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| BIOGRAPHY OF ANDY PALACIO |
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Andy Palacio, is not only Belize's most popular musician and performing artist, but a serious music and cultural archivist with a deep commitment to preserving the values of his Garifuna culture.
Born and raised in the coastal village of Barranco, Andy grew up listening to traditional Garifuna music as well as imported sounds coming over the radio from neighboring Honduras, Guatemala and the United States.
Along with several of his peers he formed a Capella singing groups and bands and began developing his own voice. However, it was while working with a Garifuna literacy project in Nicaragua in 1980 and realizing that the Garifuna language and culture was steadily dying in that country, that a strong cultural awareness took hold and his approach to music became more defined.
"I saw what happened to my people. The cultural erosion I saw deeply affected my outlook," he said recently, "and I definitely reacted to that reality."
His reaction took the form of diving deeper into the traditional chants and rhythms of the Garifuna. "It was a conscious strategy. I feel that music was the best way to preserve the culture. It's a way of maintaining cultural pride and self esteem - especially in young people."
And so began a unique fusion of Garifuna and contemporary music.
Upon returning to Belize, Andy encountered " a renaissance of young Garifuna intellectuals," whom were writing poetry and songs in their native language. He saw the emergence of what was dubbed Punta Rock and enthusiastically took part in developing the form.
He began writing his own songs and gained stature as a musician and energetic Garifuna artist. During 1987 he was able to hone his skills after being invited to work in London with Cultural Partnerships Limited, a community based arts
Courtesy of Stone Tree Records
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