3 Innocents and a spirit

#4 on the road again!

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While here in Montreal, we finally have a moment to put together some of the things and places that we have been and this is just for 2 days. While in Kitchener Ontario, we were gifted with a home where we stayed for about 8 days of some of the dearest people in the world though we never saw them, knew them and they never met or knew us the whole time, but yet they gave of their most important possession in the world, their home while they were gone on vacation! We don't know of any other greater gift one can give in that way, we are humbled by such loving trust and generosity! We hope to meet them one day before we leave Kitchener! Students have been very receptive to the authenticity of Ari and Genia, it has been very rewarding and we are very appreciative of MCC's initiative in giving Haiti such wide profile here in Canada, in spite the difficulties of getting here! more soon from our next stop! Carla for all

Guelph University sociology class with 182 students learning compa and rah rah dancing!

In Hanover high school where we performed the play to first period assembly to the whole student body of over 700 students. Ari and Genia taught a whole gym class compa dancing and then a cooking class that had no chairs left and not a drop of food was left, they were all taking tastes home with them!

sweet 6 month pregnant Marylynn can't stay away from the dancing!!

#3 Toronto to Winnipeg to aboriginal

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Followers of the 3rd N a Sonje Tour

(note Genia's puckered face!) Sept 14th we left from the Toronto airport, encountered the cold wind of Winnipeg but the warmth of the assuring presence of Meagan (Canadian Food and Grains Bank) right from the airport but our real entry was found in true greetings and blessings of an elder of one of the First People of Winnipeg together with the fire of new friendship! Our landed beginnings were truly blessed.

Our week was fast paced and intense, but we believe that our mission of presenting the reality of Haiti and its people began and ended in Winnipeg with many people listening, witnessing new and better understandings of the intertwining of our histories and lives and how their is much wisdom and life that Haiti offers as well.

Many high school and university classrooms, churches, play performances, over 22 presentations in all in just one week!

We have left these beautiful people plus the small Haitian community that showed us incredible hospitality in the cold with real rice and beans and fish!!!With the incredible support and tremendous work of Marylynn and Josh Steckley keeping us together, on time, scheduling, doing the budget at all times of day and night, filming and speaking alongside with us. Meagan Peasgood and her drumming hubby Dan (with the unforgettable rasta neighbor Rico) are now part of our beloved circle of caring friends who not only cleaned out their basement so they could sleep on sleeping bags to give up their bedroom, (climbing 2 flights of stairs to use the faclities), Dan gave up a week of work to serve us food he lovingly and caringly made for us every day that meant many very early mornings! There are no words for this care and support. We are ever more dedicated to this work.

with much love to all and great expectations to new visions.....nasonje, Carla

#2 through immigration & on to Winnipeg Sept 13th

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To our N a Sonje family Sept 13th, 2008

Ari and Jinya made it out of Haiti through the turmoil created by the hurricanes and their continually worsening crisis due to lifelines such as bridges, roads, gardens destroyed making hunger and thirst a greater threat than the winds and rains. We are in mourning as we watch and listen across the internet waves, feeling the pain all the way here to Ontario Canada.

They also just barely made it through perhaps an even more difficult hurricane of immigration harrasment. Not only has the Canada government not paid attention as it doles out its money for speaking tours so that they didn't know that when they denied Ari and Jinya a visa, at first, it was exactly for the speaking tour they were funding that they, the Canadian government, they were, as Ari points out "untying the rope at one end that they were tying at the other end" (Ari's always good for an appropriate Haitian proverb!), they also wanted to make it difficult to enter the country even after they flew through Miami with no problem. The immigration officer at the Toronto airport pulled them aside and grilled them about their activities and locations and made it so difficult that they even asked for the phone numbers of the family we were staying with so that they could call them and check it out, which they did! We don't know what would have happened if Ari hadn't had those phone numbers, even though our hosts were standing just outside waiting for them to come through!

We have weathered these storms and have caught our breaths and our spirits in a very beautiful and majestic part of Ontario, thanks to Josh's grandparents generosity by allowing us to quiet our minds and hearts in their lakeside cottage in order to focus our talks and our presentations to the many places that are being prepared for our appearances on this tour. We pray that we may have the wisdom to speak about a nation and a history that is so misunderstood so that the yearning for understanding and healing may continue in an ever deepening way for our world, so that the next storm would be one of peace and reconciliation!

N a Sonje,

Carla

First bulletin from 2008 Tour submitted Sept

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Dear friends and family,

The N a Sonje (we will remember) Foundation and Kore Pwodiksyon Lokal (KPL -support local production) movement is relieved to announce that with final "permission" from the US and Canadian governments Harry Nicolas and Genia Eugene, will be able to join Carla Bluntschli for their 3rd tour with the historical drama, "3 Innocents and a spirit" as well as speaking engagements concerning food security in Haiti to universities and churches across Canada in Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and then in the US to Miami and New York City beginning September 14th ending November 2nd sponsored by MCC (Mennonite Central Committee). For more details about the tour and dates see our blogs for video and photos: http://3innocents.blogspot.com/ and for kpl: http://buylocalhaiti.blogspot.com/

We are following with much distress the disasters once again being blasted upon the population of Haiti first by hurricane Gustave and now with Hanna and Ike. N a Sonje and KPL are even more dedicated to sharing our mutual histories for the hope of healing our human family for the sake of our children and our children's children who will inherit this home, our planet.

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www.newhamburgindependent.ca/news/article/146465

Shedding light on Haiti's plight
DOUG COXSON, INDEPENDENT STAFF
Members of Haiti's N a Sonje Foundation (We Will Remember) and Kore Pwodiksyon Lokal (KPL), or Support Local Production, Genia Eugene, Carla Van Dusen Bluntschli and Harry Nikolas are on the road with Wilmot natives Josh and Marylynn Steckley to enlighten Canadians about the problems facing the Caribbean nation. They will be performing a play entitled 'Three Innocents and a Spirit' at a number of local venues next week.

MCC's Josh and Marylynn Steckley promote local eating message in Haiti
By Doug Coxson
News
Oct 08, 2008

It's been three weeks since Hurricane Ike tore through the Caribbean on a path of destruction.

But unlike the tourist-friendly islands hit hard and in recovery, Haiti is still reeling, battered and bruised from the series of storms that killed close to 500 people and left an estimated 800,000 struggling to find food, shelter and water this summer.

The full enormity of the devastation wreaked on the poor Caribbean nation likely won't be known for months as isolated and cut-off communities continue to make contact and appeals for help.

As policy analysts and advocacy workers for Mennonite Central Committee in Port-au-Prince, Josh and Marylynn Steckley were there to witness the recent storm impact on Haiti's already weakened and beleaguered poor population.

The Wilmot natives have been working in Haiti since January 2007 to help bring about change to the country's detrimental trade policies that have resulted in a steep escalation in food prices and led to a violent backlash.

Recent blows to the country's people and infrastructure have taken their toll on an already bad situation.

The Steckleys' work in Haiti is directed at the root of a problem that contributes to the country's vulnerability during times of crisis.

Working with funds from the Canadian International Development Agency, administered through MCC, the Steckleys have teamed with a group in Haiti to help instigate change in what many feel is the country's core problem -- a lingering, emotional paralysis stemming from Haiti's history of slavery and oppression, and the country's increasing reliance on imported food.

"We were trying to identify points of focus for our work and after reviewing the destructive consequences that neoliberal trade policies have had on Haiti, we decided that an appropriate area of focus would be on food systems and food sovereignty," writes Marylynn. "Our initial ideas were to start something similar to the 'Buy Local' movements that are now so popular in the KW area."

Steckley, who holds a masters in geography from the University of Waterloo, said she and Josh eventually joined a small group of like-minded Haitians to found an organization called Kore Pwodiksyon Lokal (KPL), or Support Local Production.

"KPL is really a movement to encourage people in Haiti to consume what is produced in-country," says Marylynn.

Josh, who graduated from Laurier with a masters in political science, has been filming and editing public service announcements geared to the Haitian middle class, encouraging them to buy locally-produced food. (The PSAs are available to view on YouTube under "Kore Pwodiksyon Lokal"). The commercials have been playing on several Haitian television and radio stations since February.

On the road in Kitchener recently, the group talked about their fall tour through Canada and the US to share their knowledge about the food security situation in Haiti and to demonstrate the need for people in Canada to take action and eat locally here.

To engage its audience in the history and culture behind Haiti's ongoing struggle, the team members who make up the N a Sonje Foundation (We Will Remember) is also performing a play entitled 'Three Innocents and a Spirit.'

MCC volunteer, KPL founder and N a Sonje performer Carla Van Dusen Bluntschli describes the play as a drama that condenses 700 years of Haiti's history in the context of the country's current dilemma. "The intention is to connect people with particular events that have caused the current imbalance in our society," she says.

Haiti, she adds, is just one of many examples of how European invasion and dominance has had a lasting negative impact on people and cultures throughout Africa, North America, South America and the Caribbean.

Bluntschli, who moved to Haiti from the US in 1985, says the spirit of domination continues here in Canada among First Nations people.

But Haiti's aboriginal people are no longer around to tell their stories.

The Taino people, who inhabited the island before Christopher Columbus claimed it as Spanish territory in the 15th century, were wiped out by disease and other factors related to their poor treatment by the Spanish occupiers.

Group member Harry Nicolas (pronounced Ari) sees parallels in the situation of some of Canada's First Nations peoples, especially after the group's recent visit to Winnipeg.

Oppression, he says, is along the same lines as slavery. "It leaves a person in constant slavery," he says. "Slavery is like a cow they castrate. It almost seems irreversible. That's what someone who suffers slavery looks like. It is passed down from generation to generation and

people confuse it with genetics."

Working to recapture the ancient ancestral African values is part of the difficult task Nicolas and other Haitians face 200 years after slavery was abolished in Haiti.

"You must reeducate yourself so you realize it's slavery that did that. That it's not why you're the way you are."

Nicolas believes encouraging Haitians to change their habits, consume local food and become more self sufficient are the first steps to breaking the bonds of oppression that have stifled progress for centuries.

Media concentration on Haiti's problems over the last decade have shed light on one problem the country faces that would seem to make the suggestion of consuming local food next to impossible. Much of Haiti's once vast forests have been wiped out through rampant deforestation in order to feed the lucrative charcoal trade. That has left much of the country's soil weakened.

But Bluntschli says most of the propaganda touting Haiti's inability to thrive on its own is a perpetuated by governments that benefit from exporting food.

"It appears Haiti can't feed itself but we have so much variety that we could eat and satisfy ourselves completely," adds Nicolas.

Genia Eugene, who hails from Haiti's rural north, says the biggest obstacle to Haiti's self reliance is a lack of infrastructure preventing the transport of produce from the rural areas to the urban markets. "The road conditions are often so bad that they don't allow food to get into the cities," she says. By the time a truckload of fruit makes its way to market, the cost of getting it there makes it too expensive for most people to purchase.

Steckley says during the demonstrations in April, the price of imported rice tripled while the price of local rice only went up 10 per cent.

Foreign countries continue to flood the market with cheaper imports.

Media reports have also depicted Haiti's cities as trash-filled slums. Nicolas says those images reflect blatant neglect by the poorest populations in light of the fact they feel no connection to where they live.

"The peasant farmer working land that is not his own doesn't have any trees on it," explains Nicolas. "But a peasant farmer working land that is his own is full of trees.

People are very aware of their own space.

When you are completely disconnected, disempowered -- you have no orientation to your culture, your country. There's a lot of good that doesn't have value."

Nicolas says what everyone sees in Haiti are the symptoms. Finding solutions to Haiti's core problems and empowering the people through self reliance will bring the country out of its current crisis.

But the recent hurricanes have dealt a shocking blow to the country -- creating a situation Nicolas says will take an enormous amount of international support to help heal.

The financial toll on the country's small agricultural sector is around $180 million. The United Nations estimates basic recovery efforts alone will cost $54 million. So far the country has only received $1 million in contributions.

Nicolas isn't surprised by the lack of action.

"I think that there's a will in the international community to make sure that Haiti never leaves the category of the poorest nation in the world," he says. "That's why there's no real effort to change Haiti's situation -- so the finger can be pointed at Haiti as an example of how things can go wrong."

The group is heading to Ottawa and Montreal this week before returning to the area for a series of local performances and speaking engagements.

On Oct. 18 at 11:30 a.m. the KPL members will present a talk on food security issues in Haiti at the Stanley Park Church, in Kitchener. They will also appear at Empty Bowls Oct. 18. The MCC fundraiser for the reforestation and eating local efforts in Haiti is being held at the Healing Barn north of St. Agatha. (See story on page 17 for details)

On Oct. 19 at 9:30 a.m. the group will present "3 Innocents and a Spirit" at the Shantz Mennonite Church, on Sandhills Road in Baden.

The performances continue on Oct, 20 at 7 p.m. at Living Waters Fellowship, on Hincks Street in New Hamburg.

On Oct. 26 at 10 a.m. the group will present their last local performance of "3 Innocents and a Spirit" at The Gathering, in Kitchener.

clips of performance in Haiti July 5th, 2008

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Africa demands recognition of the blood spilled!

photo by Leah Bluntschli 10/07 Boulder Colorado

2007 Fall Tour Highlights

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In an effort to tell all how blessed we were during our fall 2007 tour, we offer this story, though we know it can never really tell of all the sacrifice and committment each person made from their hearts to make our time in the US so worthwhile! We are deeply grateful to each person, no words enough to tell you, just some great photos to celebrate it all! Here are some highlights and comments from parts of the tour besides the actual performances. Next time we'll carry our own camera so we can see what the guys take pictures of, interesting to see through their eyes the USA! We are very appreciative of all the fantastic photos that were taken of not only the performances but of some of the very different experiences we had along the way. (If anyone has any other digital photos, send them along and we'll add them on because each place was so special, as you'll see..............) September 20th, Carla landed in Kansas City from Denver andAri and Welele landed in Kansas City Missouri from Port-au-Prince into the welcome of Sarah Cool and her two daughters (Kafe Kiskeya: http://kafekiskeya.blogspot.com/) but our first performance was Monday evening September 24th at Bethel College in North Newtown Kansas. Barry and Brenda Bartel (on either side of the 3 Innocents in photo) were volunteers in the same organization as Carla and her husband in Haiti at the end of the 1980's. Barry is now president of Bethel College and invited us to come to Bethel with the play to present to the community and college. They gave us a presidential reception in their home for everyone afterwards. This was Welele's first time performing in the US as well as speaking in a college classroom.
Much to our amazement, one of the staff members of Bethel told us about a school in Witchita that was named Louverture after Toussaint Louverture. Ari and Welele were shocked that in the middle of the USA, they would find a school named after their national hero! We dashed an hour drive down to see for ourselves and were warmly welcomed by the school's staff to see the documents that explained that because it was the first elementary school in the area opened for all black children, the African American community decided on an appropriate Haitain heroic name.
Thursday September 27th, was our second performance at the Academie Lafayette , a French immersion school back in Kansas City MO that was excited to have French speakers come to their school to not only do a play about history but have the post-performance discussion in French. We made great contact with several African professors there as well as already received the DVD of the play and written recommendations for us to send to anyone who wants to have us!! We had a great hour talking on community radio, KKFI with Donna Wolfe, then we created an adlib historical fiction for a short radio piece on the Indian queen, Anacaona while we were there, but the phones will never be the same in Kansas City as Shane Evans and Sarah Cool gave it their all to get as many out to see the play sponsored by Shane's studio, Dream Studio, http://www.shaneevans.com/ in old town Kansas City, Friday September 28th. There was a fantastic turnout! On the very evening of the play, a Greek Orthodox priest passed by to tell us that the very property where Shanes' studio is situated was land of a former slave owner in the mid 1880's where there were probably over 100 slaves or so on that very piece of land so we dedicated the performance to the memory of those enslaved peoples and their descendents. We also discovered that a children's book, No More, stories and songs of slave resistance, that was given to us on our last tour which we had started to read to Ari's kids was illustrated by Shane! So many people and encouragement! Even met family of Ari's wife, Nicole there. One Haitian family relieved our rice and bean starved appetites with an incredible Haitian meal and declared that this vision was one that rather "I be with you and fail than see you succeed without me". Many gifts of love and support.
September 30th, we flew to Denver, Colorado, for me it was home with my girls and catching up with old friends. Colorado was a joy, a birthday party with Haitian song and dance, old friends with great jokes and just wonderful to be with family! Ari and Welele seemed to enjoy themselves as well! We performed at Metro State, Tuesday October 2nd to a very small crowd, but one that has already borne fruit in a visit already in Haiti by a couple who saw the play! We were interviewed on Boulder's community radio, KGNU about the Memory Village and the vision as well as some publicity for our performance at "The Dairy" in Boulder on Friday October 6th.
Sleeping anywhere at any time was Welele's specialty. Cold had a new meaning, especially in Colorado! A most blessed time. October 7th we flew to San Francisco where Tim and Jacque Little hosted us at the Notre Dame de Namur University where they live and work. We spoke in classrooms and performed Haitian music and traditions on campus and even performed for children at the Tenderloin on Wednesday October 10th, a depressed area of San Francisco and then on campus on Thursday October 11th. See this link to watch and listen to the series of interviews that a student from Notre Dame made with us, thank you Claire! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbbIXlShecw Many thanks for everyone's, especially Tim and Jacque, loving care for us! We made our first car rental and drove with Ari's piloting skills with the help of computer directions to Pasadena where we immediately performed at the Coral Center http://www.allsaints-pas.org/site/PageServer?pagename=coral_ministry on October 13th and then had a busy week, performing 2 more times. One memorable experience was at the Wildwood High School in Los Angeles (a terrifying car drive in rush hour traffic) for 400 students on Monday October 15th. We spoke in several classrooms afterwards, the children being very interested, asking lots of questions. We were also invited to perform Haitian traditional drumming and dance at a special class at UCLA, thank you Rebecca! We made a final performance in Pasadena at the Amory Center for the Arts on Thursday October 18th. October 20th came, leaving from San Francisco airport to Chicago airport and then the bus to South Bend to the arms of our friend and host Dr. De Bryant.

Work and play and friends at De's house started us off for our time in South Bend and at Indiana University South Bend. We spoke in many anthropology, sociology classrooms besides performing at the Charles Martin Community Center on Thursday October 25th. The South Bend Tribune

photographed and interviewed us with an article that came out Nov 8th. We had a fantastic time doing other interviews, here's one with Brother Sage, a wise man of the country that also interviewed us on community radio the first day we arrived!
A most precious memorablia was found in the collection bowl after the performance, a gold tooth!!! We don't know whose it was, but it seems that it was a gift of love!

Our longest journey lay ahead, traveling from South Bend to Chicago Saturday Oct 27th in the evening where our sister/daughter Hannah picked us up and took us to her place and then off to a Halloween party with Welele. Up at 4AM to the airport to fly from Chicago to Philadelphia, pick up a rental car and drive to Boston where we arrived at Bill and Holly's place in Peabody (pronounced Pee bidi around there) by about 9PM or so. We traveled in 2 days by bus, airplane and car over 1160 miles! We were spun out! At one point when we got kind of lost, Ari said we better stop as his brain had come to a standstill!
What fun at Holly and Bill's in Peabody (right next to Salem), Massachusetts, we were welcomed like old family into their home! It was the either the right or wrong time of year to be there as it was Halloween in Salem but we were priveledged to see the beginning of a pagan ritual working to try and dispel the energy of the historical
reputation that Salem has since the 1600's.
Ari had his own kind of Halloween encounter! Amazing planning by Holly got us into the Waring School, a private French immersion sort of school where we performed Friday November 2 there and then on the same Friday, performed at their church, the Tabernacle Church in Salem. We had many incredible encounters, one most precious to us with Katrina Browne, producer of herr families' documentary about their involvement in the slave trade out of Briston, Rhode Island. They are going to the SunDance Film Festival, yeah! Check out their website: http://www.tracesofthetrade.org/ Bill and I proved that Haitians aren't the only ones that can dance! Welele was asked to play the drums for a dance presentation at the Kosanba conference at the University of Mass in Boston http://research.ucsb.edu/cbs/projects/kosanba_events.html which we somehow found our way to through the snowy rain! The same friend of Welele's who set up UCLA was there at the conference and got him to play for this presentation, quite a treat and adventure! But our most treasured moments were in Bristol Rhode Island where we were invited to attend the first showing of the documentary of the DeWolfe family's involvement in the slave trade that centered in Bristol. This was an honor for N a Sonje and will remain in our hearts forever! (see the article written that even quotes Ari http://www.projo.com/ri/bristol/content/SLAVERY_FILM_11-08-07_PP7OUHU_v51.33e492d.html ) Holly and Bill made it possible for us to meet Mr. Randall Robinson after his talk (that we missed all of due to a nightmare lostness before and in Cambridge) at Harvard Law School on his latest book: "An Unbroken Agony" about the events of 2004 in Haiti when the president was taken from Haiti. http://www.randallrobinson.com/ We were able to give him a copy of the Memory Village project and say a few words privately with him too!

We drove to Portland Maine where we set up the play at the University of Southern Maine, but students had better things to do with their time so we spent our time visiting with the help of Wells, the Underground Railroad monuments and learning a little more about the very brave people of freedom who had lived there not that long ago! http://www.portlandfreedomtrail.org/
From Portland to Burlington Vermont to play Monday November 12th at the Champlain College http://www.champlain.edu/news/news_display.php?article=08-27-07a.php
Thank you Phil for the great photos from Burlington! Angela Baptista was phenomenal in getting everything from signs, hotel, extra money even for the 3 Innocents. We were totally blessed by meeting our good friend Phil and his wife Eileen Knowles and stayed with us in the same hotel for the brief 2 days we were there and then off to Scranton, Pennsylvania and Keystone College but not without Ari getting a speeding ticket but, as you might expect, not without making the NY state trooper laugh! We have no photos from that warm and very rewarding experience at the Porter home even while their daughter underwent difficult back surgery during our stay, they kept us feed and warm in heart and body while we played, sang and spoke of the history and stories of Haiti on campus radio and classrooms as well as the public library. Many new friends, even a Haitian student we met along with several African students. We performed on campus on Thursday November 15th.
Our last but great leg of the journey was at Anny and Bob Koffler's home in Germantown Philadelphia, another journey home for me, Carla, as my umbilical cord was cut there in the heart of Philadelphia over 54 years ago and where I grew up until I got married. We have no photos only engraved memories of our time in the home and kitchen of Anny's where we were extremely well fed with the extraordinary vegetarian culinary magical skills of Anny! Anny had worked hard to find a place in the area to sponsor the play and was successful with the LaRose nightclub where we played on the Haitian national holiday (and Ari's father's birthday) remembering the last battle for independence, Sunday November 18th. A special encounter from a couple from Maryland who drove to Philadelphia to meet us and attend the play began from a showing of the documentary Traces of the Trade when a woman who has ancestors who were slave owners in Haiti. That was an honor and opened up the history of knowing that my own family, L'lemande, was also in Haiti at the beginning of the 1700's. We were able to visit my brother's family for a special dinner where Welele and Ari said that the family genes haven't been lost! But we have some research to do as well!

On Monday November 19th, we traveled and performed at the Mennonite Central Committee headquarters in the US in Akron, Pennsylvania. It was quite satisfying for me to present the results of my life in Haiti, the play and the foundation, because of the opportunity that MCC accorded us when we were accepted as volunteers and assigned to Haiti in 1985.

Our tour ended by dropping Ari off at the Greyhound bus station in downtown Philly (getting thoroughly lost and even a homeless man recognized our distress and graciously give us directions!) for a bus to NY to visit his mother and 2 brothers and sister who just recently landed as permanent residents (Ari refusing his mother's 11 year struggle to get this sought after prize for him as well) and then dropping off the rental car at the airport and Welele and I taking off for Ft. Lauderdale to sleep overnight and arrive in Port-au-Prince into arms and warmth of awaiting husband and family!

student reactions from St. Mary's College, South Bend March 23 2006, #1

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"I really enjoyed this presentation type play. I have never been big into history and I do know the story and the basic concept of what this play illustrated, but I have never actually seen it acted out in such a way. I fully agree and support their idea that if everyone can see, and try to relive the past for a moment, maybe that can bring hope and light to the future."
"I learned probably the most in the question and answer portion of the evening when Carla was talking about the white people returning to nature and getting back to the core of our origins. I was really struck. I never have realized exactly how much we have strayed from what is true and real in that sense, turning to a love for power and money and letting that drive us when really, as she illustrated by removing the silver mask and replacing the wreath of flowers, returning to nature and our roots is what can and will get us back on track. I loved this."
"I also really liked the way Carla spoke about Jesus and the cross through this entire production. I suppose it was not just specifically Carla, but all three of them making the distinction that the cross did not represent Jesus's love, but rather the slavery and oppression that was brought through that religion. It was through Christianity that they justified slavery and I really did not know that before. I really like when Carla said that like Jesus if we can live through and experience the pain of our ancestors and the past, then together we can spread love and do great things. I think that is remarkable and I've never thought or it has never been brought to my attention this idea."
"One last thing that I really was taken aback by was when Djalòki was describing the origin of Creole, he said it was a language that came from a time of suffering and resistance. When he told the stories about how they put all the people together so that they could not communicate, but then rising above this and working it out to form Creole, the way in which he told it was beautiful. You could feel when he spoke, his intense love and passion for all of this.
I learned a lot! I knew basically none of this and was absolutely blown away by this performance and the question / answer time after."

student reactions #2

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2) "3 Innocents and a Spirit"
The presentation of "Three Innocents and a Spirit" was very moving and informative. The stylized form of the play was effective. It focused on the players rather than their words. Anyone could understand the meaning and the information of the play. It's designed for any culture, language and education level. I also enjoyed how compact each time period was. It made it easy to follow and my attention didn't stray. The addition of the pirating in the Caribbean in the 1500's was an intelligent idea and it was also informative. It's a form of colonization that many people don't know about or just tend to forget about. The inclusion of the Saint Mary's student was smart. It showed someone totally willing to learn and participate in others' [experience]. This in turn helped to show how unwilling to learn and participate in the cultures the British were. The student's part in the end showed how the youth of today are going to remember. The end of the play about reconciliation was beautifully done. The red ribbon was a simple yet effective symbol for al the bloodshed and pain that was left all over the world throughout history. In all, this presentation was very effective in teaching as well as stirring strong emotions.

About the tour and the play

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For the fall 2007 tour, N a Sonje Foundation will once again present Three Innocents and a Spirit, a historical drama depicting the interactions of the peoples from the Americas, Europe, and Africa from before the time of Christopher Columbus, and the cultural crises that have developed as a result. The cast will then engage in a post-production discussion, creating an open forum for ideas and solutions that can help towards the healing of our fractured societies.
Three Innocents and a Spirit is performed by two Haitian men representing the Native American and African cultures, respectively, and an American woman representing the European culture. Dressed in era costumes, the three actors weave together mime, interactive participation, authentic historical texts and music to demonstrate the progression and effect of historical events.
The play exposes the destruction and acculturation of the Native Americans and the enslavement of Africans, which resulted in a transfer of wealth and natural resources to Europe. During the drama the Native American, European, and African characters experience a transformational awakening through which they realize their physical and spiritual losses, as well as their mutual need for one another. The three characters then offer each other gestures of compassion and forgiveness, ultimately recognizing the need for healing and reconciliation.
This drama is a highly stylized and portrayed in simple form the lives of the native peoples of 3 continents and their mutual history. "N a Sonje's" intentions are to reconnect us to events and their lasting results rather than to define or describe any one particular culture, tradition, historical event or dates in precise detail (though we are open to suggestions to further our knowledge of this history) our desire is that through mime, music and limited resources a moment of deep reflection about our collective histories can be used to dream of a future of peace. This is "N a Sonje's" hope. Most of the colonial depiction is taken from a Haitian historical perspective rather than a broader US based perspective, but embraces the same spirit of revolt against domination felt everywhere.
"3 Innocents" is performed to a soundtrack that has a few narrative texts, although there is an English version as well as a Creole version available depending on the audience majority. The Foundation is working on versions in French and Spanish, but since there are only a few narratives and the action is mimed to music and sound effects of well-known historical events, the heart knows the rest!
The N a Sonje Foundation will also speak at high schools, colleges, universities, churches, businesses and organizations, as well as with local and national media about Haiti and its special role in this historical context.

How to set-up a tour in your area:

2007-04-10T20:11:00.000-05:00

We are now organizing a tour this coming fall with "3 Innocents and a Spirit" with great positive experience under our belts from our spring tour 2006, thanks to so across the US! This time we will be travelling with Welele (see his bio below), an extraordinary drummer and dancer to provide classes in Haitian rhythms and dance as well as being our invited artist for the Native American role in the play.

Our thoughts and hopes are to make as much of our capacities to raise as much as we can for the vision, N a Sonje and the Memory Village, in a limited amount of time. Here are some ideas: 1-Present and perform on university campuses by speaking in classrooms and by performing the play in university theatres. We have spoken and love to speak in classrooms ranging from black studies, culture, development, environment, history, international politics, literature, peace and justice studies, philosophy, religion, women's studies, etc. for students to hear from an authentic Haitian perspective!2-Perform in community theatres and speak to various appropriate types of community organizations such as African American, Native American, anti-racism, Peace and Justice groups, Haitian associations, Rotary clubs, etc.

A suggestion would be to spend a week in one place. Arrival on Suncay, then Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, present in classrooms, speak to local community organizations at potluck* types of gatherings as well as speak/appear on local radio and/or television. Then either Wednesday or Thursday do an evening performance on campus, which would provide more publicity for a performance in the community Friday and/or Saturday evenings. We would the coverage both in local media and campus feedback to bring in maximum for the final community performance(s). We understand and appreciate the time required for such an undertaking and thus humbly look for inspiration and guidance as we put this before you. If you have ideas such as knowing someone available and/or interested in helping on the ground in your area for these types of things: University contacts, could be several universities in one specific area to maximize our time in classrooms and theatre production which would include publicity on campus and off. Many universities have their own radio programs, some are even connected with NPR as well. Community contacts to reserve, promote, contact media, organize ticket sales, provide publicity for one or two performances in the community. From our experience last year, we realize that publicity is probably the key element to success in getting people out to an event like this and that costs money as well, we realize. There was so much initiative taken last year which makes us believe greater things are possible!*The potluck: a place where people who are already interested in the vision and that might have access to finding funding for the vision. We would provide the Foundation and Memory Village materials, powerpoint presentation, and all the details about the Village, so that perhaps someone or a group would be interested in financing one of the buildings of the Memory Village, for example.

Reason for the Tour:

2007-04-09T17:10:00.000-05:00

Three Innocents and a Spirit is a fundraising and consciousness-raising event for the N a Sonje Foundation's project and vision "The Memory Village" to be built in Haiti.

For the past five years, associates of an educational tourism business, DOA/BN (www.haititravels.org) the same founders of N a Sonje Foundation, have poured their own limited resources into the vision of N a Sonje Foundation. They have also made numerous appearances on major Haitian television and radio stations, and hosted a weekly radio show in Haiti about history (includes little known European, American, African, Haitian, Christianity and Vodou history, and current scientific findings). N a Sonje Foundation is now searching for funding partners in order to complete the acquisition of land for the "Memory Village" and begin construction on its buildings.

article published in the Denver Metro State University paper after our second performance during the 2006 spring tour

2007-04-08T06:31:00.000-05:00

Embracing the past: Haitian troupe tells painful story of slavery and genocide, points to path of healing in: “Three Innocents and a Spirit” The stylized and intimate drama, “Three Innocents and a Spirit,” explores the impact of a colonial clash of cultures, even as it seeks to clarify the issues and heal historical wounds. The creative force behind this historical piece is the N a Sonje Foundation, a group from Haiti that strives to contribute to global awareness and social memory through performance and tactile experience.
N a Sonje’s name is a Creole phrase that translates as “we will remember.” The affirmation serves as the organization’s mission statement, as the three-person troupe seeks most of all to heal historical wounds through artistic activism. Photos by Leah Bluntschli • Left: Djalòki Ntjitjagagi Jean Luc Dessables, representing the Native American people, offers a peace pipe as a healing gesture to the African and European peoples at the end of the performance of “Three Innocents and a Spirit” Feb. 12 at Atonement Lutheran church, Denver..
"Three Innocents and a Spirit” is an ambitious historical tableau, a condensed piece of stagecraft that encompasses over 500 years of history. The cast of characters is small, but the simplistic approach manages to encapsulate a stunning menu of times, places and personas. Djaloki Ntjijagagi J L B Dessables plays a Native American, Harry Nicolas plays a native African and Carla Bluntschli portrays the native European. The three cast members’ interactions symbolize the contact between nations and cultures, and the result is impressive in its potent message. The performance is completely mimed and the absence of dialogue only heightens the effect of the drama’s themes and statements. The tragic tale of colonialism is told in sounds, gestures and songs. Here, the topics are so vast and important that no words can properly capture their import. There is something utterly effective in the stark and simple approach.
The performance will raise funds for The Memory Village, a comprehensive historical project that will aim to viscerally transport participants through the history of slavery and colonialism with interactive sounds, sights and locations. The exhibits will highlight the connections between the Native American, African and European peoples. The Memory Village will be constructed in Gwo Jan, a Haitian village established by free slaves in the colonial era that is now a suburb of Port-au-Prince. Although “Spirit” tells the story of Western colonialism from a uniquely Haitian perspective, the story involves a global cast of characters that reaches over generations. Christopher Columbus landed with his fleet in what is now Haiti in 1492. Believing he had reached India, the Italian explorer labeled the natives “Indians” and sparked a long and painful process of conversion, colonization and dehumanization. The consequences of Columbus’ arrival were far-reaching. Haiti soon fell under Spanish occupation and the native Taino population was decimated by disease, massacres and slavery. The 4 million to 5 million Tainos who inhabited the Haitian islands before 1492 were quickly eradicated and, in 1503, the first black slaves landed on Haitian shores to take their place. As in the Americas, as in Africa, as in all the sites where human souls are sold like chattel and the land is a commodity traded between bureaucracies, a cycle of tragedy, revolt and violence followed. “Spirit” explores the impact on all parties involved. The central theme of the drama is the lasting impact of historical crimes. The consequences of slavery and domination impact the colonizers as well as the colonized, the victims of violence as well as its perpetrators. With limited resources and a minimalist dramatic approach, the N a Sonje troupe transports viewers through the ages as it awakens them
to the past and the present that binds us all. By Adam Goldstein • goldstea@mscd.edu

Portraying a kidnapped African in chains, Ari Nicolas expresses the resistance and yet the degradation and humiliation of slavery.

2006 Itinerary

2007-04-07T13:23:00.000-05:00

1- February 4th 2PM at Santa Fe Community College, Gainesville, Florida
2- February 12th 7PM at Atonement Luthern Church, Denver, Colorado
3- February 19th 7Pm at First United Church of Canoga Park, California
4- February 22nd 4PM at Metropolitan State College, Denver, Colorado
5- February 27th 12PM at Metropolitan State College, Denver, Colorado
6- March 3rd 12PM at Naropa University, Boulder, Colorado
7- March 5th 3PM at International House University of Chicago, Illinois
8- March 12th at South Shore Cultural Center, Chicago, Illinois
9- March 16th at Morningside College, Sioux City, Iowa
10- March 20th at Charles Martin Community Center, South Bend, Indiana
11- March 22 at Saint Mary's College, South Bend, Indiana
12- March 28th at Stockbridge United Methodist Church, Kalamazoo, Michigan
13- March 29th at 1PM at Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Michigan
14- April 2 7PM at First United Methodist Church of Germantown, Philadelphia, PA
15- April 5th 7PM at Keene College, Keene New Hampshire
16- April 8th 6PM at Sacred Heart Church, Portland, Maine
17- April 9th 2PM at Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church, Portland Maine
18- April 12th 7PM at University of Mary Washington, Fredricksburg, Virginia
19- April 14th 8PM University of North Carolina, Asheville, North Carolina
20- April 17th 7:30PM at Church of the Incarnation, Charlottesville, Virginia
21- April 18th 8PM at Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, Virginia
22- April 20th 7PM at Unitarian Universalist Church, Norfolk, Virginia
23- April 22 7PM at Rutgers Presbyterian Church, New York, New York
24- April 28th 7PM at First Presbyterian Church of Clark's Summit Pennsylvania

2006 Tour

2007-04-07T12:48:00.000-05:00

The play "3 Innocents and a Spirit" completed a successful 3 month long fund-raising tour in the US during Feb-March-April 2006 thanks to many dedicated friends and family. 3 Innocents performed in 13 different states 24 times as well as speaking in university classrooms and talking on various radio programs such as NPR Chicago as well as Radio Haiti Philadelphia. Visit the group site where student reactions and itinerary can be found: http://groups.google.com/group/nasonje

This photo of Dja and Ari is taken with a Rwandan friend made along the way in South Bend, Indiana who works for this same idea for healing.

Visions, Intentions and Dedications from the founding members and actors of "3 Innocents"

2007-04-04T11:47:00.000-05:00

Ari’s Declaration of Intention:
“Remember, for most people in the Americas, when they see a black person there, they probably aren’t even conscious that those people are really the stolen children of Mother Africa. Swept under the carpet and forgotten, they ARE the great, great grandchildren of those forced to become slaves on this side of the waters. The way home was lost to them, they couldn’t return. Confused forever, no trace is left. “It’s for this reason I give the rest of my life, so that everyone in the world will remember that if we are here today, it’s not because we want to be. Next time, when you see a black person in the Americas - look again -N a Sonje.” Fey Vet
A word of dedication from Carla’s heart:
“There are no earthly words for the depth of gratitude I have for those individuals, living and passed, who have enabled the change that has done its work in me since I have come to live in Haiti. For this type of thankfulness, only one’s life and blood are sacred enough to offer and so I dedicate the life and breath I have left in this world to being a part of the healing of these wounds left to us by this history. Through this continual experience of living in Haiti I now remember the history of the native people from my own place of birth, Philadelphia, and have awakened to see that where my umbilical cord was cut, those people are no longer there and I have to logically conclude that in some way my very ancestors had part in their murders and in the theft of their lands. My eyes have also been opened to "white privilege", an anti-human privilege, created to justify domination. Therefore it has been and continues to be an honor to do this work amongst the every-day Haitian heroes so that others may see differently, and bring about an awakening in those people who share my skin color. As they say here in the spiritual words of Vodou: Ayibobo ( or 'so shall it be 'or 'amen')" Tant Ka (my Haitian nickname)

Vision and Intentions:
Djalòki describes himself as a post-modern seeker of ancient wisdom, integrating his multicultural Ayitian roots (African, Native, European) and translating primordial vision and spirituality into today’s context, with the intention to help create a sustainable multicultural post-modern society in balance with herself, Nature and the Cosmos, and showing reverence for the diversity of life. His intention is to promote mutual respect, understanding and comprehension between cultures and between people, as well as to raise awareness of the vital importance these values have for the peace and well being of humanity, through his own socially and culturally diverse personality and activities.

Who we are:

2007-04-03T17:09:00.000-05:00

N a Sonje Foundation's three founding members, Harry Nicolas, Carla Bluntschli, and Djalòki Dessables, will present the drama and lectures on the tour. These founding members are also associates of an educational, cultural, and historical tourism business in Haiti called DOA/BN (www.haititravels.org). The trio offers cultural as well as theatrical experiences to visitors in Haiti so that they might retrace the history of the Americas, Europe, and Africa from the time before the trans-Atlantic slave trade to the present. These encounters expose historical truths (not often taught) about the consequences of these interactions, which continue to impact and threaten our societies to this day. The intention of N a Sonje Foundation is to provide a medium for personal and collective transformation and healing.

Welele, 2007 Native American role Understudy and Drum and Dance Teacher for 2007 tour

2007-04-02T13:40:00.000-05:00

Now with an American visa unbelievably in his passport (it is normally very difficult to be accorded a visa as a young Haitian man to the US) Welele will now come beating the heart of Haiti into the heart of America, Welele (his mother named him Raymond Noel, but theatre baptized him Welele!) will be on tour with "3 Innocents and a Spirit" as understudy for the Native American role as well as offering drumming and Haitian folklore dance classes everywhere we go. Welele has already performed with 3 Innocents on stage in Haiti several times. Teaching all ages:
"3 Innocents" performed in Haiti, translated in the Haitian language, "Jete Bliye Ranmase Sonje"

Welele, besides being an extraordinary drummer, dancer, choreographer, he is a writer, television and newspaper journalist, and is currently publishing his first CD of his own poetry accompanied by music called "Zo Bouke".