N a Sonje in Portland, Maine (Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.)
Fondasyon N a Sonje Foundation
Haitians share stories of hope, determination
By BOB KEYES , Staff Writer
Copyright (c) 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
IF YOU GO
"THREE INNOCENTS AND A SPIRIT" will be presented in
Portland at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Sacred Heart/St.
Dominic Parish, and at 1:30 p.m. April 9 at Allen
Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church. Admission is
free; donations accepted.
Victoria Szatkowski of Portland first fell in love
with Haiti eight or nine years ago, when she visited
the Latin American country as part of her
post-graduate studies at Florida State University.
Captivating her was the spirit of the people, who have
a 500-year legacy of fighting for respect and
self-determination. Their country's history is marked
by violence and oppression, beginning with the arrival
of Christopher Columbus in 1492 and continuing through
today.
Columbus' arrival set off a chain of events that
included occupation by Europeans, the conquering of
native people and the settlement of slaves from
Africa.
"I see more hope in Haiti for things to change than I
do in this country," said Szatkowski. "The people
there continually, against many, many obstacles, come
together and vote and express their will. Despite the
threat of death, they continue to want to express
their democratic will.
A trio of actors from Haiti arrives in Portland this
week for the presentation of a play called "Three
Innocents and a Spirit." The play weaves music, dance,
mime and puppetry to interpret Haiti's history.
Dressed in period costumes, the actors use such props
as slave irons and peace pipes to tell the story.
Szatkowski, who married a Haitian man, knows the
performers and helped arrange for their appearance
here. The play will be presented in Portland at 5:30
p.m. Saturday at Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish and
at 1:30 p.m. April 9 at Allen Avenue Unitarian
Universalist Church.
The Portland stop is part of a national tour organized
by the N a Sonje Foundation, a Haitian group whose
goal is global awareness. The foundation takes its
name from the Creole phrase that means "we will
remember," Szatkowski said.
The Portland performances are sponsored by the two
churches, Amnesty International and Maine Haiti
Solidarity, an education and advocacy group.
The play is intended to raise money for the creation
of a memory village in the Port-au-Prince suburb Gwo
Jan, where the actors live. Their goal is create a
living history destination, similar to Williamsburg,
but with more interaction.
The idea is to interpret the history of Haiti and tell
all sides of the country's story.
"Three Innocents and a Spirit" attempts to accomplish
largely the same thing.
Each character represents a different aspect of
Haiti's history: A native, a colonialist and an
African slave. Using sounds, gestures and song, the
actors symbolize the historic mingling of cultures
that has occurred in Haiti.
Leo Barrington, a member of the Allen Avenue Unitarian
Universalist Church, said his church decided to get
involved with the Haiti project because it meets the
church's mission.
"The UU church is very interested in social justice,
equality and peace issues whether at home or abroad.
This certainly fits within that," said Barrington, a
member of the church's Social Action Committee.
Like Szatkowski, Barrington fell in love with Haiti on
his first visit. But unlike Szatkowski, Barrington has
been to Haiti only once - and that was in 1959.
The trip changed his life.
He went to visit a friend working in Haiti. He stayed
several months, and traveled to many rural areas of
the country.
The poverty was striking. Barrington had never seen
anything like it.
The impact of his Haiti experience stayed with him for
many years and later resulted in his decision to
pursue health and education work in Africa.
He hopes "Three Innocents and a Spirit" helps Maine
people understand the historical context of Haiti's
past, which in turn helps explain its present.
"I hope this troupe is able to convey some of the same
things that I experienced when I was there in person,"
he said.
Staff Writer Bob Keyes can be contacted at 791-6457 or
at: