16:30 - 17:30
Sean Rafferty presents a selection of music and guests from the arts world.
   Tributes in memory of Andy Palacio, who passed away on January 19th 2008  Official Press Release Andy Palacio's WOMEX Award acceptance speech October 28 2007, Seville, Spain (PDF document) All of us in Radio 3 are shocked after hearing the news about Andy Palacio's sudden death - especially those of us lucky enough to have met Andy at WOMEX and experience his passionate advocacy of his people and music. We were all looking forward to working with him in the context of this years Awards and the forthcoming opportunities for him. The news of his sudden death has come as a huge loss, at the very moment when he was truly set to become an international star. Hélène Rammant ________________________________________________ The news of Andy Palacio’s untimely death has been an absolute shock. It seems impossible that Andy has gone. He was young, healthy, dynamic, at his prime. And such a loss to so many people around the world, at the very moment when he was truly set to become an international star - with the incredible success of the album Waatina - such a loss to his own people, the Garifuna, for whom he was such an articulate and charismatic spokesman. Such a personal loss to Ivan Duran –fellow Belizean musician and music producer, who worked tirelessly for so many years with Andy on making Garifuna music better known, culminating in Waatina, which has an anthemic quality to it and has been for many in the world music industry the best album of 2007. This is quite simply heartbreaking news. I can't say that I knew Andy well, but whenever we did meet, there was a warmth and trust there that made Andy very special to me. This goes back to our first meeting in 1991 at the “Mas caribe que nunca” festival held in Cancun organised by Eduardo llerenas of Discos Corason in Mexico) where I went to do a feature for Radio 4’s kaleidoscope. Andy was my introduction to the existence of the garifuna people, through his energetic punta rock on stage, and through the first of several long and fascinating interviews in which he patiently and eloquently told the story of his language, his people, his culture, divided across several nations, survivors against all the odds, marginalised but proud. Over the years in our subsequent interviews, whether in Belize or in the BBC studios in London, he continued to tell this story with renewed passion, and always that personal touch – his own story of growing up in Barranco in Belize, and his gradual realisation that he had been taught something very special – the ability to speak (and sing!) Garifuna, a dying language. But he always moved quickly beyond the personal and there was a selfless quality about him that made him quite unlike any other musician I’ve ever met. Our paths crossed a few times in London in the 90s, and inspired me to find out more about his culture. In early dec 2000 Radio 3 producer/engineer James Birtwistle and I flew in to Belize to record a feature about Garifuna foundation day. This is a 24 hour ritual in which Garifuna re-enact their arrival on the shores of Belize several centuries ago in dug-out canoes, after a treacherous voyage across the seas from St Kitts. We stayed up through the night wandering around the town (Dandriga), dropping in on informal drumming parties, eventually ending up watching from the seashore for the first sighting of the canoes, which came just as dawn broke. The Garifuna canoes were greeted with intense drumming and dancing and eventually a procession leading us to the church at around 8am, where a mass in Garifuna was held. It was unself-conscious, powerful, sincere, and moving, and I could see clearly where Andy got his own strength and character from. I last saw Andy at WOMEX in Oct 07, when together with his life-long friend and music producer Ivan Duran he was given the prestigious WOMEX Award. Andy delivered a passionate and dignified speech about what this award signified for the endangered Garifuna culture. He talked of the role that music can play in keeping alive traditional indigenous cultures. There was something very humbling about this for all of us in the audience. It’s so easy to lose the enthusiasm for the music that we all seek to promote, to get lost in the details and problems of the industry. Andy once again used his own personal story to bring his subject to life, but as always, he moved very quickly onto the bigger picture, of his people, of the need for cultural survival. I was moved to tears, and many others in the audience were also weeping. It seemed like a much bigger occasion than just a WOMEX award. Andy stood behind the lectern with the kind of authority of a senior statesman, but switched effortlessly to his pop star persona just a few minutes later, when he bounded on stage with the Garifuna collective, proud, agile, engaging, happy to be sharing this special music with us. It was clear that 2008 would bring all kinds of new awards and accolades for Andy & Garifuna music, but who could possibly have imagined on that Sunday morning in Seville, as Andy lit up the whole stage with his entrancing smile, that he wouldn’t be around to receive them. Except in spirit. My heartfelt condolences to his family, to the Garifuna, and to Belize, his beautiful country where he now rests forever.. Lucy Duran ________________________________________________ Very saddened indeed by the loss of someone whose music and work I loved and got a lot of inspiration from his wonderful speech at womex. As it happens I only found out this afternoon in Berlin from Gerald Seligman while at a meeting at womex offices and I was wearing the black Garifuna T Shirt I picked up from womex ??? Dudu Sarr ________________________________________________ You can read more and leave comments on: http://cumbanchamusic.blogspot.com/ http://www.myspace.com/andypalacio | |
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