Local News

A first of its kind in Belize world indigenous music festival is set to take place this weekend in Belize City.  The IndigeNOWBelize-World Indigenous Music Festival is an initiative of the Belize National Institute of Culture and History, with the active participation of the Belize Tourism Board, RSV Media and Bronitsky and Associated.  According to the Director of the Institute of Creative Arts Gregory Vernon the two-day event, which starts tonight, will greatly benefit Belize’s tourism appeal.

GREG VERNON

Director

Institute of Creative Arts

“We’re trying to make this a signature world festival hosted in Belize that will be attracting world musicians to the stage as well as people who are music enthusiasts that will be visiting Belize to listen to our music.  On stage for this first show we are looking at Florencio Mes, Alma Belicena, the Indigenow Maya Band, the Instrument of Love and this is a good collaboration between Saki, the Mayan rapper and the pop music group, so this is one of the first world beat music MIAB is working on to present within this festival.  We are also having Corosalsa from Corozal and also invited from Honduras is Guillermo Anderson and he is a indigenous world beat guitarist and vocalist that will be gracing our stage and also highlighting the Garifuna Collective.”

Vernon says all music lovers are invited to the take in the show tonight and tomorrow night at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts.

GREG VERNON

Director

Institute of Creative Arts

“It’s not good weather right now in Belize City and it is raining so we have moved from the ITVET and we are now at the Bliss Centre.  We are encouraging our music lovers and audience to come out where it will be drier at the Bliss Centre tonight for this festival.  The entrance fees, we are offering a great deal.  It is ten dollars before six o’clock and it will be twenty dollars at the door.  It starts today and it ends tomorrow.  Due to the inclement weather we will not be having the Craft Market.  The Craft Market would have been an outdoor venue and the centre does not have the space for it but we will be keeping the performance part of it because we have already booked it and all the musicians are here in Belize already so we will only be doing the festival performances of it and not the craft market; so we will be running this festival tonight and tomorrow night at the Bliss Centre.”

Vernon says that the World Indigenous Music festival this weekend will feature a heavy Maya emphasis.

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