The Garifuna Women's Project

Background

In the 1600s,shipwrecked West African slaves intermarried with the native Carib/Arawak people on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent and lived there until the 1790s, when most were exiled to Central America by British authorities.

Process

In 1997, Ivan Duran set out to capture the stories of the Garifuna women. He began by connecting with many of the women in the various villages that he visited. After deciding the types of voices that he wanted to have on the album, Duran began setting up small recording studios in shacks by the water. The majority of the women on the album are not professional musicians, so part of Duran's task was to persuade them away from their daily tasks to record.

Purpose

The Garifuna Women's Project is the natives' collection of stories, stories of "hurricanes that swept away homes and livelihoods, a son murdered in a far-off village, the pain of childbirth and other struggles and triumphs of daily life. Then there are the personal stories of the women who participated in this magical recording project: mothers and daughters who, while working tirelessly to support their families, sing songs and pass on the traditions of their people to future generations."