In 2001, UNESCO, (United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization.), proclaimed our threatened Garifuna Culture to be among the “masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.” Despite this we are still facing cultural erosion.

Aziatic Entertainment Group (AEG) was born with a single vision - the belief that the destiny of punta rock and the direction of the Garifuna culture itself must be in the hands of individuals who truly have a stake in the development and preservation of the culture. We, at AEG, embrace this as a duty and a responsibility. We believe that the survival of the Garifuna Culture in all its various societies and governments must not be in the benevolent acts of governmental agencies but in the benevolent acts of individuals with a stake in the preservation of their own identities. All gifts come with strings attached - quid pro quo. And it is no different whether the donor is a government or an individual. It is sad to note that self appointed guardians of culture have squandered donations on meaningless projects and self aggrandizement. We must therefore endeavour to find the best ways and means of achieving that ultimate goal - the commercial success and audio video preservation of Garifuna music and traditions.

Vince Lewis aka Aziatic is an innovative punta rock icon, a prolific performer and entrepreneur. He has for many years set standards in the direction and development of punta rock music. He is founder and co-owner of Belizeanartist.com and he is the TIC in STA-TIC Productions. After the release of “the finale”, his retirement album, he found himself grappling with,” What’s next?” After reaching pinnacles of success in his illustrious music career in concert performances in Belize and other capitals, eight albums, and a host of other accomplishments, he realized that he did not want it to end that way.

His wanderlust led him to two unlikely partners who themselves had the same strong interest. Stan and Vince had known each other casually for some time. But it was at a chance meeting at Hamalalei Radio Station in Dangriga where they started the conversation of collaborating on projects. The discussions became more serious upon return to Los Angeles. The link to the Vince and Stan’s casual acquaintance is Russell, family to Vince and a very close contemporary of Stan. A workable framework was carved out whereby they could reach their objectives. With encouragement from Russell and Stan and words like, “You are too good to quit.” Vince knew that the retirement would be short lived!!

While Aziatic will continue to grow and flourish as an artist, he is charged with talent development. Aziatic believes that there are too many artists in this game who are taking this music and our culture as a joke and as a result are making disposable music. The songs that are being released are short lived. It is so important now more than ever to stand for something. This is bigger than me. And basking in a moment of pride: It is important that my people know that it is they who I represent through my music. I love my people. I love my culture. I am the son of Hopkins. It is only right that I do this!” AEG expresses the willingness to work with artists who have invested time and or money in developing or perfecting their craft - people who want to win! The old masters have left us and there is the possibility of extinction. Therefore, it is imperative that the voices of the younger generation carry the Garifuna Story and music into the future. The spontaneity and the soul of the Garifuna found in the lyrics and longings of Lady Lard, Perfecta, Figini, Hibigi, FoFo, Joe Tump, Hill, Isawelu and still carried in the living works of Paul Nabor, Lugua Centeno, Aurelio Martinez and Junior Aranda has stood the test of time, and must be preserved for future generations.

In his home office in Los Angeles, Stan Martinez casually discusses his role in the new endeavour. Dangriga is dubbed as the cultural capital of the Garifuna Nation in Belize. Why do we not have a venue that is comparable to Bliss Institute to present our culture? Why is it that the guardians of our culture have not advanced us to monetary gain? Why is it that punta rock is on the decline? He goes on to explain that government makes a good partner in these ventures but wants no government dictating the pace. The guardians of culture have heretofore been embedded with government. On the question of decline: Artist have not been able to feed themselves on their endeavours and have thus not advanced their craft.

Stanislaus Gregory Martinez, former marketing administrator for world renowned Ice Capades and Harlem Globetrotters, is opinionated, passionate, and articulate and has a down to earth approach to his undertakings. He will hold the helm to business development. He believes marketing punta rock and all its ancillary products must be done through networking. “I have friends who would do anything to introduce a break-through product. This industry is always looking for something new. On funding: Venture capital is hard to come by unless your friends (bankers) really believe in your product. My job is to make them believe. On the Belizean consumer: Even though quality products moderately priced and advertised narrows the avenues open to the bootlegger, marketing to the Belizean consumer (the natural market for our product) is a challenge especially when the laws protecting intellectual property are not vigorously enforced in the Belizean marketplace. Stan believes in the marketability of the project: “I admire the Jamaicans for their great marketing success in making Belizeans and the rest of the world believe that they too are Jamaicans. That is a great sell job on reggae and dancehall. Kudos to them. We must emulate their marketing strategies to sell what is truly Belizean. That is the success story I want to bring to Punta Rock. The chances of success. It will not be an easy job but I have enough passion and belief in what I am doing to take up the daunting task. If I can just get the recognition and the ear that the music deserves and open a few more doors. I would have succeeded in pushing the product and culture one step further and make it a little easier for the next guy.

Punta rock was born in Pen Cayetano’s art studio on dusty Moho Road in Dangriga, Belize. Pen’s studio was the hangout for young white tourists and local fellas who wanted inspiration. Pen, having played in a band had an electric guitar that he would strike up after he’s been inspired. Inspiration brought about the genius to experiment with new sounds in the form of turtle shells used like the use of steel drums. The music was at first a nuisance as the practices would not start until the fellas were inspired and then in spurts.

That means they would strike up at any unorthodox time. Somehow, though, they were always able to strike up around midday which drew school age children. School children were their first real audience. The sounds caught on and the audience expanded and then a receptive audience that were beginning to move to the fast sound. There were dances, road blocks….The music was on its way! Years later Andy Palacio took the sound to another level by being the most sold artist of the genre. Aziatic came some ten years later with new fusions and innovations, a commanding voice and electrifying performances. Jam’96, his first album, became the benchmark of the genre. Shortly thereafter he repeated success in his follow up album “The Rebirth.” Punta Rock was now in its heyday. It became a Belizean product copied in neighboring Latin and Garifuna countries. There was no concert in Belize without a punta rock artist. The popularity of punta rock gave rise to Garifuna music. Soon Belizeans were listening to the longings, dreams, and hopes as articulated in paranda. A new generation of recording artists was born. Any one who said they could sing Garifuna music became a recording artist.

Russell Nunez, an educator and computer specialist has watched the slow and painful erosion of the Garifuna culture and is intent on stemming that tide and bridging the gap. Russell is also frugal, objective and down to earth. While Vince and Stan are dreaming of projects, Russell questions the feasibility. He is projects manager. Our undertakings will be made in a democratic process – majority wins. But it is my job to raise issues wherever I see fit – to remove those prisms that cloud judgments. On the issue of culture erosion: Within our own countries, we are forced to move to areas where there is employment. There are no economic zones created in our domains. When we migrate we dilute the ability to carry on our cultural traditions thus making it difficult for us to pass it on to our children. In Belize, with much hoopla given to our culture, one wonders if in fact there weren’t a conspiracy by the powers that be against its very survival. Through this endeavour we want to build that bridge that ties those displaced individuals to home. Russell is all excited: All my life I have helplessly watched the crushing of a proud nation, politically and economically. I am ready to contribute my two cents to stem that tide.

“We are building a team and developing alliances that will result in the production of our first movie. This team will hopefully catapult us to success in our future endeavours. We are doing a feasibility study on the purchase of a radio station. We are also gathering equipment that will make our presentations outstanding. THA LAB is our first effort to visually document today’s artists in straight talk about things that matter to them. This year we are undertaking what is billed as the highlight of the Garifuna Settlement Day celebrations in Los Angeles, California. We will align ourselves with any entity or government that will bring an entertainment venue to our culture capital. There is no guarantee that what we are striving to do will be a commercial success but at the end of the day we will be satisfied that we and the friends we make along the way in this odyssey would have helped in preserving that intangible heritage of humanity,” echoed the three excited entrepreneurs. “The level of accountability is different here. We are doing this with our own resources – we are putting our money where our mouth is.”

If the chemistry I observed during the research for this article is any indication of the true bond that exists among this dynamic team, then keep your eyes open for great things to come. They really believe that they will change the course. They want to!!!!!