25 May Building an Audience I. The Garifuna Collective. FUNDarte for MAMP

The Garifuna Collective

The first story is about The Garifuna Collective concert in Miami, from start to finish. When we saw this project, we were captivated by the possibility of presenting in Miami the most recognized voices of an Anglophone community in Central America. The Garifuna have taken root and have a well-defined identity, although not as well known as Jamaica’s, just to cite one example.

At first we did not have much information and no contacts in the Garifuna community in Florida. But we built a whole journey, an audience creation funnel. We visited the consulates of Honduras, Nicaragua and Belize. They enthusiastically supported us: they put up the event posters in their offices, shared it on their social networks and included The Garifuna Collective concert in their digital cultural newsletters.

We also contacted a Garifuna community leader in NYC, Thurito Martinez. The man was so enthusiastic, that he came to Miami (days before the event) to speak with grassroots communities.

The expectation grew, we organized a workshop with local musicians and another for UM students. The rejoicing and the exchange without barriers was remarkable. At the end of both events, everyone was dancing and singing.

Something similar happened on the day of the concert, where we, the presenters, the artists, the audience and even the honorable Consul of Belize in Miami, ended up “all together” celebrating a great party on stage.