Experience a fun way of learning about the fascinating Garifuna culture of Belize during a 60-minute drumming lesson.

The Garifuna people are descendants of shipwrecked Africans who mixed with indigenous Arawak and Carib Amerindians on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent in the 17th century.

They settled in Belize in the 19th century after being forced from St. Vincent by the British. Never enslaved, the Garifuna have a proud and rich history and culture.

Learn about this unique culture in a truly hands-on way with an interactive lesson in traditional drumming. Your instructor will give a brief background on Garifuna culture and drumming, and show you how to hold and strike your large bass Segunda drum.

He’ll demonstrate a basic Paranda rhythm, and when you can hold a beat, he’ll play alongside you on the smaller, faster, and higher-pitched Primero drum while singing traditional songs.

Moving along at a pace to suit you, he will then introduce other traditional rhythms, including Punta, Chumba, Hungu-Hungu, Jonkunu, and Gunjei. As you learn the different rhythms, he’ll explain the role and history that each rhythm has in Garifuna culture, and the meanings behind the songs that he sings.