To travel to Honduras is to walk into the richness of Africa.
There is a saying by the Kikuyu people of Kenya: ” Indo ni kurimithanio” — which means, “riches are found in cultivating together.” In the ennobling land of Roatan, Honduras, this African expression of harmony, solidarity and traditional growth survives among the unique perennial landscape, and radiates from the cultural lifestyle of the people.
The significance of African culture in Honduras dates back to the 16th century. The fusion of African migrants, the indigenous Indians and the nearby Caribbean influence, birthed the Afro-Honduran people — also known as “Garifuna” or “Black Caribs.” The aesthetic remnants of their African heritage is identified in the locking of the hair, the “meztico” or “mixed” languages, the donning of cowry shells, the masked ‘Mascaro’ dances, the colorful and flowing whimsical garbs and ancestral drumming, the creation of natural musical instruments, the vivacious art, the respect for the land and the solidarity among one other.
There’s no doubt that the drumbeat of the land are blissfully mimicked by the hearts of the Afro-Honduran people.