Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Slave Theme Park


Erica forwarded me this article on a proposed Slave Theme Park. I am on the road and can't post anything more than the article.

But even if I could ... don't think I have words.

So I am hoping that you have words and will holla :0)

**********

Theme Park's 'Slave for a Day' Event

Thursday, January 3, 2008

A theme park where visitors 'play' the role of a slave could soon be a reality for guilt-ridden Europeans wanting to come to terms with their ancestors' brutality.

Memory Village will allow visitors to be bound and tortured at a resort in Haiti, which was a slave nation before becoming the world's first black republic.

Tourists can play the part of a slave for 12 hours, in which they get a feel for the hardship endured in the Latin American country more than 200 years ago.

They can choose if they want to be spectators or participants. If they take part, they will be given traditional African clothing and then 'kidnapped', chained and forced to march to a slave ship in a mock crossing of the Atlantic.

They will then be part of a re-enactment where slaves were taken to market to be sold and later broken down with uktorture in quarantine and put to work on a plantation.

Towards the end of the 12-hour stay, visitors will take part in a recreation of the slave rebellion which eventually led to the establishment of Haiti.

Americans Ron and Carla Bluntschli, who are behind the project, have set up a foundation to get Memory Village off the ground and have already raised enough money to buy half the land needed for their attraction.

Mrs Bluntschli said: 'Slavery is a terrible wound. Germany is still suffering trying to get over the Holocaust, and this is a Holocaust that happened for centuries.'

The couple, who have lived in Haiti for 22 years, need $700,000 (£350,000) in total to complete their theme park.
*********

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

A lot of torture can be accomplished in 12 hours. Are they really going to do it??? I do not know what to think about this ...

Ridwan said...

Cero I am with you on this one. I am amazed and bewildered and ... lost for words.

I like what you said: "A lot of torture can be accomplished in 12 hours."

Great thought.

Best wishes,
Ridwan

Shus li said...

Thanks Ridwan and Erica for this information. I read with mixed thoughts.

There is a danger of minimizing what has happened - just like the production of "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" on TV (a love story was made to be a prominent theme, in order to help viewers relate).

It might be kind of neat to use it as punishment for people guilty of hate crimes - like the white demons in S. Carolina (?) who imprisoned and tortured the African-American woman.

Happy travels, Ridwan!

Shusli

Anonymous said...

@Shus Li

Being born and raised in South Carolina, I agree that this would be a good tactic for the sadistic actions that those cowardly ass holes committed on that young woman. Me, I personally think that a swift cap to the anus would suffice. Then send them over to the
"Slave Theme Park"

About the article. I'm still a little heated about this whole concept. What really scares me is the fact that they will recieve visitors.