‘ARK TERM OF NOAH' OF RETURN’: TELLING THE STORIES OF 15 MILLION SLAVES IN A UN PERMANENT MEMORIAL

From: UNNews <UNNews@un.org>
Date: 23 Sep 2013 19:00:00 -0400
Subject: 'ARK OF RETURN': TELLING THE STORIES OF 15 MILLION SLAVES IN
A UN PERMANENT MEMORIAL
To: news11@ny-mail-p-lb-028.ptc.un.org

'ARK OF RETURN': TELLING THE STORIES OF 15 MILLION SLAVES IN A UN
PERMANENT MEMORIALNew York, Sep 23 2013 7:00PMA Manhattan-based
architect of Haitian descent was today announced as the winner of an
international competition to design a memorial that will be
permanently on display at United Nations Headquarters in New York to
honour victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.

Unveiling Rodney Leon's '<em>Ark of Return</em>', Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon said the memorial "will serve as a reminder of the bravery
of those slaves, abolitionists and unsung heroes who managed to rise
up against an oppressive system, fight for their freedom and end the
practice."
The ceremony, held on the eve of the General Assembly's annual debate,
was also attended by the President of the body's 68th session, John
Ashe, who commended all participants in the competition for "being a
voice of change and hope" whose ability to create meaningful artwork
"deepens our faith in human goodness and decency, and for this, we are
all grateful."

The piece by Mr. Leon, a designer and architect of the African Burial
Ground National Monument in lower Manhattan, features a "symbolic
spiritual space and object where one can interact and pass through for
acknowledgement, contemplation, meditation, reflection, healing,
education and transformation," according to its creator.

Mr. Leon's work was selected from among 310 design proposals from 83
countries in a competition launched two years ago by the UN
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), with
support from the UN Department of Public Information's Remember
Slavery Programme, and Member States from the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM) and the African Union. Jamaica, as the Chairman of the
Permanent Memorial Committee, was represented at today's event by
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller.

UNECO Director-General Irina Bokova, who also participated, said she
was "moved" to be participating in the event given she just returned
from Haiti where the memory of slavery and the slave trade carries
precious significance not just of suffering but also of "victorious
fight from oppression for freedom".

The design had to be created around the theme of "<em>Acknowledging
the Tragedy; Considering the legacy; Lest we forget</em>". It was to
be not only a symbol, but part of an educational process in memory of
slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, and to architecturally
embody each affected region of the transatlantic slave trade – Africa,
the Caribbean, Europe, and the Americas.
It also had to artistically complement to the landscape of the UN
Headquarters, described by UNESCO as "an iconic site that will deepen,
both visually and spiritually, the visitor's experience of this
important environment."

The winning design was unanimously chosen by a committee of five
international judges who met at UN Headquarters in August. Ahead of
the judging, they spoke with <"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90lRII6W5LE&feature=youtu.be">UN
Television about how their decisions were shaped.

Ashfar Isahq is the Chairman of the International Children's Art
Foundation. He said he founded the organization to harness children's
imagination for positive change.

"At the end of the day, I and my work with children means that I have
to look at an inner voice that tells me that this is what children and
future generations will like," Mr. Isahq said. "I listen to that inner
voice to make my selection."

Curator and artist Dominique Fontaine said she was looking for a
certain aesthetic value, one "that will appeal to the viewer."

From New York University, Michael Gomez, a professor of History and
Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies who specializes in the African
Diaspora, said he was primarily interested in identifying a piece that
spoke directly to the experience of the transatlantic slave trade and
the significance of that trade.

"I was interested in finding a project that would in some way give
expression to that experience, and would allow those who would visit
the memorial to have a good sense of what that experience was about
and its ongoing implication for various societies," Mr. Gomez told UN
Producer, Mary Ferreira.

Meanwhile, David Boxer, a former curator at the National Gallery of
Jamaica said the real challenge for him was to find a piece that both
spoke to the tragedy itself – which he said required a memorial in a
"more traditional sense" – and something that is inspirational.

Mr. Boxer said he was looking for a piece "that looks to the future,
that deals with the whole question of hope. That things are going to
improve, that things are going to become better. So it's how do you
combine those two sentiments into a single monument."

Completing the jury, Nadia Bakhurji, and architect, women's
empowerment advocate and former Board Member of Saudi Council of
Engineers, said she knew the winning design right away.

"I had emotional reactions to some of the sculptures and I knew which
one would be the right one because it has to be the one that will
really inspire thought provoking ideas, make you step back and say –
oh my God, is that really what happened and how can we prevent that
from happening again," Ms. Bakhurji said.

She added that she was also looking for a design that bridged
educational and spiritual experiences.

<div id="myCarousel" class="carousel slide">
<h4>List of Finalists</h4>
<div class="carousel-inner">
<div class="item active">
<img src="http://www.un.org/News/dh/photos/large/2013/September/Hanxi-WANG.jpg"
alt="">
<div class="carousel-caption">
<h4>Untitled</h4>
<small>Artist: <strong>Hanxi WANG</strong> | Nationality:
<strong>UK/China</strong></small></p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="item">
<img src="http://www.un.org/News/dh/photos/large/2013/September/GRUN-LAURENT.jpg"
alt="">
<div class="carousel-caption">
<h4>M&eacute;morial d'Eb&egrave;ne</h4>
<small>Artist: <strong>Nicolas GRUN/Pierre LAURENT</strong> |
Nationality: <strong>France</strong></small></p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="item">
<img src="http://www.un.org/News/dh/photos/large/2013/September/GANDOLFI-PASSERI-RIPA-SACHETTI.jpg"
alt="">
<div class="carousel-caption">
<H4>The Wounded Earth</H4>
<small>Artist: <strong>Carlo GANDOLFI/Paola PASSERI/Alessandra
RIPA/Monica SACHETTI</strong> | Nationality:
<strong>Italy</strong></small></p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="item">
<img src="http://www.un.org/News/dh/photos/large/2013/September/Rodney-LEON.jpg"
alt="">
<div class="carousel-caption">
<h4>Ark of Return</h4>
<small>Artist: <strong>Rodney LEON</strong> | Nationality:
<strong>USA</strong></small></p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="item">
<img src="http://www.un.org/News/dh/photos/large/2013/September/Pertti-Kukkonen.jpg"
alt="">
<div class="carousel-caption">
<h4>80 Million Beats of the Heart</h4>
<small>Artist: <strong>Pertti Kukkonen</strong> | Nationality:
<strong>Finland</strong></small></p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="item">
<img src="http://www.un.org/News/dh/photos/large/2013/September/CASTELO-TIHON.jpg"
alt="">
<div class="carousel-caption">
<h4>Middle Passage</h4>
<small>Artist: <strong>Sofia CASTELO/Adriana TIHON</strong> |
Nationality: <strong>Portugal/Romania</strong></small></p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="item">
<img src="http://www.un.org/News/dh/photos/large/2013/September/Jaime-CASTELLANOS.jpg"
alt="">
<div class="carousel-caption">
<h4>Palenque</h4>
<small>Artist:
________________
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