From the late 1970s to the 2000s, the Dangriga Cable Vision Company documented the community heritage of Dangriga Town, Belize. The company’s archival collection represents important documentary heritage and cultural practice for the region through recordings of the language, music, and dance of the Garifuna peoples.
The Institute for Social and Cultural Research of the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) will document and survey the audio-visual collection of the Dangriga Cable Vision Company Ltd.. Throughout the late twentieth century, the Cable Vision Company captured various recordings of the local language, music, and dance customes of the Garifuna peoples, which are recognized by the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
The collection consists of audio-visual recordings (VHS tapes and DVDs) of community cultural events and activities of historical importance to Dangriga Town, Stann Creek, Belize, and neighboring communities, spanning from the late 1970s to the 2000s. The survey will be used to prioritize the preservation work in future digitization and will involve (1) a detailed inventory of the collection and (2) prioritizing the materials that are most at risk. In addition to surveying the content, the project will engage the Garifuna community in defining and assuring consent for the materials to be digitized and openly shared online.
The timeline for this project has been delayed due to limitations caused by COVID-19.
