The Garifuna Experience Podcast

Garifuna Settlement Day Celebration in Nicaragua

• Jose Francisco Avila

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Garifuna Settlement Day in Nicaragua: The Legacy of Orinoco and the Sambola Family

Join host José Francisco Ávila for a special episode honoring Garifuna Settlement Day in Nicaragua. Celebrated every November 19th since its official recognition by Executive Decree in 2006, this is a story of enduring cultural roots and political achievement.

This week, we trace the incredible journey of the Garifuna people:

  • The first documented arrivals in 1830 at Greytown (San Juan del Norte).
  • The major settlement wave in the Pearl Lagoon basin, led by pioneers like Joseph and John Sambola, who founded communities including San Vicente and Orinoco—Nicaragua's "Garifuna Capital."

Plus, we highlight modern Garifuna leadership with a profile of Kensy Eloisa Sambola Solís, the great-great-granddaughter of Orinoco’s founder and current First Secretary of the Autonomous Regional Council of the Southern Caribbean.

Discover how the past and present connect to ensure the Power, Prosperity, and Progress of the Garifuna people in Nicaragua.

Resources:

Books by José Francisco Ávila

Soundtrack

HOST: Hello, and welcome to The Garifuna Experience Podcast. I'm your host, José Francisco Ávila.

Today, we're crossing borders to honor a significant and officially recognized event: Garifuna Settlement Day in Nicaragua. While many of us know the November 19th holiday best through its powerful celebration in Honduras or Belize, its spirit and history are just as vital and deeply rooted in Nicaragua.

In Nicaragua, Garifuna Settlement Day is celebrated every November 19th and has been since 2006. This recognition came through official government action—specifically, Executive Decree No. 37-2006, signed on June 15th, 2006. This decree formally commemorates the enduring spirit of our people and celebrates our first major arrival in Nicaragua in 1830. Let’s explore the story of that historic migration.

The First Footprints: Greytown, 1830

HOST: The first documented arrival of Garifuna people to Nicaragua took place around that pivotal year of 1830. These initial pioneers settled in a location known variously as Greytown, San Juan de Nicaragua, or San Juan del Norte, situated on the southern tip of the Nicaraguan Caribbean coast.

The interesting part? The Garifuna who came to Greytown weren't exclusively from Honduras. They also included people migrating from Belize, which was then known as British Honduras. This early movement demonstrates the constant, interconnected flow of our communities, always searching for opportunity and new homes along the Central American coast.

But the truly concentrated and enduring Garifuna presence in Nicaragua that shaped the future of the community began later, further up the coast.

The Pearl Lagoon Basin and the Sambola Legacy

HOST: The next major chapter of our story begins about fifty years later, in the Pearl Lagoon basin section of Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast.

The year was 1880 when a man named Joseph Sambola from Sangrelaya, Honduras, arrived. He is rightly credited as the first Garífuna to arrive in the Pearl Lagoon area. Joseph Sambola established the first official Garifuna Community on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, naming it San Vicente in powerful homage to our ancestral homeland, the island of St. Vincent. A remarkable way to build a future while honoring the past.

The Sambola family's influence grew quickly. Joseph's relative, John Sambola, born around 1875, continued this legacy, becoming recognized as the founder of the Garifuna community of Orinoco in the Pearl Lagoon, established in 1898.

This period between 1880 and 1910 saw a crucial wave of migration, with about 16 Garifuna familiesemigrating from the Honduran coast—east of Trujillo—to Nicaragua. The majority arrived in the 1890s, and their influx, led by the Sambolas, solidified the Garifuna presence.

Today, the Garifuna populations along the Pearl Lagoon Basin are a living tribute to those first pioneers. Communities like Orinoco, La Fé, Marshall, Point, and Brown Bank stand as powerful testaments to that resilience.

Prominent Garifuna: Kensy Eloisa Sambola Solís

HOST: And that brings us to the present day, where the legacy of the Sambola family and the founders of Orinoco is carried forward by dedicated leaders. I want to highlight one such powerful figure: Kensy Eloisa Sambola Solís.

Kensy, a native of Bluefields, currently serves as the First Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Autonomous Regional Council of the Southern Caribbean. This is a major leadership position, yet her work is deeply personal.

She is, in fact, the great-great-granddaughter of John Sambola, the founder of Orinoco—the community now widely regarded as Nicaragua's "Garifuna Capital."

Kensy is trained as a sociologist and cultural promoter, and she applies this expertise directly to her community. She’s a founding member of the Nicaraguan Afro-Garifuna Association, where she coordinates vital development plans and leads cultural revitalization efforts, especially safeguarding the Garifuna language. From serving in the Youth Secretariat of the Central American Black Organization to dedicating her working life to the well-being of Orinoco, her commitment is unwavering.

Even her academic work is rooted in this mission, with her Master's thesis exploring the Territoriality of the Orinoco community from the Garifuna worldview. Kensy Eloisa Sambola Solís truly embodies the past and the future of Garifuna leadership in Nicaragua.

Conclusion: A Living Legacy

HOST: The story of Garifuna Settlement Day in Nicaragua is more than just a date; it’s a living history of movement, cultural dedication, and political achievement. It reminds us that our history is not confined to one place, but spans the entire Caribbean coast of Central America, connected by our language, our culture, and our collective memory.

Outro

And that wraps up another illuminating episode of The Garifuna Experience Podcast. We’ve honored the journey that began in 1830 and led to the official recognition of Garifuna Settlement Day every November 19th.

Happy Garifuna Settlement Day, Nicaragua!

Thank you for listening and remember the future of the Garifuna people is in our hands, and we are driving Power, Prosperity, and Progress. Until next time, stay united, stay proud, Sungubei Lidan Aban Ayo!

HOST: Find new episodes of The Garifuna Experience every Tuesday. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, and iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to podcasts. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review The Garifuna Experience Podcast. Your support helps us share our vital Garifuna experience with more people around the world.

Soundtrack

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José Francisco Ávila

Host