By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
There was a whole lot of mixing and mingling with movers, shakers and shapers going on at the Nia Cultural Center in Galveston on Friday. The evening’s event was a mixer hosted by the Nia Cultural center and Tri-County Regional Black Chamber of Commerce (TCRBCC).
The evening’s entertainment came from a neighboring country to the south, Belize. The performers were given a sendoff from their town’s mayor just before boarding a Houston-bound plane for their inaugural performance in the United States. They were showcased in Belize newscasts as they embarked on their trip.
Performing across Belize is what they usually do in resorts and other favorites for cultural dancers. One day they were seen by Leondria Thompson, Chair, Board of Directors for TCRBCC. “On one of my visits to Belize I had the pleasure of watching the group and I knew I wanted to bring them to Texas,” explained Thompson. The sound was intense as the drumming and maracas began. Their music vibrated throughout the room. Then their voices added even more volume to their performance as they showcased their talents in Galveston with their first US performance. Their enthusiasm along with their music brought out applause and lots of cellular devices capturing the evening.
Dancing barefoot, moving quickly across the allotted performance area, each female dancer brought their own personality to the floor. They danced and played their instruments, and they sang out in a language that was formed out of several languages, Garifuna.
Garifuna originated in the Caribbean islands and was spread to central America when the people were forced out of St Vincent. Garifuna end up on the Atlantic side of Central America, mostly in Belize.
The male dancers wore socks and were not moving across, but rather were in one place with their feet and knees moving in rapid motion. All the dancers coordinated their hands and arms with their feet motions as they expressed the meaning of each song. The audience expressed their delight with more than just applause, generous tips quickly filled the group’s tip box. The name of the group, Uwarani, which means togetherness, was only able to be pronounced by members of the group.
The dance group visiting the US was formed of seven members. Their founding member, Margarite Castillo stayed behind in Belize. Her daughter, Dorina Castillo stood in for her introducing each song and explaining the historic significance of each dance. After their evening in Galveston, Uwarani would perform in Houston as part of their tour. Entertainment from the group with their excitement from their first US performance set the stage for the evening’s guests to listen intently while Sue Johnson, founder of Nia Cultural Center, introduced Black business owners along with Black leaders in Galveston.
Her first business owner was P.C. Lewis who owns P.C. Optics. “As many trips as I pass by his sign and I didn’t know it was Black owned,” Johnson expressed as she introduced Mr. Lewis. Part of the intent of the evening was to mix and mingle with people who were part of the Black business community whom you might not have known. Owner of Lady Brown, Krystal Shawn Brown shared her words of encouragement. A new business that just received approval from Galveston’s City Council was welcomed into the fold. The newest business owner, Armanita Sorrell, will be opening her tour business in early March. Her specialty will be taking guests on tours covering Juneteenth’s story. Alex Thomas, who hails from Mississippi and now works with tourism promotion in Galveston, spoke passionately about the need for Galvestonians to recognize their rich
history steeped in the history of Black people of America. The celebration with a mixer and entertainment was to kick off African American History Month. “If we are going to look at Black history, we need to look at Black people all over the world,” expressed Thompson in a press conference held earlier in the day. Belize is a nation with a history rich in Black culture and is the only Latin American country with English as the official language. The TCRBCC has headquarters in Houston and represents business from all over Texas. Their membership is inclusive of all people regardless of race. “We have members from many races in our chamber,” explained Thompson. In Galveston the organization is represented by Angela R Curry who serves as a VP covering Galveston County. If you are interested in learning more about TCRBCC, you can find them at https://tricountyregionalblackchamber.org
