Ethnic groups in Central America
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Music is a ‘weapon to make change’ for this Garifuna guitar player and activist
Growing up in a secluded village on the Honduran coast, Aurelio Martinez received most of his musical education from his mother. Now, the musician from a minority culture called the Garifuna is going back to those roots on his latest album “Landini,” while also fighting for the rights of his people.
He sings to save Garifuna, the language of his ancestors and community
James Lovell grew up in Belize and heard Garifuna spoken by his parents and grandparents. He didn’t really want to speak the language until he heard music of a local musician. Now, James Lovell wants to spread the language of Garifuna through song.
Mayan Farmers Defend Slash and Burn
Matt Binder reports from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on the efforts of some Mayan farmers to preserve their centuries-old method of rotating, slash-and-burn agriculture. The Mexican government wants to convert much of the Yucatan jungle into conventional modern cropland, but the Maya say their traditional method serves their needs better while protecting the forest.
The Garifuna: African influence in Central America
Today’s Global Hit starts on the Caribbean Island of St. Vincent in 1635. Two slave ships wrecked there, and the slaves escaped. They mixed in with the native Caribs, giving birth to a new Afro-Caribbean culture; the Garifuna. Lonny Shavelson reports.