Driftwood Studios and HashisiPaampi Fire Hearth and Maroon Creole Drum School

Better known and still closely associated with the Maroon Creole Drum School, Driftwood Studios and HashishiPaampi Fire Hearth offers several traditional Kriol cultural activities, attractions, and products. All activities are presented with particular attention to the Studios’ relationship to Kriol and Belizean cultures.

The Studios offer a continuous exhibit of the works and permanent installations of Jill Burgess Young, whose art on Kriol culture and history has been featured in many displays and presentations around the country and abroad. Themes presented are supporting environmental and cultural awareness and often reflect the spectacular flora and fauna of the whole of Belize.

HashishiPaampi Fire Hearth (by appointment only) offers fire hearth cooking classes or meals with traditional Kriol style recipes such as serre, boil up, cassava cake, roasted fish, Matil’a foot, bush tea, Kriol bread, and more, all made on the fire hearth. Many aspects of Kriol culture are explained through food preparation; cooking classes include the extraction of coconut milk, cassava harvesting, annatto usage, and the ways food and household items are uniquely Kriol. If you are not that into Kriol food yet, try out the new clay oven, which allows for a fun pizza making activity – particularly great for children. You can assemble your own Kriol pizzas topped with “beefy” plantain crumbles, callaloo “spinach”, and more local ingredients.

In conjunction with the youths of the Drums Not Guns Band, the Maroon Creole Drum School offers (by appointment only) activities such as drum lessons, cultural presentations, Kriol games, sambai drumming and dancing around a fire, and cultural preservation workshops.

How to book:
The studio is open daily from 10.00 am till 4.00 pm. For drumming lessons and Fire Hearth cooking classes, call or e-mail in advance for reservations. +501 632 7841 or e-mail pricklypeartat2@hotmail.com .