Barbadians saying farewell to the crew of Amistad, the historically significant "freedom schooner" off the Flour Mill, Spring Garden yesterday.

BARBADIANS bade farewell to the historically significant "freedom schooner" Amistad yesterday, with songs, dances, speeches and an exchange of gifts.

Minister of Culture Steve Blackett said during the hour-long farewell ceremony off the Flour Mill, Spring Garden, St Michael that Barbadians needed to avoid simplifying or ignoring the significance of slavery and emancipation.

He urged them to build on what the recreation of the transatlantic journey undertaken by the schooner meant. The Amistad's mission is to educate the public on the history of slavery, discrimination and civil rights.

Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States' Embassy, Clyde Howard, described the schooner as a floating monument representing the triumph of good over evil.

"If by her presence the Amistad challenges us as villages, communities, towns and countries to reflect on our shared past, it should also cause us to see our imperfect present and look to a future where diversity is seen as one of mankind's greatest blessings," he said.

Accept differences

"I would argue that it is only by accepting each other's differences, whether it be in skin colour, nationality, gender or religion, that we ultimately accept ourselves."

Captain Eliza Garfield told the gathering that Barbados, the vessel's lone Caribbean stop, "will stand as a beacon in our experiences".

She spoke of busloads of students visiting the vessel daily "to get a feel or touch" and to ask searching questions before its departure for the United States.

Amistad is a near-replica of a ship of the same name on which a group of African captives revolted in July 1839, triggering a legal case that was a landmark in the history of slavery and emancipation.

The ship is heading to Charleston, South Carolina after having travelled to a number of British ports, Portugal, the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands.

Eventually it will return to Connecticut in the United States.

AAI Webmaster's Comment : Barbados Free Press is jointly produced by Marcus, Robert, Cliverton and Shona - they published a very interesting piece that is right on target, answering the question 'Why should the Amistad continue to sail and visit as many places as possible?'  Each and every visit of the Freedom Schooner serves as a catalyst for conversations on race -  both, official, public ones and probably, more important - those private and intimate  - like the following one.

With the Amistad in town, a few of us who are café au lait (or “misto” for our loyal readers at Starbucks) might have a different perspective than some other folks… or maybe not. Everyone looks at the Amistad with their own eyes, but in our home the ship’s visit is a catalyst that makes us talk not only about the history of these fields, but about where we as individuals and as a family come from. Even one of our family who always says (or pretends to say) “skin colour don’t matter” finally admitted today that yes, skin colour still matters on this rock.

Not the way it used to, and not as some might think - but it still matters to some.

It is no secret that we have some relatives in New York, and when the girls get together whether in Bridgetown or Brooklyn, do you know what the sisters do first thing? Out come the arms and they put them side by side to see who’s lighter or darker on this visit. Little sister from NYC is always lighter in the winter, but darker in the summer because she works outside.

When they compare skin tones I always ask them why they do it. The answer is always an evasion or question about don’t I have something to do somewhere else - but they always do it first thing when they haven’t seen each other for a while.

I say “What does it matter?” and they laugh and say that it matters to them. Every time....

Read More... -  visit Barbados Free Press Blog 

(BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, April 8, 2008) – The highly anticipated public tours of the AMISTAD Freedom Schooner have been moved to the Flour Mill on Spring Garden.

The tours were scheduled to start on Sunday April 6 but were canceled due to unusual sea swells that continue to make it difficult for the ship to berth at Fort Willoughby.

According to Jo-Anne Pooler, general manager at Goddard Shipping & Tours, the official shipping agents for the AMISTAD, the move to the Flour Mill was to ensure that the general public is still afforded the opportunity to tour the historic vessel.

Tours will commence from tomorrow Tuesday April 8 through to April 16 as planned.

However, there will be no tours this Wednesday and possibly Thursday, to facilitate a tanker that was previously scheduled to occupy the area.

For further information persons are asked to contact the Barbados Tourism Authority at (246) 427-2623.

 

Please be informed that AMISTAD is still unable to enter the careenage due to the unusual sea swells. As a result, public tours will begin from Tuesday, April 8, 2008. There will be no tours on Sunday, April 6. In addition, the schedule of activities surrounding AMISTAD’s visit remains unchanged as outlined in the attached.

For further information, please feel free to contact:

Christal P. McIntosh
Corporate Communications Specialist
Barbados Tourism Authority
(246) 230-8784
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it g

• Sunday, 6th:  - Canceled
  

• Monday, 7th:   no public access 

• Tuesday, 8th:  11 a.m. –  6 p.m.

• Wednesday, 9th:  11 a.m. –  6 p.m.

• Thursday, 10th:  11 a.m. –  6 p.m.

• Friday, 11th:  11 a.m. –  6 p.m.

• Saturday, 12th:  no public access 

• Sunday, 13th:  12 Noon – 6 p.m.

• Monday, 14th:  no public access

• Tuesday, 15th:  11 a.m. –  6 p.m

• Wednesday, 16th:  11 a.m. –  6 p.m 

Please assemble at Fort Willoughby and note that the schooner cannot accommodate more than 40 persons at a time.

THE AMISTAD REPLICA had a welcome from the ancestors yesterday morning when a cultural presentation was done to welcome them to Barbados, their only Caribbean stop on this journey.

The Sankofa drummers and dancers provided the appropriate accompaniment to poet Adrian Green, who asked the ancestors to liberate the ship.

The audience, comprised of Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy, Minister of Culture Steve Blackett, along with president of the Barbados Tourism Authority, Stuart Layne, and other ministry officials, along with officials from the United States Embassy and the Amistad were also introduced to the HMS Landship, which is celebrating its 145th birthday.

Sealy said the ship's stop was a signal honour for Barbados and it was a nice fit with the heritage tourism efforts which Barbados was trying to develop.

"We celebrated the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade and we know that there have been many efforts by formal organisations – and otherwise – to increase the level of Afrocentricity in Barbadians and what that can mean for improving our self-worth . . . .

Photo from the album: "Amistad" by Joanne Pooler

Friday, April 4 2008 will go down in history as the day that the people of Barbados welcomed AMISTAD in the fullness of Bajan hospitality.

You may observe from Fort Willoughby, the Boardwalk, or the live broadcast via Morning Barbados, and I want to encourage you to embrace this day as it is history in the making.

And remember, this is not a slave ship and this is not about celebrating slavery.

It is about commemorating the 200th year of the abolition of the Triangular Slave Trade and the progressive liberation of the minds of the descendants of nations that were part of it.

AMISTAD means friendship and they truly are our new-found friends.

As Amistad's Webmaster I am delighted to promote the efforts of Christal P. McIntosh  from Barbados to promote Amistad's visit to Bridgetown. Kudos for using Facebook tools to promote the event in the best spirit of web social networking!

As you may noticed, Amistad is active on Facebook - we are facing the problem how to connect the Fans of the Past (that's you) with the Technology of the Future (actually, it is of Today!).
 

If you do not have your own account on Facebook, it might be a high time to get one. Join as a Friend of Amistad and discover for yourself what all that "Facebook thing" is about. Click the Read more link below to watch a short video explaining in English the concept in a way that may convince you to start your adventure with Facebook. (You may even became a friend of Captain Bill Pinkney!)  

NEW YORK, March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Visitors to Barbados during April 4th - 20th, 2008 can witness a momentous part of history as the legendary historic Freedom Schooner, Amistad, makes its port of call in Barbados commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade. This multi-faceted event provides an opportunity for visitors to embrace the courageous and inspiring struggle during August 1839, when some 40 slaves were successful in taking control of the vessel and its wealth of cargo and in facing U.S. lawmakers at the time, transforming the future of their nation. During Amistad's time in Barbados up to 34 crewmembers will facilitate tours and lectures for the public. To book your trip to Barbados to see Amistad, visit: http://www.visitbarbados.org/ or call the Barbados Tourism Authority at 1 (800) 221-9831.

An official Amistad welcome ceremony, hosted by the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA), takes place on the evening of April 4th at the Barbados Museum. Visitors can enjoy a full schedule of events and activities at Fort Willoughby, where Amistad will be docked, including; a dedicated heritage tour; with a series of dance and drama performances, featuring Barbados' talented youth. Additional activities are being planned by: the US Embassy; the National Cultural Foundation; the Pan African Commission; the Barbados Museum and Historical Society; the Ministry of Education; Goddard Shipping and Tours; the Barbados Defence Force; plus the Barbados Coast Guard.

Amistad's 2007/2008 voyage covers 14,000 miles, including a sail into Sierra Leone, the original West African homeland of many of the Amistad captives, and where they were returned after their historic legal victory in 1839. The dramatic tale was captured in the Steven Spielberg film of the same name, however it was Captain Bill Pinkney's idea to build an exact replica of the ship and reenact this legendary voyage. As a result, Barbados is the only Caribbean island to welcome the vessel.

Visitors to Barbados can experience Barbadian history in many ways, including a visit to some of its beautifully restored plantation houses such as: St Nicholas Abbey, Francia Plantation and Sunbury Plantation House & Museum. Similarly, when taking a break from Barbados' breathtaking beaches, guests can seek inspiration at the Museum of Parliament and The National Heroes Gallery, The Barbados Museum & Historical Society, the Nidhe Israel Museum and Synagogue, Arlington House Museum or George Washington House Museum -- the only house outside of the US where Washington ever resided.

Information on the Amistad story:

In 1839, 53 Africans were kidnapped from West Africa and sold into the transatlantic slave trade. Shackled aboard the Portuguese slave vessel, Tecora, 49 men and four children were brought to Havana, Cuba, where they were fraudulently classified as native, Cuban-born slaves. Purchased illegally by Spanish planters, Jose Ruiz and Pedro Montez, they were transferred to the schooner, La Amistad for transport to another part of the island. Three days into the journey, led by a 25-year-old Mende rice farmer named Sengbe Pieh, or "Cinque" to his Spanish captors, the Africans seized the ship, killed the captain and the cook, and ordered the planters to sail to Africa. After 63 days, La Amistad and her "cargo" were seized as salvage by the USS Washington near Montauk Point, Long Island, NY and towed to New London harbor in Connecticut. The Africans were held in a New Haven jail on charges of murder. The case took on historic proportions when former President John Quincy Adams successfully argued before the United States Supreme Court on behalf of the captives. In 1841, the 35 surviving Africans were returned to Africa. http://www.amistadamerica.org/.

Information on Barbados:

The island of Barbados offers the most authentic Caribbean experience with its exceptionally rich culture and history rooted in remarkable landscapes ranging from rolling waves on the Atlantic to those gently lapping the Caribbean coast. It is the first and only Zagat rated Caribbean island with numerous internationally renowned chefs who masterfully put signature spins on local delicacies and traditions. Barbados is also an ideal stage for world- class events and has hosted numerous athletic championships, including the ICC Cricket World Cup Final 2007 and the 2006 PGA World Golf Championship-The Barbados World Cup. Accommodations range from picturesque plantation houses and villas to quaint bed and breakfasts to award-winning five-star resorts. The newly renovated Grantley Adams International Airport offers non-stop and direct service from a growing number of U.S. cities via Air Jamaica, American Airlines, Delta and US Airways, making Barbados the true gateway to the Eastern Caribbean.

DATASOURCE: Barbados Tourism Authority

CONTACT: Emily Grubb, , or Daphna Barzilay,

, both of The Brandman Agency, +1-212-683-2442, for the

Barbados Tourism Authority

Web site: http://www.visitbarbados.org/

http://www.amistadamerica.org/

Atlanta, Georgia home of the Braves and Coca-Cola. I was there not for the game nor the drink; I was invited to join the Barbados Tourism Authority to represent AMISTAD America and the Atlantic Freedom Tour at the 16^th Trumpet Awards.

The Trumpet Awards is a very special event, because it recognizes the accomplishments of members of the African-American community who distinguished themselves in a variety of fields. The Barbados Tourism Authority will be hosting a Post Trumpet Awards Promotional Tour in Barbados in April that coincides with the visit of the Freedom Schooner Amistad.

One of the highlights of the event was to have a photo made with Congressman John Lewis, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and Activist/Actor Danny Glover. Also in attendance were Dick Gregory, Richard “Shaft” Roundtree, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michelle Obama, who spoke briefly at the opening on Sunday night and was greeted with a standing ovation when she took the stage. The Awardee I most wanted to meet was Halle Berry, but she did not attend due to her up-coming delivery.

All of the celebrities I spoke with were excited to learn of the Atlantic Freedom Tour and the mission of AMISTAD. Holding “court” in the Presidential Suite afforded the opportunity to get up close and personal with some very exceptional people who were among the recipients of the Trumpet Awards. Like Sheila Raye Charles, daughter of the legend, Florence LaRue of the Fifth Dimension, and James Avery of the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”.

Another highlight of the “Black Cultural“ evening was when the 32 students who received scholarship this year from the Trumpet Foundation appeared on stage. Being a part of the event and getting a chance to bring the AMISTAD story to another audience was an experience I will long remember.