Garinagu and the Decade for People of African Descent Hidden in the merry making of the recent holiday season of December 2014, an important even took place. The United Nations launched the “International Decade for People of African Descent”. The decade is to begin January 1, 2015 and end December 31, 2024. The theme is “People of African Descent: Recognition, Justice and Development”. Their main objective as revealed by research at un.org/pga/101214_launch-international-decade-people-african-descent/, of the International Decade, is to promote respect, protection and fulfillment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for people of African descent as recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration may be viewed here un.org/en/documents/udhr/. Some of the other objectives can be seen here result of copy and paste: “The Decade shall focus on the following objectives: To strengthen national, regional and international action and cooperation in relation to the full enjoyment of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights by people of African descent, and their full and equal participation in all aspects of society; To promote a greater knowledge of and respect for the diverse heritage, culture and contribution of people of African descent to the development of societies; To adopt and strengthen national, regional and international legal frameworks in accordance with the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the International Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination, and to ensure their full and effective implementation. The International Decade will enable the United Nations, Member States, civil society and all other relevant actors to join with people of African descent and take effective measures for the implementation of the programme of activities in the spirit of recognition, justice and development.” All wonderful objectives and anyone would admit to how impressive it all sounds. Coming closer to the ground one may not be as impressed when faced with the leadership of Garinagu world wide. In order to take advantage of the above objectives, Garinagu must be organized properly in states where we have large populations and they all need to cooperate on an international level. The only organization trying to accomplish this task is the Garifuna Nation formed in April of 2014 in New York’s Bronx Borough. In Belize the Garifuna leadership is lacking in know how and lacking in results in advancing any rights for Garifuna there. No land rights are being claimed, no right to self determination is being claimed, no right to control their Copyrights and other intellectual Property is being claimed. In Nicaragua, Honduras the most populous Garifuna community outside of the USA, Guatemala and Yurumei(now known as St. Vincent and the Grenadines the ancestral home of Garifuna) the same can be said about the leadership as what we are experiencing in Belize. All in contravention to the UN declaration of Human Rights, Garifuna in the above nation states have not enjoyed their rights to develop as an intact culture free of the pressures to integrate with the society at large in their uniqueness. The reason why is because the leadership has not properly or effectively asserted the rights of Garifuna. The International Decade of the African Descendant, presents a good opportunity for Garifuna to form bonds across nation states borders as is our right to do and to take advantage of any and all programs the UN offers in the coming decade to work with the governments where they reside to achieve those results desired. If Garifuna leadership fail to take advantage of this opportunity then it will only result in the continued decline of and the assimilation of our people into other cultures and we become extinct as a culture.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 02:21:02 +0000
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