 ANDY PALACIO, Garifuna Musician & Belize Cultural Ambassador, Dies at 47
By: Giovanni & Simone Waight
Have you ever known the simplicity of a true artist? Have you known the natural invocation that keeps him pure to his craft? Have you ever known a true diplomat?
I am humbled and honored to have encountered and befriended such a person. His name is Andy Vivien Palacio. He was born in the Garifuna village of Barranco, the southern most village in Belize, through his parents Cleofa Avilez and Ruben Palacio (deceased). He spent his childhood days in the bosom of his culture. He later left the village to attend high school in Punta Gorda Town (capital of the Toledo district).
As a young man, Andy P (as he was affectionately known in Belize) made a trip to a Garifuna community in neighboring Nicaragua and there he found his reason/mission in life. “I couldn’t find anyone under the age of 50 who could hold a conversation in our native language. The government (Somoza) had never acknowledged the existence of the Garifuna community and the Sandinistas didn’t even know they were there. I told one of their commanders about it, and he asked the press corps to interview me. I said ‘These black people you see here are not the same as the black people you see over in that village’ and the next day the local newspaper had the headline that a new race was discovered on the Atlantic coast!”
After finishing high school in Punta Gorda, Andy P went to Belize City, enrolling in the Belize Teachers College where he obtained his teaching degree. Shortly after, he went to London on a teaching course. It was during this time that he discovered Punta Rock (a dance style that mixes Garifuna influences with electric guitar, bass and aggressive drum beats) and so began his musical career.
During the 1990’s Andy signed and recorded two albums with Stonetree Records: Keimoun and Til da Mawnin. These years defined his personal artistic dream. He also worked hard to raise awareness about the Garifuna culture not only in Belize, but also in other countries. Forever the teacher, he spread the word about his culture and was named the country’s first cultural ambassador.
Andy P, a trained teacher and social worker returned to public life in 2000. “I reached a point where I needed a secure salary. I didn’t feel I was realizing my dreams for my musical career”. He worked as a Rural Development Officer and later became the Deputy Administrator of the National Institute of History and Culture (NICH). However, nothing could stop his desire to create music and during this time he recorded his album Watina. Compares to his previous albums, Watina is a different genre of Garifuna music, Paranda, which is more soulful than the high energy, pelvis rotating beats of Punta Rock.
Watina was recorded in a makeshift studio in the tiny Garifuna village of Hopkins. Andy P collaborated with other musical artists from Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Cuba. They called themselves the Garifuna Collective. When the album was released, it was an immediate hit. It went on to win several international awards. The Belize Times, a local newspaper, named Andy P the man of the year in Belize.
Andy P was riding the wave of success from his Watina album when he suffered two stokes and a massive heart attack. He eventually passed away on January 17, 2008. Nothing could have prepared his immediate family, musical family, close friends, beloved country folks and indeed the world at large for his sudden death. Belizeans were caught in a daze, mourning the beloved son of Belize, our very first international icon.
When I think of Andy P, I still get all choked up for he was a personal friend. Whilst mixing and mastering Keimoun and Til da Mawnin, he stayed with my family in Mexico City. I accompanied him on many interviews with Mexican journalists.
- Andy Palacio: Watina Music Video
- Watina: A Look Behind the Music (Video)
- New York Times: Andy Palacio, Who Saved Garifuna Music, Dies at 47
- In Times To Come:
Michael Stone remembers the music, words and legacy of Andy Palacio
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