Dance Chairwomen: Ellie Toy and Lucile Blanchard

As part of Artists for World Peace: Children of Peace Projects, we at Artists for World Peace, will be joining forces with Gina Athena Ulysse for a benefit to help make the dreams of these 10 children come true. Join us for an evening in celebration of Haiti.

Date: Friday, March 19th, 2010
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Ticket Price: $40.00
*100% of proceeds from the evening will be donated to INURED Cite Soleil Scholarship Program

Location: The Hubbard House
377 Ridge Road
Middletown, Connecticut

To reserve your tickets please contact Artists for World Peace, at wendyblacknasta@aol.com or mail $40.00 to

Artists for World Peace
P.O. Box 95
Middletown, Ct. 06457

BIO

Gina Athena Ulysse is an anthropologist, poet/performance and multi-media artist. Born in Haiti, she migrated to the States in her teens. She earned her doctorate in anthropology at the University of Michigan in 1999. Ulysse engages in public scholarship mainly through her performance and other artistic works. Even before receiving her Ph.D. in anthropology, she has been pushing the boundaries of cultural anthropology with her spoken word, which she considers an “alterednative” form of ethnography. She uses this medium to capture the visceral that is often absent in structural accounts. With this genre, she dramatizes and addresses issues of social (in)justice, her intersectional identities, spirituality and her rage at the dehumanization of Haitians and other marked bodies. Her performance work clearly outlines the persistent impact and horror of colonialism.

Some of her poetry and prose publications include: “A Poem About Why I Can’t Wait: Going Home Again and Again and Again: Why I Prefer the Term Incarcerated When Talking about Agency” in The Butterfly’s Way: Voices From the Haitian Diaspora in the United States, edited by Edwidge Dandicat; A series of her poetry entitled “I Came of Age Colonized Now my Soul is Tired and I am Feeling All this Rage” was published by Jouvert: Journal of Postcolonial Studies; “Homage to Those Who Hollered Before Me” in Meridians: Feminism, Race and Transnationalism; “Water Spirits and Revolutionary Barbies” and “Ode to the Metres: On Going Home and Learning How to Glide” in Ma Comere, Journal of the Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars. Her work has also appeared in several anthropological anthologies: “Concepts of Home” in Women on the Verge of Home, edited Bilinda Straight (SUNYPress) and “My Country in Translation” in Resisting Racism and Xenophobia: Global Perspectives on Race, Gender, and Human Rights, edited by Faye V. Harrison  (AltaMira Press).

A dynamic and riveting performer, described as by a reviewer as “a fantastic whirlwind of word and emotion, transforming Haiti from an objective abstract to a subjective reality,” Ulysse has performed her one-woman show “Because When God is too Busy; Haiti, me and THE WORLD”—a monologue that weaves spokenword with Vodou chants— throughout the States as well as Bluestockings Bookstore, The Bowery, Brecht Forum, LaMaMa, Lyric Stage Theatre in Boston, Center Stage in Santa Barbara among others. She has also performed at conferences including the American Anthropological Association Meetings, American Ethnological Association Meetings, PRISM conference and in various colleges and universities including Bates College, Berry College, Brown University, Emerson College, New School for Social Research, Oberlin, University of Florida, University of Miami, Williams College among others. She has also performed in Europe. She was invited to close the Berlin’s House of World Cultures Black Atlantic Project in 2004 with a performance of her poetry. Her first book, Downtown Ladies was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2008. When she is not expressing her rage on the stage, she is an Associate Professor of Anthropology, African-American Studies and Feminist Gender and Sexuality Studies at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. She is the co-founder and director of the Haiti Illumination Project (HIP).

For more info:

http://www.ginaathenaulysse.com/

http://works.bepress.com/gina_ulysse/

http://www.potomitan.net/

]]> http://www.artistsforworldpeace.org/2010/03/10-children-10-dreams/feed/ 0 http://www.artistsforworldpeace.org/2010/01/hawaii/ http://www.artistsforworldpeace.org/2010/01/hawaii/#comments Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:50:13 +0000 admin http://www.artistsforworldpeace.org/index/?p=892 The International Peace Belt made another trip to Hawaii in mid-December, 2009. I am sure it continues to return to that beautiful state because it is called there. Maui is one of the most tranquil and peaceful places in the…

The International Peace Belt made another trip to Hawaii in mid-December, 2009. I am sure it continues to return to that beautiful state because it is called there. Maui is one of the most tranquil and peaceful places in the world. The Peace Belt was an honored participant in the Open Your Heart in Paradise retreat, with spiritual teachers:

Ram Dass – a world renowned author and teacher since the 60’s,

Therese Fitzgerald – Meditation, Saul David Raye – Yoga, and Krishna Das – kirtan, devotional music and

Lei’ohu Ryder – a spiritual leader, visionary, healer, singer/songwriter, and educator on Maui.

The retreat was sponsored by the Love, Serve, Remember Foundation. LSRF is dedicated to disseminating and sustaining the spiritual teachings of Neem Karoli Baba, a Hindu Guru, on Service and Devotion.

All events were held in the Aloha Pavilion in a beautiful resort at waters edge. Daily, the Spiritual Energy, Peace and Love generated in the room filled everyone’s hearts.

The Peace Belt was displayed at the Hospitality Table in the Aloha Pavilion each day of the retreat, and, I am certain that the Amazing Positive Energy generated there resonated in, with, and through the belt, in harmony with all of its previous travels. The most heartwarming thing for me, as caretaker for this trip, was experiencing the Love and Peace Vibrations of the gathering – something I had not experienced in a large group since the 1960’s and 1970’s. My personal lesson was that the Energy is always there – it is always available to all of us – we just have to Open Our Hearts, and let it in.

I am filled with gratitude that I was able to experience the Amplification of that Energy with such a large group of people – who are all now my family, in Peace and Love.

The final day of the retreat began with a beautiful ceremony at dawn on the beach, lead by Lei’ohu Ryder. She is an emissary of aloha and an advocate for the indigenous mind in all people, blind to the labels (race, creed, nationality, ideology, etc.) that can separate us from experiencing the true nature of our selves and others. Her work has been recognized by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Peace Corps and the United Nations. Lei’ohu was awarded the Gandhi-King Peace Hero Award in 2002 and in 2003 the Peace Corps Peace Educator Award. She has shared her gifts all around the world including Japan, Israel, India, and most of Europe. Lei’ohu is deeply connected to the land and the sea, and she held the International Peace Belt as she conducted the ceremony. Also in her hands were Taro Leaves, important to the culture of the Hawaiian people. She included in the ceremony:

“It is respect and surrender to the highest calling of your spirit that takes you to your origin of place of spirit. The message is “Aloha,” that breath of love, that breath of light that goes back to our original intent, love. Spirit is love. When we are fully present, the spirit of place is all about love and compassion and allowing love to transcend all things Aloha is an energy. It’s not just a word; it’s not just love. When you say, “Aloha,” your body fills with the spirit. Aloha energy connects the spirit of place within our bodies with the full spirit of the Universe, of Mother Earth. Just like the beautiful food we eat that is organically grown. You can taste the energy in the food that is loved and cared for. Or when you see a person smile, you are seeing the spirit of place in that person. Their spirit is coming inside you. You can feel that. Tell people to say “Aloha.” When you say, “Aloha,” you can feel your body tingling, your cells erasing all the barnacles that you carry, eradicating all the resentment, hate, and sorrow that have been transmitted from generation to generation through your DNA. Keep saying, “Aloha, Aloha, Aloha,” and visualizing that Aloha. It will be the biggest medicine in your spirit of place that you ever had so you can walk more fully in your divineness.”

Maureen Tary, Membership coordinator for www.ramdass.org

]]>

When I decided to start the annual Yoram Kaufmann Memorial Humanitarian Project, it was with the bringing of 500 new pair of sneakers and shoes to Brazil. How I found Santa Clara is an interesting series of events. I met a wonderful photographer and reporter by the name of Caryn Davis. We met when she interviewed me to write an article for INK magazine, here in Connecticut ,on The International Peace Belt. I mentioned to Caryn that I wanted to bring shoes down to children in Brazil when I went in August to bring The International Peace Belt. Caryn put me in touch with her friends, Richard and Margot Calder, who run a non profit called BRAYCE. (For more information on BRAYCE please visit their website at www.brayce.org) Richard and Margot put me in contact with Nanko, who is part of an NGO that has been operating in Rio for the past thirty years by the name of Ibyss. Nanko, who is originally from Holland, recently was awarded the Peace Prize from Holland, and has been part of incredible humanitarian work in Brazil. Santa Clara is just one of over 70 projects they have started in Rio. Richard and Margot had two of the Brazilian teenagers here for the summer, through BRAYCE, bring down two large bags on wheels when they returned home to Brazil in July. I brought the rest of the shoes down to Brazil with me. After American Airlines lost the bags of shoes…twice! Sold my airplane ticket from Miami to San Paulo (which delayed my arrival by an entire day), and Brazilian customs almost confiscated all of the shoes upon my arrival, (detaining me at customs for six hours, after having not slept for two nights) , I finally arrived at the airport in Rio. This after a 46 hour trip. Needless to say, I was thilled to see my son, Jesse, at the airport! We took a taxi to our hotel, slept a few hours, and met Nanko, who picked us up in the lobby of our hotel, to take us to Santa Clara. This was certainly not the way I was hoping to begin my Brazilian trip, but, once we arrived at Santa Clara, it all made sense. I was so, so grateful to have brought the shoes, seeing the excitement it caused in the children’s faces. Pure joy…..

And so began my love of the adults, and children of Santa Clara…

In mid August when my son, Jesse, Nanko, and I arrived the sight of this amazing home, known as a “substitute family”, not an orphanage, was totally unexpected. Nestled among trees, on a beautiful road in the hills, children came out to greet us. Nanko drove us from Copacabana to Santa Clara and introduced us to this truly remarkable, and huge, family. Eliete and Cicero, the parents to over 1500 children in the past 22 years, are nothing less than remarkable. After leaving, it is the children who are deep in my thoughts, memories, and dreams. It is my hope that through my foundation we can start an education fund to help educate these children. Somehow, with the help of so many people, the children are able to complete high school and college. I would like to start a fund that would make it just a little easier for Eliete and Cicero, if only to begin with the educational expenses of a few children. The cost of high school is $900 a year for each child. I would like to begin by having 50 people pledge $10. a month to our educational fund. If we can reach that modest goal we would be able to raise enough money to pay the educational expenses of at least 6 children a year. To pledge you can contact us through our website and send a check to Artists for World Peace at P.O Box 95 in Middletown, CT. 06457. You can pay by the month, or once a year. We will post the ages of the children we are helping, along with their photos. These children will become part of our “Children of Peace” project, and together with our friends from around the world, we can help make their futures a little brighter, while letting them know they have many friends who care about them and their future!

From Santa Clara website.

To read all about them please visit their website at: www.familiasantaclara.org.br

Who we are

Who we are

A family.

A family just like yours.

That is, almost like yours,

just a bit bigger.

We are a BIG family.

The Santa Clara Family project is the realization of a dream of constructing a big family, a family that substitutes cold, impersonal shelters, broken homes and despotic institutions that lack focus on education and personal realization.

That’s what we are: a big family that opens up to children, teen-agers and young people that society has abandoned. A family that

embraces and takes in who has been sent to the streets, either by the government or by exclusion.

The Santa Clara Family is a real family, with a normal family routine, in a house that is very big but otherwise normal, in a place where the gates are always open to life and where help, education and love are fundamental.

A nuclear family – father, mother, biological children – living every moment with the children who, for whatever reason, join our family. We watch over and take care of each one as an individual, creating strong ties, building dreams and fighting to attain them, with equal opportunity and strength to change the future, essential factors for the emotional restructuring, recovery of hope and elevation of self-esteem.

Our daily routine is built on education. In addition to formal schooling, our children, adolescents and young people participate in several workshops: library, reading and writing, agriculture, sewing, arts and crafts, computation, music, percussion, dance, capoeira, and physical education, including football and volleyball.

The Santa Clara Family Project: An act of faith and courage

Santa Clara is a family that seeks to recover children and young people from the damage that life has caused them, preparing them for re-insertion into society as conscientious, participative, and peaceful citizens. It is our contribution for a better society, where children have their rights guaranteed and a

fair opportunity to grow.

The family within the community

Our family also embraces the community into which we are inserted: LIVE and COOPERATE, EXCHANGE and SHARE, TEACH and LEARN.

Our doors are also open to the community, which makes of our house a space that complements the school, participating in the workshops, complete with a nutritious lunch and snack, a bath, a trip to school and back, together with the children of the family.

This movement amplifies the individual universe and opens the way to the development of a conscience, the construction of the ideals of citizenship in all the children and young people involved. Who receives help must also help others.

Estrada do Mucuíba , 800 – Vargem Grande – Rio de Janeiro – CEP: 22785-150 – Telefones: 2428-1191 / 2428-2233 (Fax) / 9361-6466

I am extremely grateful to the following people, who generously helped to make our 2009 “500 Shoe Drive” to Brazil a huge success:

Loretta Spencer, Jessica Grant, Ellen Klimas, Barbara Johnson, Christina Upton, Barbara Salvatore, Katie Clay, Max Wareham, Robert Nasta, Jesse Nasta, Richard and Margot Calder, Dena, Aaron, and Lia Rosenbloom

As someone who travels for a living I truly believe that a clear path to, at least, tolerance….
because you can’t ask people to be like you or to be any way for that matter.  You can only ask them to think for themselves.  I think that’s the most optimal situation.  For everyone to have the same amount of information available and for them to take that information and think for themselves.  That’s because I think humans are naturally altruistic and given the situation and the access to knowledge, that we would become a more peaceful race in general.

But I think it’s cool.  I’m a traveler,  I believe without a doubt, whole heartedly, in my travel experience. I haven’t been all over the world but I’ve been a few places…

Having been to South America, Central America, every country in North America (except Alaska). I’ve been to every country in Western Europe and almost all the countries in Eastern Europe.  I’ve only been to one country in Africa and I’ve only been to Japan.  So Asia and Africa are the least traveled places.  But I will say this:  The more that people and their cultures meet the more likely it is for us to treat each other with more respect.  And violence is natural in human beings.  It’s natural in all creatures, but war is not natural in other creatures at all.

War is sadly unique, only to the human race.  Iratication of other species is unique to the human race and it’s an unfortunate thing.  Maybe it’s because we are such a young species.

OK, so we did it! We made it to Canada and back bringing the total number of countries the Peace Belt has traveled through to 17! Now only 178 to go before it is retired in the Smithsonian museum, which will hopefully someday become an international museum where citizens of the world will visit and say, “Wow, can you believe humanity used to live like that? My grandfather used to tell me stories of how chaotic it was before nation states came together to recognize the global country. That was back in the days when people actually feared the clash of civilizations, nuclear war and the end of the world.”

Even if I don’t experience that beautiful day in my lifetime, I am at least grateful that me and my friends got to play a small part in invoking this spirit of a united Earth and becoming part of the history that will someday grow into a mighty revolution to bring it about. As I told my friend Simon, it will be a wonderful day to travel between the U.S. and Canada and not be charged outlandish data roaming charges for our iPhones. In a not so distant future we’ll all connect to a super fast 10G network whether we are in Afghanistan, Zambia or Antarctica. This of course is only an afterthought compared to how good it will feel taking up residence wherever you want on the entire planet and call it your country. You could decide on Somalia for your winter home and then fly to Japan for your summer cottage while not needing a passport to go in-between and not noticing any economic disparity or imbalance in infrastructure between the two regions.

I am very grateful to have played a part as caretaker in the Peace Belt’s journey and I look forward to following its travels while counting down as we approach 195 nation states where it will have worked its magic; helping to break down barriers while remove the blinders from people’s eyes showing them, that like beads and coins on a belt, we are all bound together on the same planet as one human family towards a common destiny.

The Peace Belt’s Canada Blog: http://peacebeltcanada.blogspot.com
Vincent Lemay Thivierge’s Band; Les Belvederes: http://www.vincentlemay-thivierge.com
Madeleine Peyroux’s Website: http://www.madeleinepeyroux.com

The International Peace Belt was blessed by energy therapist and spiritual counselor, Mika Nelson.

The Shilly Shally Fire Arts Dancers performed in The International Peace Belt at the Fifth Annual Mountain Jam Festival on Hunter Mountain in New York on Saturday, May 30, 2009.

“The American Dream”

“One Planet, Enveloped in Happiness… with Liberty and Justice for All”

Only now it is apparent why I was compelled to take the trip the Kingdom of Tonga for the Coronation of the new King George Tupoa V (refer to previous entry). It was all about getting the International Peace Belt to the Burning Man (BM) festival 2008, with its theme of “The American Dream.” If I did not already have the IPB, I would have never thought to ask to take it to Burning Man. After all, this festival is not a foreign country (although to some it is more like a foreign planet!). It is right here in my neighboring state, in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada.

Throughout the 2008 Burning Man festival, I enjoyed sharing it with many people. Where ever I went I wore it. Often others would comment or inquire about it. And when they did I was so very happy to share the IPB with them. So many people over the course of five days prayed and meditated for world peace. It was such a beautiful experience for me to be the caretaker and to have the focus of world peace in my consciousness the entire time.

During my stay, I was given a number of items to add to the IPB. One was a hand made enamel piece by an artist named Jewel, another a hand stamped Burning Man medallion made from recycled carburetors, and yet another a coin from New Zealand with a relief image of Captain Cook’s sailing vessel traveling around the world. (I felt very partial to this one since I just returned from Tonga via Auckland, NZ.) I was also gifted a string of foreign coins from an artist who started her own necklace; a parallel version of the IPB. She was so excited to see the beautiful IPB and so happy to release her coins to the cause. It was just amazing how so many people related to the concept and the mission of the IPB.

Ever year the festival has a theme. My first “Burn”, two years ago, the theme was “Hope vs. Fear”. Last year it was “the Green Man”. This past year, for 2008 it was “The American Dream”. For months I contemplated; “what is today’s American Dream?” Originally, I thought my American Dream would be; “to have clean air to breath and clean water to drink”, for I believe that too many Americans take these simple necessities for granted. However, after much pondering, I decided that my dream could be simplified… to include not only clean air and water… but all the necessities of a good life; food, shelter, clothing etc. and to focus not only on America, but all people world wide. I determined that my American Dream would be put in these simple terms:

“One Planet, Enveloped in Happiness… with Liberty and Justice for All”

The Burning Man festival and the Black Rock Desert location are very special places indeed. The magic began Friday Morning, August 29, 2008. My friend, Karen, and I decided to head out in the early morning to visit the sites on the Playa, the three mile diameter of open space where the great art and sculptures are found. I put the IPB over my head and across my chest and together we headed towards the sunrise & the central statue of “The Man”.

As we approached the Man, I felt so pleased to see him set up high looking over the citizens of Black Rock City. It was such a beautiful site. Then… when I realized that the tower was made from International Flags, my heart swelled up with emotion. Here I was wearing the International Peace Belt with its collection coins, amulets and meditations from around the globe. I felt so connected. It was so serendipitous. I was so excited and honored! I thought; “God I love this place! This is why I come here! “. And that was just the beginning!

We rode around to the other side of the man so the sun would be behind us for the photos. We parked our bikes and took some photos, and were immediately greeting by a young woman sitting on the bench. “GOOD MORNING!” She welcomed us and we responded with the same. As I remember, she immediately commented on the IPB. As I started to explain the story of its’ travels and mission of peace, she informed us that she and her husband (who was up at the top of the tower) were both serving as PEACE CORPS volunteers! I immediately knew … and yet I had to ask to confirm my knowledge; “WHERE ARE YOU SERVING???” She responded; “The Kingdom of TONGA!!!” I think I screamed before she finished her sentence!!! I could not believe it… and yet I did believe it… because this is what happens at Burning Man.

Originally this couple did not plan to come all the way from Tonga to attend Burning Man. However, their good friends and camp mates insisted that they must partake in the 2008 theme of the American Dream. So they took a month’s leave from their Peace Corp duties to partake in the festivities. Their friends not only gifted them their tickets to Burning Man, but also the expense of the airfare! This moment we shared with the International Peace Belt was created by our like mission of spreading International Peace. Before we went on our separate ways, they prayed with the IPB in both Tongan and English. The connection we made was beyond description.

At the festival there is a very sacred place; the Temple Basura Segrada, which is Spanish for “Sacred Temple of Garbage”. Throughout the week, alters are built within the Temple by anyone who wants to participate. Some bring photos, some toys, some letters and some wedding rings… all with the intention of letting go of their grief. At the end of the festival, on the last night, the Temple and all of it’s Sacred Garbage go up in smoke. It is an extremely emotional place, an extremely emotional happening. I took the IPB there the morning after the burn, and had the most wonderful experiences.

I arrived at the rubble of the temple fairly early in the morning. In the 4-5 hours I was there I met many beautiful people; Steve, from New Zealand, the man who gave me the Captain Cook coin and his British friend, Laura; the people who were building musical instruments out of “basura” from the temple; my two new friends who I met in previous days, one who I gave a silk veil to and the other my jacket… at the same time they surrounded me with a big hug. And then there was the friendly woman with the tarot cards. So many nice people!

Just as I was thinking it was time to get back to camp, I met a very special couple. This woman was resting in her small pick up truck at the site, which is unusual because vehicles are not normally allowed. She explained that she and her husband were part of the temple building team. They stopped by to pay their last visit before heading back home. You see, they helped build the temple in honor of their lost son, a victim of bi-polar disorder and a victim of suicide.

We hugged and cried together. So many people that are affected by the demons of that disease. After we had a good cleansing cry she inquired about the IPB. When I explained to her its mission of International Peace, calm came over her. She thanked me for coming by and sharing it with her. She said her own prayer for peace. And then I asked her if she knew the time. It was the first time I thought about time the whole morning. She turned on the ignition and there it was; 1:11, a new beginning. We both felt it. It was awesome!

Next, I shared with her the tarot card I selected earlier that morning. I drew a sketch of it; the two of swords that I had pulled upside down, which represents the opposite of a right side up pull. I knew nothing of tarot cards so the woman with the cards explained to me; “The troubled waters are behind you now. It is time to move forward and cut through your fears…” When I showed the sketch to her she held it to her heart and said; “This was meant for me”.

About that time her husband returned. He had been out in the ash of the rubble trying to make peace with himself and the loss of their son. The wife place the IPB over her husbands head. We all hugged again and shed another tear. Now it was time to go.

We decided to go back into the ash of the Temple Basura Segrada for one last meditation. The three of us stood together hugging and supporting each other. As we separated and began to move apart, he said; “You are standing on sacred ground you know?” And I responded without any thought; “I know, I can feel it”.

I was already in a very centered & grounded stance. He asked me to put my right palm down facing the earth. As I did the feeling suddenly magnified. “Oh my God, I can feel it, I can really feel it, oh my God, oh my God!” was all I could think & say. I felt very clearly the energy shooting straight up from the bubbling core of the Earth through the palm of my hand and spiraling up my arm into my body. The husband could see what was happening and he placed the IPB over my head saying; “Here, you need to wear this.”

I felt myself turning into pure energy, light & love. “Put your other hand up to the sky, palm up!” he directed me. It was at that instant that I experienced a total connection to the universe. “I am everything and I am nothing” was all I could think. The energy was so fantastic. I believe RAPTURE may be the appropriate term. It spiraled throughout my entire body like a sparkling white tornado of love and light. And when my hand went up and opened to the sky I felt the energy spiral out into the universe. Mother Earth sent me her love, let it move through me and the IPB. When it was more than I could handle, she released this love to the entire universe for all to experience.

I don’t remember much right after that. I know we said our good-byes. I know I did not want to leave that spot. However, it was time to go. After all, I was not going to top that experience!

As I rode my bike back to camp I kept thinking; “What am I to do, WHAT AM I TO DO???” It was like being in a panic mode, feeling that I needed an answer immediately. At times I would calm down and think; “Don’t worry Pat. It will all come to you in time. Just have faith”. However this feeling of uncertainty was dominating my thoughts. However, I kept prang for guidance, for direction, for a sign….

And then, when I was approaching camp, the sign came to me as plain as day… an actual physical street sign. Amidst all the art, tents and campers of the neighborhood, where there are no commercial signs what so ever, there was my answer, simple as could be and in black and white none the less:

SERVICE ONLY

ONE WAY

(With the arrow pointing straight up to the sky)

· A native Tongan named David, a master carver and artist of traditional Tongan bone carvings;
· Chris, a Kiwi (New Zealander) transplant of nearly 25 years and artist & performer of traditional Tongan dance;
· my fellow travelers from the USA, five of whom are retired Peace Corps Volunteers;
· an elder, a Tongan woman who I met in the church after the Coronation Ceremony, who was so passionate in her prayer with TIPB in her native tongue;
· Feauna, our Tongan destination advisor and activity director J and her family, especially the young girl who obviously felt very honored to wear TIPB and send their thoughts of Peace;
· Carolyn and Tim, our hosts at the Deep Blue Lodge, a young married couple with their first baby on its way… how very special it was for TIPB to lay across the swollen belly of Carolyn as she said her message of Peace.

And many others along the way…

Although Tonga had recently suffered the destruction of much of their capital city of Nuku’alofa during the riots of 2006, the people of Tonga truly lived up to their slogan of “The Friendly Island”.

Everywhere I went from the restaurants to the open air markets, I met the nicest people with the warmest smiles on their faces and happiness in their hearts. “Welcome” was not a word that needed to be spoken here. The warmth of our welcome was something FELT everyday. The energy was so wonderful. I knew that the Kingdom of Tonga was a good place to be. And it is my hope that this energy will be passed through TIPB during its travels and to YOU NOW, as you read these words.

I first heard about The International Peace Belt through my friend and fellow Middle Eastern dance instructor Hala, of Hala Dance Studios, an Egyptian woman currently residing in Santa Clara CA. Hala’s newsletter caught my eye when she announced back in 2007 that she would be the honored caretaker of TIPB on a trip to Egypt. I remember thinking “GOOD NEWS!!!” !!! What a great mission TIPB was on. It is always so promising to learn of people making positive actions in this world of ours instead of the usual news we hear day to day.

Now—fast forward to 2008. Much has happened in that year. Troupe Mirari & the Living Breathing Dancing Color Wheel – A Dance of Positivity is taking shape. The San Francisco version of PURE DANCE became a reality again after a year of rest. And I was invited by a friend in the Retired Peace Corps Volunteers to go to the Kingdom of Tonga V. A real coronation! In Polynesia! How could I pass that up! Almost immediately I thought of The International Peace Belt and thought… I wonder, has it been to Tonga?

And yet, I had some reservations about going to Tonga. After a little research, I discovered the reason the coronation had been delayed almost 2 years was due to rioting, looting and the destruction of the business district in the capital city of Nuku’alofa. Apparently the violence was politically motivated. I was not certain this trip was meant to be. I began to have some doubt. Fear was seeping into my thoughts.

So I decided to not make any quick decisions. To go or not to go? I determined that I would go as long as my intuition said it was safe and the right thing to do. I would continue to check the travel advisories. For months I had the intention of going without making a firm commitment to the trip. Although I was hoping to present the LIVING BREATHING DANCING COLOR WHEEL, it was impossible to solidify the plans. It was not until about 3 weeks prior to my departure that I contacted my friend Hala and inquired about the availability of The International Peace Belt. Hala put me in touch with Wendy Black Nasta of Artists for World Peace. And I discovered that YES… TIPB was available at the time of my travel and it would be it’s first trip to the KINGDOM OF TONGA.

I had a wonderful trip in Tonga. Most of the people who I introduced TIPB to were awed by it. At first because of the shear beauty of its design with all the foreign coins and gemstones, and then even more so by the realization that people from all over the world were sending their message of Peace and Harmony through this work of art. The history behind TIPB and all its travels… All the ceremonies of peace that it had participated in … All the meditations and prayers that it assisted in… It doesn’t take long to realize that TIPB is a very special artifact with a very special mission.

When I headed to Tonga I was not quite sure how or where we would serve the mission. I was hoping to find some native Tongan dancers to wear it during their performances during the many ceremonies. I connected with a few people involved in the activities before the trip.

However, I had to remember that I was entering a world where the most important occasion since the 1967 crowning of the previous King was taking place; the coronation of the new King George Tapuo V. The Kingdom of Tonga had been preparing for this very special event for years. My connections regarding the arrival of the International Peace Belt were very much consumed with the Royal Coronation Ceremonies. The visit of the International Peace Belt would need to play second fiddle to the coronation. It was very apparent that we were now on Tongan time and things would unfold the way they were meant to be.

My second day in Tonga I met a dancer named Chris and her artist/ husband Shane. Together, with our group of travelers, we shared the most wonderful pizza dinner, the most beautiful sunset AND THE INTERNATIONAL PEACE BELT. They were the perfect people to introduce to the TIPB. Not everyone you encounter has the same appreciation for the concept of TIPB. However, THEY GOT IT!

Chris is originally from New Zealand; however she has lived in Tonga for nearly 25 years. Together she and Shane own and operate the Blue Banana Lodge and Gallery. For many of those years she studied native dance and was scheduled to perform with her village before His Majesty during the coronation festivities. We discussed the possibilities of her wearing TIPB during the dance. However, after much careful thought, she decided, in respect for the Tongan traditions and authentic dance attire, she would wear the Tongan coin and hand carved whales tail during her dance and not TIPB itself.

On Saturday, August 2, 2008 she danced with hundreds of other Tongans from villages throughout the Kingdom of Tonga in a special performance for His Majesty and guest dignitaries from around the world. Although we were unable to make the International Peace Belt the focus of the ceremony, Chris’s personal message of peace will be carried on through the presence of the addition of the Tongan coin & hand carved whales tail.