Category: Garifuna Music
Ms Dami – Uruwei (The Government)
A wonderful and kind woman passed away this weekend, 18th Jan 2020. Ms Damiana Gutierrez, mother of Cecil Gutierrez, Giovanni, Ronald, Alva and Ivan McDonald, sister to Victor, Virgin and Guadalupe and aunt to many by blood or through love alone. Ms. Dami is one of the vocalists on the song Uruwei – The Government,…
Naguya Nei (I am Moving On)
Naguya Nei (I am Moving On) This is one of the late, great Paul Nabor’s most iconic songs and a very popular Garifuna song. It is an example of the paranda style of Garifuna music. Ronald Raymond McDonald of Warasa used to regularly play this song and others with Nabor and his father’s family group,…
Malate Isien (Worthless Love)
Malate Isien is one of the most popular traditional Garifuna songs. It is a catchy Paranda song, and as with many Garifuna songs, it relates to daily life. In this case, it is giving advice about love. It was originally written by Bernard “Gabaga” Williams. Our group also regularly perform this song. There are…
The Lord’s Prayer in Garifuna
The Lord’s Prayer in Garifuna is beautiful. Even if you are not a Christian or not even a religious person, you will enjoy watching and listening to this Garifuna version of the Lord’s Prayer. You can learn the lyrics and meaning of another classic Garifuna song, “Malate Isien”, here. Lafureidun Aburemei Waguchi Bungiu, lidan sun…
Drums of the ancestors
Listening to many Garifuna songs, they are very up-tempo. My Scottish indie-rock loving music tastes assumed that they must therefore be quite cheerful – maybe about catching lots of tasty fish a particular day. But that’s not how Garifuna music works – there is a particularly up-tempo Garifuna punta song that is all about when…
The Drum Whisperer
Ray is famous in PG for his drumming. He may never have one the annual “Battle of the Drums” competition in PG (clearly the judges aren’t in their correct minds), but anyone that loves drumming will hire Ray and his family to drum for any event above any other local group. As Ludwig Palacio, local…