Culture Is Freedom: Remembering Garifuna Legend Aurelio Martínez
Latino USA
My Cultura, Futuro and iHeartPodcasts
4.8 • 3.8K Ratings
🗓️ 15 February 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Last year in March, Honduran composer and singer artist Aurelio Martinez died in a tragic plane crash. Aurelio was the voice of the Garifuna people and a fierce defender of their music and culture. Almost two decades ago, producer Marlon Bishop became friends with Aurelio, living and traveling with him for several months. He shares the story of their time together.
Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Futuro. |
| 0:08.0 | La Braga is back. |
| 0:09.9 | This season, we're spending time with the people and symbols that represent Puerto Rico. |
| 0:14.1 | We're proud Boricwas. |
| 0:15.6 | And what does that mean? |
| 0:17.0 | And we are still in the fight. |
| 0:43.6 | We're telling stories about champions from a place worth fighting for. Stories that will inspire you no matter where you're from. This is La Brega Campeones. Listen early and ad-free with Futuro Plus. Latino USA is highlighting stories about Afro Latinos as we honor and celebrate Black History Month. |
| 0:50.5 | This is one of those stories. |
| 0:52.1 | You can also check out our archives to listen to many more. |
| 1:00.6 | Almost a year ago, on March 2025, a small jet stream plane was leaving Roatan Island, a popular |
| 1:07.8 | destination for divers and beachgoers of the coast of Honduras. |
| 1:12.0 | It was headed to the nearby city of La Seva on the mainland. |
| 1:16.6 | But almost instantly... |
| 1:19.1 | The aircraft crashed into the sea within a minute of taking off. |
| 1:23.4 | After a few seconds in the air, the plane began to nose dive into the sea. |
| 1:28.3 | Witnesses say the plane made a sharp turn to the right of the runway and plunged into the water. |
| 1:34.4 | Local fishermen approached aiming to rescue survivors. |
| 1:38.1 | For 12 of the 17 passengers and crew, it was too late. |
| 1:43.4 | My first thought is that this is fake news. And I was like, it was too late. My first thought is that this is fake news. |
| 1:46.5 | And I was like, it's only rumors, it's only rumors. |
| 1:50.2 | But then the media confirmed it. |
| 1:54.7 | Aboard the plane was Aurelio Martinez, |
... |
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