Vincy’s embrace of Garifuna heritage puts her in Guinness Records

In November 2024, Vincentian Rianka Chance answered the call to represent St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the “195” song — a global anthem promoting equality for women, produced by Martina Fuchs, The Frequency School and Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum producer Maejor.

The vision was bold and unprecedented: to create the first song in history uniting women from all 195 countries using sound healing frequencies and to premiere it at the 2025 World Economic Forum in Davos.

“I was one of 195 women selected worldwide. It was surreal,” Chance told iWitness News.

“To see my country’s name listed among global powerhouses and to know that my voice would stand alongside women from every corner of the earth. It felt bigger than me.”

She said that in a world where women are still often overlooked, silenced, marginalised or underestimated, “I felt deeply honoured and elated to be part of something so historic, especially as a young Indigenous woman who once struggled with low self-esteem and believed my voice was not good enough because of what others said.

“There was a time when I questioned whether I belonged in rooms like that. Yet here I was, not just in the room, but in the record books. To now use that same voice, the one I once doubted, on a global platform was both healing and transformative.”

Chance told iWitness News that when she learned in June 2025 that the record for the most nationalities represented in a song had officially been broken, “I was humbled and deeply satisfied.

“I remember sitting with that news and thinking about the “little dot” on the map — St. Vincent and the Grenadines. So often overlooked. So often misunderstood. Yet rich with history, culture, resilience and power. I knew at that moment that the world would finally hear not just my voice, but our story and the voice of all Vincentian women.”

Chance said that to have helped to break an international record at 19 years old and then receive the official certificate as her 20th birthday gift, “felt like divine alignment.

“One year later, it remains one of my biggest achievements and I still get shivers thinking about it. Not because of the accolade alone, but because of what it represented: visibility, validation and victory for a people whose contributions are too often erased or misattributed.”

She said that as a strong advocate for indigenous rights, inclusion, and the teaching of indigenous heritage within a decolonised curriculum, “I knew I had a responsibility.

“I cannot be advocating for indigenous heritage to be taught in our schools, calling for a decolonised education system, and not walk the walk. That would be performative and hollow. So, it was never a question for me, I had to do my part in the language of my ancestors. Representing Yurumein was paramount; not optional.”

Chance said many people do not know that St. Vincent is the birthplace of the Garifuna people.

“They often believe it is Belize or other Central American countries — and while the Garifuna community thrives there today due to forced exile and migration, our roots trace back to Yurumein — St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

“This is not about ‘taking back’ culture in a territorial sense; it is about appreciating it more deeply, reclaiming our narrative and teaching our citizens the fullness of our history. It is about honouring the resilience of our ancestors and ensuring their legacy is not diluted or forgotten.”

She said that saying the Garifuna word for “equality” in Garifuna on a global anthem was her declaration that Garifuna culture is “alive, that our language is worthy and our stories matter.

“It was proof that indigenous identity is not something to be hidden or minimised but it is something to be celebrated on the world’s largest stages,” Chance told iWitness News.

“This experience did more than break a record. It amplified my mission, strengthened my voice and reaffirmed that even a young woman from a small island — from a ‘little dot’ on the map — can make history while carrying her ancestors with her and promoting equality among women.”