the Honduran Congress to restore the ousted president and allow him to serve out the remaining three months of his term.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton confirmed on Friday that Mr. Zelaya and Mr. Micheletti had approved what she called “an historic agreement.”

“I cannot think of another example of a country in Latin America that, having suffered a rupture of its democratic and constitutional order, overcame such a crisis through negotiation and dialogue,” Mrs. Clinton said Friday in Islamabad, where she has been meeting with Pakistani officials.

The accord came after a team of senior American diplomats flew from Washington to the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, on Wednesday to press for an agreement. On Thursday, the assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, Thomas A. Shannon Jr., warned that time was running out for an agreement.

Mr. Micheletti’s government had argued that a presidential election scheduled for Nov. 29 would put an end to the crisis. But the United States, the Organization of American States and the United Nations suggested they would not recognize the results of the elections without a pre-existing agreement.

“We were very clearly on the side of the restoration of the constitutional order, and that includes the elections,” Mrs. Clinton said in Islamabad.

Mr. Micheletti appeared to have been persuaded that the warnings were serious.

“The accord allows a vote in Congress on Zelaya’s possible restitution with the prior approval of the Supreme Court,” Mr. Micheletti said in televised comments late Thursday. “This is a significant concession on the part of our government.”

“We are satisfied,” Mr. Zelaya said, according to Reuters. “We are optimistic that my reinstatement is imminent.”

Negotiators for both men were expected to meet Friday to work out the final details of the accord.

Mr. Zelaya was ousted in a military coup on June 28 and flown to Costa Rica.

Some Honduran political and business leaders have argued that the takeover was a legal response to Mr. Zelaya’s attempts to rewrite the Constitution and seek re-election. But they were also concerned by his deepening alliance with Venezuela’s leftist president, Hugo Chávez.

Mr. Zelaya has denied any plan to seek re-election, which is forbidden under the Honduran Constitution.

He sneaked back into the country on Sept. 21 and has been living at the Brazilian Embassy since then.

It was unclear when Mr. Zelaya would be able to leave the embassy, which has had Honduran soldiers posted outside. The de facto government had said it would arrest him if he came out.

According to Mr. Micheletti, the accord reached late Thursday would establish a unity government and a verification commission to ensure that its conditions are carried out. It would also create a truth commission to investigate the events of the past few months.

The agreement also reportedly asks the international community to recognize the results of the elections and to lift any sanctions that were imposed after the coup.

The political crisis has created turmoil inside Honduras, where regular marches by Mr. Zelaya’s supporters and curfews have paralyzed the capital. The suspension of international aid has stalled badly needed projects in one of the region’s poorest countries.

Latin American governments had pressed the Obama administration to take a forceful approach to ending the political impasse, but Washington had let the Organization of American States take the lead and endorsed negotiations that were brokered by the Costa Rican president, Óscar Arias. But those talks stalled in July.

New negotiations began earlier this month but broke down two weeks ago. With the Honduran elections approaching, the United States chose to step up pressure and dispatched Mr. Shannon, along with Dan Restrepo, the senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs at the National Security Council.

Mark Landler contributed reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan.

Dr. Castillo Blazes Through Dallas !

      What a weekend of building solidarity and awareness in Dallas !  On Saturday, October 17^th,  North Americans joined hands with Chicanos, Mexicans and Central Americans, (especially Hondurans, Belizeans, Guatemalans, Costa Ricans and El Salvadorians) to welcome and embrace Dr. Luther Castillo’s factual and inspiring message of resistance to the military/elitist strong arm takeover in Honduras at the First Presbyterian Church in Plano. Dr. Castillo is the Communications Secretary for the National Resistance Front Against the Coup in Honduras . Dallas is one of the many stops being conducted to organize public support for the restoration of democracy and generate strong and for crafting effective sanctions by the US Government against the illegal regime. He presented a call for action, listing ways we could help. One way is through post cards to the Obama administration demanding stronger sanctions be placed against the illegal Micheletti regime. (See attached.)

        Continuing on Sunday, October 18^th, Dr. Castillo moved throughout the Metroplex conducting interviews and presenting the people’s case for restoring democracy in Honduras . He spoke before the United Auto Workers Local 848’s Executive Council. There a unanimous resolution of support was passed. Dr. Castillo also conducted two radio interviews and one televised report, getting out a clear report on what is occurring in his homeland and presenting a comprehensive message that is not being reported in the US media. The local radio interviews were for KNON FM’s “Workers Beat” hosted by Gene Lanz, and with Tunde Kobazee on Rational Radio/1360 AM.  Univision TV Channel 23’s news person Marisol conducted the news coverage to be aired today Monday, 10/19.      

For an opportunity to experience his message, you may check out the following links:

·                             Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fhi_5o3g00 to view Gene Lanz’ ten minute interview.

·                             Go to www.uaw848.org to view the UAW’s resolution in response to Dr. Castillo’s appeal.

·                             Go to www.labordallas.org. to view Lantz’s article.

·                             Visit usstream.com or udf.org to experience Tunde’s in-depth conversation with Dr. Castillo

·                             For the Univision report, you may visit www.univision.com

The work continues. The crisis in Honduras is intensifying. Our support is crucial to curtailing the military violence and so vital to reversing the power stealing actions and schemes of the oligarchy. Get involved. Join the Dallas Peace Center ’s Committee for the Restoration of Democracy in Honduras . Meet with us on Tuesday, at 7 PM at the Dallas Peace center, 5910 Cedar Springs at Inwood Road . 

Click on this link to read about the Wabagari Distribution discover_our_heritage_I

Honduran Garifuna Women Revive Culture Through Cassava Sales

Lina Martinez is a woman that has broken the mold.

She is Garifuna, from a Honduran ethnic group that descends from African slaves. She is also a single mother of three, a community leader, and a risk-taking entrepreneur with a keen sense of business. She successfully sold traditional cassava to places like the U.S. and Japan, and has helped other Garifuna women in the process. 

Martinez, as part of the Garifuna community, has struggled to keep her roots amid a dwindling population. Many of the Garifuna migrated to the United States and have forgotten their traditions. Youngsters show little interest in social reunions with the rest of their community—elders and women are usually the ones who attend these reunions.  

But Martinez was determined to use her roots and her tenacity as a single mother to make a very profitable living.

In 1985, she was the first Garifuna woman to receive a full-time scholarship from the USAID-funded Central American Peace Scholarship (CAPS) program. Three years later, she graduated from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas with a BA in business administration.

Martinez returned to Honduras with the vision of generating employment and income for the Garifuna women. But her dream had to be put on hold, since she had three kids to raise. Many times she had to take on several jobs just to make ends meet.

In 2004, when her kids were teenagers, she moved to the northern city of La Ceiba and started recruiting women with knowledge of Garifuna traditions. She knew that one of the Garifuna’s problems was the loss of their roots. She decided that it was important to maintain and strengthen these roots. She founded the Honduran Women Association of Cassava Producers, made up of 20 families. It quickly got involved in cassava production and began working on the traditions and ways of their culture.  

Martinez showed the women how non-Garifuna groups were doing big business with cassava, and encouraged them to make a profit by re-launching cassava as a Garifuna product.

By 2007, she influenced almost all the cassava producing communities in northern Honduras. She has counseled more than 300 women in the Cassava Commercialization Group. Today, she practices what she preaches through her own cassava brand, "O’ Big Mama", which

 employs eight families. With a small operation run from home, she has been able to sell cassava in U.S. and Japanese markets.

Withstanding the Menace of Mega-Tourism [photoessay]

OneWorld.net note: The vibrant culture and budding eco-tourism industry of the Garifuna, or Black Caribs, who live along Honduras' Caribbean coast, are increasingly threatened by mega-tourism projects that endanger their land and traditional way of life.

• In 1635, a slave ship heading from West Africa to Central America was shipwrecked in the Caribbean. The African survivors proceeded to establish communities along the Caribbean coast of Central America and intermarrying with the local indigenous people. Their children came to be known as the Garifuna. Currently, there are half a million Garifuna in the region but the majority live on the Caribbean coasts of Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, writes the National Garifuna Council of Belize.

• In 1992, the Garifuna achieved legal recognition of their communally-owned land to protect it from the encroaching tourism industry. In 1994, however, powerful corporations exercised their political ties to render Garifuna land titles useless and begin construction of luxury tourism sites, says Upside Down World, an online magazine about activism in Latin America. The locals resisted with more fervor than expected and the struggle continues today.

• Due to their relentless opposition to mega-tourism, Garifuna community members have received death threats and several resistance leaders have been assassinated. In June, human rights group Amnesty international released a report detailing the kidnapping and torture of Santos Feliciano Aguilar Álvares, a Garifuna man and activist that accused real estate agents of trying to pressure his people off their land.

Garifuna Resistance Against Mega-Tourism in Tela Bay

From: NACLA

Aug 5 2008

James Rodríguez

In 1635, two Spanish slave ships navigating from a region in West Africa that we identify today as Nigeria shipwrecked near the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent. Those aboard who managed to survive drastically altered their future destiny as slaves in the West Indies. Roughly a couple of hundred survivors found freedom in the island of Saint Vincent and soon mixed in with the local indigenous group known as the Red Caribs. Such blend of cultures gave birth to the Garinagu people, also known as Garifuna or Black Caribs.(2)

"The British invasion of Saint Vincent in 1796 prompted a forced migration of the Black Caribs: first to Jamaica and soon thereafter to the Island of Roatan, which today belongs to Honduras. Over 4,000 Black Caribs were deported, but only about half of them survived the displacement to Roatan."(3)


"As Roatan is quite small and infertile, the Garifuna struggled to subsist. Hence, they asked Spanish authorities for permission to establish a few communities in the mainland. The Spanish allowed the Garifuna settlements in exchange for military service, and so, the Black Caribs began to spread throughout Central America."(4)


Today, the Garifuna have well-established communities along the Caribbean Ocean on the Gulf of Honduras, southern Belize, the Guatemalan coast (around the port city of Livingston), the Island of Roatan, in addition to coastal cities in Honduras and Nicaragua.(5)


Without taking into consideration a few adaptations, the Garifuna continue to subsist as their ancestors did: through fishing, hunting, the cultivation of yucca, beans, banana, as well as gathering wild fruits such as coconuts and jicaco (cocoplum). "Our culture is based upon establishing a harmony with our natural environment", explains Teresa Reyes, a community leader in Triunfo de la Cruz village.


During their four centuries of existence, the Garifuna have managed to survive numerous perils that have seriously endangered their survival: slavery, military aggressions by several European nations, forced migrations and natural disasters, among others. Nevertheless, socio-political and economic interest of our globalized world of today seem to pose the greatest threat yet: "it is the Garifuna communities' two most salient attributes - the simple beauty of their territory, and the uniqueness of their vibrant culture - that pose a threat to their existence."(6)


Garifuna culture has experienced wide exposure in recent years due to the commercial success of their music and dance known as Punta. Pulsating fast-paced beats characterize the Punta, which stems from an African war dance called the Yancunu. In addition, the local Gifity liquor has also become quite popular to outsiders. The mostly homemade fermented liquor derives from a medicinal drink containing a variety of herbs from which chamomile, anise, clove, St. John’s wort (hypericum), and allspice are predominant.


The neoliberal model for development, in which the Honduran structures of power base themselves in, has identified the Caribbean Coast, and in particular Tela Bay, as the perfect place to develop a mega-tourist industry: Beautiful "wasted" beaches - as described by former IHT secretary Abarca - populated by relatively few people (already perceived as exotic, easily persuaded, and who can offer entertainment as well as cheap labor) make up the perfect wish list for those within the structures of power.


Staying true to a pattern that seems to repeat itself endlessly in the Americas when it comes to the development of a Mega-project, the opinions of the local residents has not even been considered. “’We don’t want the mega tourist industry here,’ says Miriam Miranda, executive committee member of OFRANEH (Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras), the most prominent organization representing the Garifuna people. ‘Why do these people come to take our resources? They are not welcome.’”(8)


"The utmost peril against the Garifuna people today is the loss of our land," states Benita Diego as she washes her family's laundry in the community of San Juan.Such struggle for the control of Garifuna territories began over 15 years ago. "Starting in 1992, the Marbella tourist corporation and other foreign investors, in complicity with local authorities and military personnel, began usurping property rights within the Triunfo de la Cruz community. Facing the risk of losing communal land titles, local and national organizations came together to expose the corruption and managed so suspend the fraudulent operations." Today, the Marbella project remains at a standstill.(9)

Today, the usurpation of lands, and hence the struggle and resistance, has moved away from Triunfo de la Cruz across Tela Bay. Surrounded by the Caribbean Sea on the north, the Micos Lagoon on the south, the Jeannette Kawas National Park on the west, and the urban area of Tela City on the east, we find the Garifuna communities of Miami, Barra Vieja, Tornabe and San Juan (in such order from west to east).


The Tela Bay Touristic Development Society (DTBT) hopes to set its new mega-tourism complex on top of these four communities. "Such mega-development, valued at US$ 161 million, seeks to promote Honduras' image as a top-notch touristic destination... The first hotel should be finished in a year and a half, and, according to the schedule, the 18-hole golf course will be completed two months earlier. The Tela Bay complex will expand 3.2 kilometers along the beach and include four hotels of the five and four star category, 360 villas and a shopping center."(12)


The deforestation process needed to begin construction of the 312-hectar Micos Beach & Golf Resort started on January 2008. According to government officials, the project will create "6 thousand direct and 18 thousand indirect jobs. It will also stimulate infrastructure and public service improvements for the neighboring communities."(13)


Nevertheless, the local Garifuna populations are neither happy with the prospects nor the process so far. The DTBT has attempted to buy local land titles, which are held communally and not individually. Alfredo Lopez assures us that "in Miami and Tornabe the company has managed to buy off several local leaders." Hence, the communal land has been divided up and sold to DTBT, creating serious intra-communal conflicts. Carlos Castillo, local representative for OFRANEH and member of Tornabe community, stands in front of where once stood the hut in which he was born. A bulldozer recently destroyed his grandmother's home.

The current construction work is carried out only a few meters away from Barra Vieja community, squeezed in between the troubled Miami and Tornabe communities. Barra Vieja is a historic settlement officially recognized by Tela Municipality since 1950. The 120 families that populate Barra Vieja have adamantly refused to sell. Hence, they represent the main obstacle to the DTBT investors as they all live along the most prized piece of real estate: the beach.


"Here we will resist until our death. Only in coffins will they manage to get us out of here!" declares Santos Antonio Garmendia, who has lived in Barra Vieja since the early 1950's.


Over time, dozens of so-called “Indian” families (mixed European and indigenous ancestry) have incorporated themselves to the Garifuna communities, widely recognized for their predominantly Afro-Caribbean features. Modern Garifuna culture, however, is primarily identified by its lifestyle, cosmovision and use of language, rather than strictly from physical traits.

Besides the land problematic, strong resistance and criticism have risen due to the construction of a mega-project within the core area of a national park. "The project's plan includes the filling of 87.5 hectares of the Micos Lagoon. Such changes will undoubtedly damage the wetlands and will bring incalculable ecologic consequences which are far more serious than any economic benefit which this project is supposed to generate."(14)

"In addition, by drying out the body of water, neighboring communities are left unprotected to the rising number of tropical storms and hurricanes which develop in the Caribbean. The future looks bleak for the Garifuna populations of Miami, Barra Vieja, Tornabe and San Juan."(15)


"International financial organizations are also playing a role in this conflict. The World Bank funds a land administration program known as the Program for the Administration of Lands in Honduras (PATH). Local organizations are afraid that this program is encouraging individual ownership of land at the expense of traditional communal land ownership practiced by groups such as the Garifuna. In the Tela Bay region in northern Honduras, this systemic problem is compounded by the Los Micos Beach & Golf Resort, a massive planned hotel complex funded in part by the Inter-American Development Bank."(16)


Such strategy of dividing and buying has already worked in Miami. The communal land lot was divided in one square block per family, and most of the residents ended up selling out to the DTBT. Those who did not want to sell had were left with no choice as they found themselves surrounded by sold lots. “Look what has happened in Miami," states Alfredo Lopez. "The community hardly exists now. It’s a tragedy, they tricked the people into signing over their deeds, and now the community is destroyed. It serves as a warning for what will happen to the rest."(17)


"What will happen to my kids the day I'm no longer around? I will not sell out. I want them to have this land after me!" states a Barra Vieja resident.


"The Garifuna essence, our customs, traditions, and language are all directly tied to our lifestyle," continues Alfredo Lopez. "Any brother who wants to share our cosmovision is welcome. But we do not want this touristic mega-project here."


As an alternative, most members of the Garifuna communities are betting on the development of small-scale eco-tourism. Such industry provides direct income without any middlemen and is less stressful on the natural environment. The fishermen gladly offer to take tourists to Punta Sal or around the Micos Lagoon in their motorboats and canoes. In Miami and Barra Vieja one can find a few families willing to cook up fresh fish or the traditional rice and beans dish, while very rustic cabins can also be found to sleep in. Along the beaches, locals have built palm canopies: "We built them for the tourists as sun shelters. We want them to come visit us," explains a Barra Vieja resident.


Trying to compete against the unlimited economic resources of the DTBT may seem an impossible task. Nevertheless, a women’s project in San Juan has taken up the challenge and found the courage to invest in its community. Three beautiful all-equipped cabins were inaugurated in April of this year. Each costs US$ 40 per night, regardless of how many guests stay, and each includes: full kitchen (stove, refrigerator, dishes and utensils), living-dining room (with TV), two bedrooms (three full-size beds overall), one bathroom and a veranda with two hammocks.


The cabins are located right next to the landmark "El Pescador" restaurant in San Juan, a slightly more urban setting than Miami or Barra Vieja and only 10 minutes from downtown Tela. For more information and/or to make a reservation please call: Benita Diego at (504) 3271-4652 or Esmeralda Arzú at (504) 3378-2723.


"We want a project that belongs to us. We don't want outsiders to come and exploit us or remove us from our ancestral lands. We want to develop an eco-tourism industry which is ours and which will sustain our Garifuna cosmovision and respect the natural environment." (18)

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For more information and to get involved:
OFRANEH: ofraneh@yahoo.com
Rights Action: info@rightsaction.org

Versión en español aquí.

James Rodríguez is a Guatemala-based photographer and journalist. His work can be viewed online at Mimundo.org and his frequently updated blog, which originally published this photo essay.

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Notes:

1 Ryan, Ramor. “The Last Rebels of the Caribbean: The Garifuna Fighting for their Lives in Honduras”. March 27, 2008.
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1195/46/
2 http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garifuna_%28etnia%29
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
6 Op. Cit. Ryan.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid.
9 Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos. Informe No. 124/01, Caso 12.387
Alfredo López Alvarez. Honduras, December 3, 2001.
http://www.cidh.org/annualrep/2001sp/Honduras12387.htm
10 Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos. Caso López Álvarez vs. Honduras. Sentencia de 1 de febrero de 2006 (Fondo, Reparaciones y Costas).
http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/casos/articulos/seriec_141_esp.pdf
11 Human Rights First. “Garifuna Activists Under Attack in Honduras”. November 23, 2005.
http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/defenders/alert112305_garifuna.htm
12 elPeriodico. Guatemala, January 14, 2008.
http://www.elperiodico.com.gt/es/20080114/economia/47473
13 Ibid.
14 Miranda, Miriam. “El BID y la Destrucción de la Laguna de Micos.” Comunicado de OFRANEH. La Ceiba, Honduras. June 3, 2006.
http://portal.rds.org.hn/listas/libertadexpresion/msg00505.html
15 Ibid.
16 Op. Cit. Human Rights First.
17 Op. Cit. Ryan.
18 Interview with Teresa Reyes. Triunfo de la Cruz Community, Tela, Atlántida, Honduras. July 18, 2008.