An afternoon with Paul Nabor, King of Paranda (1928–2014)
“The National Treasures of Belize are its people. Culturally, the Garifuna people of Dangriga, Belize are most interesting. […] The oldest male singer is PAUL NABOR. Make sure that you photograph him, he is the national treasure since Andy Palacio died.”
When I reached Punta Gorda, in the deep south of Belize, that month of September 2011, I kept the words of my mentor and renowned photographer Chester Higgins in the back of my mind. I had shared with him the good news that my next gig as a newly-minted travel journalist was taking me to Belize, for three months of coverage as a writer, blogger, and photographer for the Belize Tourism Board.
In Punta Gorda, my host Bruno was well-connected and had lived in the area for decades, so I had a hunch he might be able to help me. The minute I mentioned to him that I would love to meet Paul Nabor, he said, in the way in which he always did when a guest had a request: “No problem!”
We stopped by Nabor’s house that very evening–it was dark and I could barely see where we were, but I spotted him from the car. He seemed frail, yet alert, sitting in an alley beside his humble wooden home, chatting with a friend. My host stepped out and told him about this writer who is with the BTB and wanted to meet him.
