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FOUNDATION ‘N A SONJE’ AND THE MEMORY VILLAGE
“Reliving the Historical Encounter Between the Americas, Africa, and Europe in an Interactive, Historical Village” N a sonje (nah-sohn-jayh). We will remember. On January 1st 1804, after enduring more than 300 years of colonial rule, the genocide of indigenous peoples, and the enslavement of Africans, the slave population of Cap Haïtien in northern Haiti rose up against its oppressors, starting a revolution which overthrew the trans-Atlantic slave system, created the Western Hemisphere’s first free black nation, and shook the entire western world’s political and economic system in a way which reverberates to this day… N a sonje. We will remember. N a Sonje Foundation seeks to offer an environment that encourages the development of respectful understanding and equal relationships between peoples of different cultures: Africans, Europeans, Amerindians, and their respective descendants around the world, emphasizing a more complete memory of the historical events that created the political, economic, interpersonal, and international dynamics in which we live. Through sharing the lost, forgotten, or simply untold histories of Haiti’s past, we hope to bring to mind and nourish those memories whose community value is worth embracing in the present. To this end, N a Sonje Foundation presents the Memory Village. Contents • Overview and Objectives • Location and Site Plan • One Day’s Journey • Current Status • Investment Budget Outline • Who we are • Supplementary Materials Overview and Objectives: N a Sonje Foundation believes that the day has come when seeing and hearing alone are no longer sufficient venues for the transmission of truth about our history and cultural tradition; that a more direct and dynamic approach is necessary in order to convey the deep emotions and spiritual dimensions which are an inseparable part of the whole. The Memory Village is envisioned as a living, interactive, historical village within which people from all over the world will have the opportunity to re-visit the three main cultures involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, through personal participation in history-based re-enactments of those lives and times. By offering an opportunity to experience the condititions and events that shaped lives of others, if only for a brief moment, N a Sonje believes that the Memory Village will constructively contribute to understanding, healing, and courage at a personal level, with the hope that this will lead to an eventual impact on a global scale. Location and Site Plan The Memory Village will be situated on about 4 acres near the rural mountain village of Gwo Jan, a provincial community of the city of Petionville, a main suburb of Port-au-Prince. (Gwo Jan was established by Africans who escaped from the sugar plantations during the colonial era.) One Day’s Journey A typical day's journey through the Memory Village would begin at 6 am and end at about 7 pm. It will cover several activities within seven primary topics: 1. Preparation: • Reception, welcome and choosing degree of participation 2. Ancestors: • Activities in a Native American village, including an exploration of primordial sciences • Activities in commerce, science and religion in a small Medieval European city • Activities in an African village during a full celebration (ancestral/religious, agricultural, communal, etc) 3. Slave Trade: • Capture and imprisonment by slave traders • Embarkment on a slave ship • Arrival and sale in a slave market on the island of St. Domingue (Haiti) 4. Slavery • Submission by means of quarantine • Work on a sugar cane plantation 5. "Mawon" or Escape: • Escape to encampments of freed slaves and remaining original Taino people 6. Revolt: • Re-enactment of the first Pan-African Congress meeting of unification to fight for freedom • Tribute to the "Act of Independence" and the first head of state, Jean-Jacques Dessaline's speech on January 1, 1804 • Walk the "Road of Resistance" 7. Reflection: • Partake in a bowl of "Independence" soup • Complete the experience at the meditation monument over a cooling brook for a guided debriefing and personal reflection Current Status Here is what has been accomplished to date, thanks to enormous volunteer efforts and many professional hours. Many friends, family, and organizations have graciously contributed time, money, and materials towards this work, together with the sponsoring finance and vision of DOA/BN: • deposits towards land acquisition for the Memory Village • topographical study completed • topographical miniature scale model built of the land • layout designs for the land and village • detailed designs for each individual building • documentary video • Haitian radio and television promotion • investment and operating budgets Major research and financing for the training and education of the local population, theatrical personnel and administrative staff are essential in order to accomplish an authentic rendering of such diverse cultural histories. N a Sonje Foundation is now looking for partnerships and support to begin the construction of the Memory Village and the training of staff in order to start operating with public access in the very near future. Investment Budget Outline An approximate idea of the overall investment budget is at this date: $707,000 US General categories: • purchase of land $ 50,000 • administration headquarters $ 12,000 • historical buildings $300,000 • slave ship construction $300,000 • video production $ 7,000 • promotion $ 30,000 • miscellaneous $ 8,000 Initial investments contributed total to this date, July 2004: $10,000 US • purchase of land $ 7,000 • topographical studies $ 500 • lay out designs $ 500 • computer building designs $ 2,000 A "bare-bones" minimum investment budget (based on original designs, to be added onto as finances allow): $100,000 US • land purchase $ 50,000 • minimum historical construction necessary $ 50,000 Who we are: N a Sonje Foundation is a non-profit organization, founded in Haiti, which began informally in 2000 and gained legal recognition in August, 2002. It has as its vision the presentation of a balanced historical perspective, particularly focused on the tri-continental encounter. This vision has been entrusted to and developed by its three founding members: Harry Nicolas, an ordinary, everyday, 'modern' Haitian, passionately sharing his people's history and hospitality; Carla Bluntschli, a North American who came to Haiti in 1985 and who has been transformed through intense cultural immersion since that time; and, Djalòki Dessables, a ‘post-modern’ seeker integrating his multicultural Haitian roots (African, Native, and European). These three are also associates in DOA/BN, an alternative educational tourism business in Haiti which has provided historical and cultural tours and services to visiting groups for the past ten years. (D for Delegations: groups hosted to provide cultural and historical experiences in Haiti; O for Orientations: sessions of lectures based on Haitian perspectives of reality; A for Atizana: “crafts” in Creole, but more comprehensively, promoting all products made by Haitian hands); Bluntschli, Carla and Nicolas, Harry, founders. We are dedicated to the honor and memory of all African and Native ancestors whose blood and dreams were spilled in this hemisphere for over 300 years, but most especially to those who endured the extremity of horror on this tiny but sacred land, whose original Arawak/Taino peoples called ‘Ayiti’—“the land that enables one to rise to one's higher self.” May our lives and dreams give reason and hope for their suffering, and for our future. Supplementary Materials (available upon request): • 10-year activity report for DOA/BN • Promotional video production for the Memory Village (in Creole) • Haitian television programs introducing the Memory Village • Topographical study of the land • Digital photographs of land • Legal documentation of the Foundation "N a Sonje" • Engineering designs for some of the construction sites • Investment details already made • Projected operating budget details |
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