Tacogirl Belize blog Est. in 2007
  • Home
  • About Belize
    • My Move to Belize
    • Living in Belize
    • Belize Tourism Board
    • Blog Press
    • tacogirl.com testimonials
  • Flights to Belize
    • Flying in Belize
    • Flights From Belize
    • Duty Free Belize
    • Aerial Tours
    • World Nomads Travel Insurance
  • Belize Vacation
    • Vrbo Belize – A Paradise within a Paradise
      • Vrbo Ambergris Caye – Sunshine, Luxury & Fun
      • Vrbo San Pedro – Food, Fun, and Adventure
      • Vrbo Placencia – A True Getaway
      • Vrbo Hopkins Belize – Experience Culture
    • Ambergris Caye Accommodations by Price
    • Belize Resorts and Hotels
    • Pet Friendly Hotels
    • Belize Vacation Deals
  • Coupon Codes
    • Big Belize Travel Deal
  • Travel Store
    • tacogirl Recommendations
    • Easy Donations
    • Eco Friendly Belize
  • Fun Activities
    • Getting Around Ambergris Caye
    • Fitness
    • Things to do in Belize
    • Belize Excursions and Tours
    • Voluntourism
  • Travel
    • Central America
    • Yucatan
  • Home
  • Belize Weather
  • Belizean Food
  • Restaurants by Price
  • Beach Bars
  • Nightlife
  • Discounts
  • Virtual Vacation
  • Belize Beach Webcam
Tacogirl Belize blog Est. in 2007

You came to the right blog for Belize Resources and Information.

  • Home
  • About Belize
    • My Move to Belize
    • Living in Belize
    • Belize Tourism Board
    • Blog Press
    • tacogirl.com testimonials
  • Flights to Belize
    • Flying in Belize
    • Flights From Belize
    • Duty Free Belize
    • Aerial Tours
    • World Nomads Travel Insurance
  • Belize Vacation
    • Vrbo Belize – A Paradise within a Paradise
      • Vrbo Ambergris Caye – Sunshine, Luxury & Fun
      • Vrbo San Pedro – Food, Fun, and Adventure
      • Vrbo Placencia – A True Getaway
      • Vrbo Hopkins Belize – Experience Culture
    • Ambergris Caye Accommodations by Price
    • Belize Resorts and Hotels
    • Pet Friendly Hotels
    • Belize Vacation Deals
  • Coupon Codes
    • Big Belize Travel Deal
  • Travel Store
    • tacogirl Recommendations
    • Easy Donations
    • Eco Friendly Belize
  • Fun Activities
    • Getting Around Ambergris Caye
    • Fitness
    • Things to do in Belize
    • Belize Excursions and Tours
    • Voluntourism
  • Travel
    • Central America
    • Yucatan

Michele Henderson wins CARICOM song competition

by tacogirl 29/05/2014
written by tacogirl 29/05/2014
caricom song competition

Dominican, jazz, fusion singer Michele Henderson is the winner of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) song competition, and her winning entry celebrating CARICOM is now the regional body’s official anthem. Henderson beat out 57 semi-finalists and ten finalists to emerge winner in the competition, which was announced last year.

Michele says she screamed in disbelief when she first heard the news, and is happy and proud for the accomplishment.

“I want to thank CARICOM for the honor. I want to thank my husband (Roland Delsol Jr.) from the bottom of my heart for believing I could do it and for producing the song; Earlson Mathew for his arrangement; Michael Ferrol for his drumming skills; and the St. Alphonsus Choir for their choral input.” – Michele Henderson.

According to the competition rules, the song should reflect a strong Caribbean cultural identity, have versatility, lend itself to be played by various instruments, and inspire a sense of regional pride and unity.

Irwin Laroque, General Secretary of CARICOM (a Dominican himself) shares that the regional panel of judges considered her composition and excellent reflection of the culture, identity and aspiration of the Caribbean Community engendering regional unity and pride and a fitting tribute to the 40th anniversary of CARICOM.

The win is rather timely, as next year will mark 20 years since Henderson burst on the music scene with her winning composition “My Pride” – a song she penned for the 1995 DOMFESTA (Dominica Festival of Arts) song competition. Much like that song, Celebrating CARICOM is a rallying cry for unity.

Henderson states that while keeping the rules of the competition in mind, her main goal was to create a song that would cause a groundswell and impact Caribbean people in a genuine way.

“In addition to it’s use at official functions, it’s my hope that celebrating CARICOM will cause people from member islands to come together and build on our strengths. Regular rotation on local radio and a corresponding video on TV would go even further to encourage people from all over the region to see that we really are more similar than we are different,” she says.

Henderson hails from Grand Bay, a community often times referred to as the cultural capital of Dominica, and sings in English, French and French Creole. No stranger to the regional stage, she has performed at the CBU Song competition in Barbados, Trinidad’s Jazz Artists on the Green, St. Lucia Jazz Festival, Carifesta in St.Kitts and Trinidad, St. Bart’s Music Festival, Spice Jazz in Grenada, the World Creole Music Festival in Dominica and numerous concert events in the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. The seasoned flutist has six albums to her credit, including her most recent Home (Chez Moi). She also successfully writes for competitors across a range of genres from pop to cadencelypso to calypso.

The powerful vocalist has been honored by the government of Dominica for her contribution to culture and the development of the French Language; and as of 2004 appointed Goodwill ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean island.

Dominica’s Minister of Culture Hon. Justina Charles and parliamentary representative for the Grand Bay community shared the government’s pride at her most recent achievement.

“I want to, as Minister of Culture, extend congratulations to Michele for emerging winner of the CARICOM song competition and as parliamentary representative of her community. I must say that I am extremely elated about her win. Michele has been doing wonderfully well nationally, regionally, internationally. I think that her mother, her sisters and her family must be very proud of her and we in the Grand Bay constituency and Dominica by extension are very proud that such a prestigious honor has been earned by one of our own. Her example confirms to us her potential. We wish her all the best in her future creative pursuits.

The results were first announced to CARICOM Heads of Government at the twenty-fifth Inter-Session Meeting held in March 2014 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Henderson’s first official performance of Celebrating CARICOM, the official CARICOM song will be at the opening ceremony for the thirty-fifth Regional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government to be held Tuesday, July 1st, 2014. There she will also be presented with her winning cheque of  $10,000.00 USD.

CARICOM was established on July 4th 1973 by the Treaty of Chaguaramas on the principle of regional integration for national and regional development. The grouping comprises 15 full member states (Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago) and 5 associates (Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands). The Secretariat is headquartered in Georgetown Guyana.

This Press Release courtesy of AG Select PR and Roseau. Photo Credit: repeatingislands.com and William Farrington.

caricom song competition

Dominican, jazz, fusion singer Michele Henderson is the winner of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) song competition.

Related

tacogirl

Laure Norton grew up dyslexic and was very challenged by the school. She never dreamed she would move to Belize and become a writer. A year after her move to Ambergris Caye, Laurie became an entrepreneur and professional writer starting tacogirl blog in 2007. Since then she has helped many people plan their vacations or move. She also has been published in Great Destinations Belize Guidebook, Moon Guide to Living in Belize, Insight Guides, Island Magazine several times and USA Today. Currently Laurie resides in downtown San Pedro and enjoys being a "city girl" on a tropical island.

previous post
Tropic Air Increases Flights To Cancun
next post
Ambergris Caye has high population of smart people

You will also like

Best Time For Official Paperwork

04/03/2021

Limited Economic Recovery of Ambergris Caye and Belize

05/06/2020

Happiness is Underrated

19/05/2020

How Many Times Did I Go Out? And...

03/05/2020

Bad Things Happen in Threes

24/04/2020

Time Stands Still – 3 cases of Covid-19...

30/03/2020

Grateful for Belize in December

05/12/2019

Busy Season on Ambergris Caye

30/11/2019

Things That Make You Go Hmmm and Sargasso...

27/11/2019

Directions? Look for the Sails

22/11/2019

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Search Belize by Category

Duty Free Discount

Trip Advisor Destination Expert

Tripadvisor logo

Get Social with tacogirl Belize blog

Facebook Twitter Instagram Linkedin Flickr Youtube

 

 

 


 

Get the latest posts by email

Search Belize by Month

Find tacogirl On Facebook

Find tacogirl On Facebook
tacogirl Belize blog
tacogirl Belize blog
5.0
Based on 16 reviews
powered by Google
Corey Holm
Corey Holm
04:38 25 Feb 20
I take the seniors from our academy to Belize every year for their senior trip. One of the first people I contact when... I start planning the trip is Laurie with TacoGirl Belize. She knows the island of San Pedro better than anyone else out there. Trust me, I have looked. If you are looking for the best restaurants, hang outs and shops then Laurie help plan your vacation.read more
Carol Taylor
Carol Taylor
15:53 24 Feb 20
Love Taco Girl Blog @LaurieNorton! I've been reading this blog since I started visiting Ambergris Caye in Belize almost... 10 years ago. It is filled with helpful up-to-date information and recommendations that I wouldn't necessarily find on my own. Laurie Norton's knowledge and extensive network on the island provides her with the ability to share perks/discounts/coupons with her readers, which come in handy year after year. Things on the island change daily - new businesses pop up constantly and LaurieNortonstays on top of these developments. Whenever I plan my return trip to the island, I always check her blog first - and I recommend you do the same. Trip Advisor ain't got nuttin' on Taco Girl!read more
Heidi
Heidi
20:01 20 Feb 20
Laurie's blog is my official “go to” source for tourist and local information on San Pedro. Of course, it’s... always nice to see her guides on “what to do” in San Pedro, but I also appreciate her “insider” advice and human interest stories on what it’s like living as a local on the island. There is so much information it's amazing! Thank you Laurie!!!read more
Nick Goodman
Nick Goodman
21:23 30 Nov 19
I am considering a move to Belize and I have serendipitously found tacogirl.....what a treasure! She is full of great... advice, helpful hints.....knows everybody on Ambergris Caye and has a thousand useful recommendations and suggestions. Whether you are planning a vacation or relocating, you should make use of the many services she has to offer…..read more
KellyDivePhotography
KellyDivePhotography
20:58 30 Nov 19
I’m so pleased to see tacogirl's blog on Google. Laurie's blog is my official “go to” source for tourist and... local information on San Pedro. Of course, it’s always nice to see her guides on “what to do” in San Pedro, but I also appreciate her “insider” advice and human interest stories on what it’s like living as a local on the island. I especially enjoy her guest articles, providing a different perspective of all things San Pedro. Her tipping quide is a classic, and don’t forget her Tropic Air flight code and on-island discounts. You’re not up-to-date with what’s going on in San Pedro if you’re not regularly reading tacogirl's blog.read more
Sandra Godfrey
Sandra Godfrey
15:58 23 Nov 19
I have known Laurie (Taco Girl) for several years. She has been a wealth of good information for me in all of my... pursuits in Belize. I highly recommend her for any services you may require.read more
William Jones
William Jones
13:39 06 May 19
Do yourself a favor. Read this BEFORE any trip to San Pedro - Ambergris Caye or Belize in general. Not saying “do... what everyone else says”, but Laurie has frank and honest info which will make your stay in country a little more fun, a little more informative, and often at a great cost savings. Best thing: it’s unbiased, honest, and factual. Personal note: thank you for your personal tailored help in answering mine (and my wife’s) questions.read more
Kimberly Robinson
Kimberly Robinson
18:28 03 May 19
Taco Girl (Laurie) is amazing. She has so much knowledge about Belize and has great connections with many of the... businesses in Belize. Because of her connections she is able to offer many perks and discounts that you wouldn't have been able to find otherwise. She is super responsive and I always go to her for all my travel needs. From golf cart rentals, to spas, to places to eat. She's got the inside scoop on all!read more
Michael Rieck
Michael Rieck
20:22 21 Apr 19
Since 2003, my wife and I have been to Ambergris at least once a year to experience the fantastic diving. About twelve... years ago we me Tacogirl on a blog giving us discounts on golf carts, local airfares, and restaurants. Over the years we have grown a friendship and I look forward to her weekly blogs about he changes on my favorite home away from home. The island changes every year, and she always shows you what to see, do, and eat.read more
Next Reviews

THE ORIGINAL BELIZE BLOG

THE ORIGINAL BELIZE BLOG

ABOUT ME

I took the plunge and moved to San Pedro Town on the Island of Ambergris Caye, off the coast of Belize, Central America. Originally from Canada, I made the life-changing move to escape winter for good (in 2006) after one three week vacation.

If you have any questions or want Belize discounts, Contact me.

SPARKING MY DESIRE

3 childhood memories that shaped my desire to move to Belize from a young age.Sailing in the Virgin Islands, seeing a rainbow out the window of an island hopper as we flew from Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico, Christmas in Hawaii and many trips to Florida.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Linkedin
  • Flickr
  • Youtube
  • Email

tacogirl.com San Pedro Belize © 2020 Content of this website may not be used elsewhere without permission. Sitemap


Back To Top