When West Africans on their way to the New World’s slave markets escaped in 1635, they intermarried with Caribbean islanders to create a new and distinct culture.

We were never enslaved – that is a point of pride for the Garifuna people

Garifuna Settlement Day celebrates the arrival of the Garifuna people in Belize (Credit: Charles Wollertz/Alamy)

The Garifuna people are the descendants of West Africans and the Carib and Arawak people (Credit: Roi Brooks/Alamy)

The Garifuna were turned away from Belize three times by the British government before they were allowed to settle there in 1832 (Credit: Zach Holmes/Alamy)

Even though they were accepted into Belize, the Garifuna faced discrimination after their arrival (Credit: Danita Delimont/Alamy)

Garifuna Settlement Day was recognised in 1977 as a public holiday throughout Belize (Credit: Roi Brooks/Alamy)

During Garifuna Settlement Day, the streets fill with the thumping of paranda and punta rhythms, which blend Caribbean and African beats (Credit: Belize Tourism Board)

The Garifuna still use traditional fishing and farming methods to cultivate the ingredients for dishes like hudut, a coconut milk-based stew (Credit: Belize Tourism Board)

There is not going to be an end to anything – we evolve