La Ceiba, Honduras is a key site of Afro-Caribbean presence and resistance, shaped by the histories of the Garífuna and Bay Island Creole peoples. The Garífuna, exiled from St. Vincent in 1797, settled along the Honduran coast and built matrifocal, land-based communities. They have long resisted colonial violence—from 18th-century wars to contemporary struggles against land dispossession by tourism and agribusiness. In the early 20th century, U.S.-backed banana companies like Standard Fruit seized Garífuna lands around La Ceiba, displacing communities and fueling environmental degradation. Today, organizations like OFRANEH, led by Garífuna women such as Miriam Miranda, fight to defend collective land rights and cultural sovereignty. La Ceiba has also been a site of labor resistance, including the massive 1954 banana workers' strike in which Garífuna and Creole women like Teresina Rossi Matamoros played central roles. Despite persistent violence—including the targeted killings of land defenders—Garífuna communities continue to resist displacement, assert their territorial claims, and challenge the folklorization of their identity for tourism. Through music, activism, and ancestral practices, La Ceiba’s Afro-descendant communities persist as a vital force for Black and Indigenous sovereignty in Honduras.
La Ceiba, Honduras, is home to two Afro-Caribbean communities, the Garífuna and Bay Island Creoles, both of which have fought to maintain their cultural and territorial rights against colonial and modern threats. From resisting displacement during the construction of the Panama Canal to fighting the negative impact of tourism, these communities have led efforts in land protection and cultural preservation. Despite ongoing challenges, including land expropriation and threats to activists, organizations like OFRANEH continue to defend Garífuna rights and land ownership, maintaining a matrifocal vision of community and resistance.
BCA is a platform dedicated to amplifying Black Central American history, culture, and scholarship. Through curated content, innovative programming, and collaborative initiatives, we explore the collective memory, cultural and political organizing, and creative place-making practices of Black Central American communities across the isthmus and its diasporas.
