Swim Around Haiti To End Hunger
Ever since I was a very young child I have loved swimming in open places, especially the ocean. My mother taught me at age 4 how to swim. To this day this is the only training I’ve had. Throughout my life swimming has served as a healing sanctuary for me.
I received my BFA in dance therapy in 1978, and my Masters in Movement studies and Dance Therapy in 1982.
My career in Dance therapy was drastically altered in 2005 when I injured my knee, and needed emergency surgery.
Just like we have ignored the needs of our beloved Earth and Sea, my needs to protect the rivers in my body were ignored, and while waiting for the surgery without any risk assessment or preventive therapy, a massive thrombosis shut down two of the major veins in my left leg, making life within the gravity field of land painful.
However, as soon as I am swimming in the ocean, the pain stops.
As a result of this, as a thank you to the Sea and Yemaya and Papa Agwe, I decided in 2007 to dedicate the rest of my life to the healing of the Sea as she heals me.
To date, I have completed 2 major swim projects in Costa Rica, the first 750 km, the second 876 km, following the Pacific Coast from Panama North towards the Nicaragua border.
No one before me has used long distance open ocean swimming as a form of environmental activism, and these 2 first swims represent distance world records for women.
I have chosen Haiti as my next great swim project – the coastline constitutes 1771 km! – to help end hunger there.
In Haiti, every second person is malnourished, and a child dies of hunger every hour. In Northern Haiti, 29 people die of hunger every day, in a population of less than 1 million.
Haitian culture has profoundly influenced the course of my life, and I am deeply grateful to my legendary mentors Lavinia Williams – who supervised my Masters Thesis, “Getting to the heart of Haitian Dance: a Personal Approach” , and Jean-Leon Destine, my first teacher of Haitian dance in 1979.
I have a deep respect for Voudoun and attended many ceremonies in my 2 study periods in Haiti in 1979 and 1997.
For many years, I myself have taught Haitian dance at various Universities in the Us, Canada and Mexico, besides my dance therapy practice.
The proposed swim around Haiti will serve as a fundraising initiative to help end hunger in Haiti.
The logistics involved will include the use of a support boat with min. 40 hps capacity, and accommodations along the coast for the film team and myself.
Proposal for Youth Rite of Passage
Having now swum almost all of Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast twice, it is now time to share this journey with other seekers. I feel the pulling of the tides of that magical coast deep within me, and see the opportunity of a major contribution to the youth of Costa Rica. Much is at stake right now and the situation of the world seas is precarious.
Now is the time to act.
No one is in a better position than me to guide youth in a marine rite of passage that involves full immersion. Youth is dying for proper initiation and since societally, except in traditional indigenous societies, we have failed our youth in this, they have often created their own through drugs, gang activity, early pregnancies, branding, etc., sometimes literally dying in the process.
My vision is to take small groups of youths, max. 7 at a time, for seven days per base, max. 7 bases along the coast, to be a part of my annual mermaid migration route. Each group is responsible for fund raising its segment and organizing the base, i.e. location for workshops, accommodation for the teacher/s, food and support boat.
Youths are selected on the following criteria:
1. Alcohol and drug free at least 3 months, non-smokers
2. A written statement of intent, at least 749 words in length
3. Swim test in the ocean:
a) Float 15 min. without fatigue
b) Swim 30 min. continuously
c) Able to use at least 2 different swim strokes effectively
Proposed bases:
1. Punta Banco
2. Puerto Jimenez
3. Drake
4. Bahia Ballena
5. Quepos
6. Nosara
7. Potrero
I’m writing to you to begin the networking process for this project, which is scheduled to begin in December 2009. If you are interested or know of someone who might be interested in joining this project, or are interested in helping to fund it, please contact me at your earliest convenience.
I look forward to sharing further details with you once I hear back from you!
Propuesta para El Rito de Paso para Jóvenes
Ahora que he nadado dos veces casi toda la costa del Pacífico costarricense, ha llegado el momento de compartir este recorrido con otras gentes interesadas.
Siento dentro de mí la llamada de las fuerzas mareales de esa costa mágica, y veo la oportunidad de una notable contribución a las juventudes de Costa Rica.
Mucho está en juego en estos momentos, y el estado de nuestros océanos es muy precario.
El tiempo de actuar es ahora.
Ofrezco mi experiencia para guiar a las juventudes en una inmersión completa en un rito de paso marino.
Nuestra sociedad ha fallado en proporcionar a nuestras juventudes con una iniciación apropiada, aún existente en algunas sociedades indígenas. Mientras tanto, nuestros jóvenes se han sumergido en una iniciación nociva de drogas, bandas, embarazos de adolescentes, y otras actividades insalubres que en la mayoría de los casos terminan con la muerte.
Mi visión es llevar a grupos reducidos de jóvenes, máximo de 7 a la vez, durante 7 días por base, con un máximo de 7 bases a lo largo de la costa – parte de mi ruta migratoria anual.
Cada grupo es responsable de recaudar fondos para su segmento de la ruta y organizar la base, e.g. lugar para talleres, alojamiento para el profesor/es, comida y bote de apoyo.
Los jóvenes son seleccionados en base a:
1) Han estado al menos 3 meses sin tomar drogas
2) No fumadores
3) Han de escribir una carta de intenciones de al menos 749 palabras
4) Han de pasar una prueba en el mar done:
a) puedan flotar 15 minutos sin fatigarse
b) puedan nadar 30 minutos continuamente
c) puedan hacer al menos dos estilos de natación de manera efectiva
Bases propuestas
1. Punta Banco
2. Puerto Jimenez
3. Drake
4. Bahia Ballena
5. Quepos
6. Nosara
7. Potrero
Les envío esta carta para comenzar el proceso de contacto para este proyecto, el cual planeo comenzar en diciembre del presente año 2009. Si están interesados en unirse a este proyecto, o saben de alguien que pueda estarlo, o quisieran ayudar a financiarlo, por favor contáctenme tan pronto les sea posible.
Mar-emoto
Proposal for Baja Marine Conservation Swim
The first week of June, I had the opportunity to experience for the first time swimming with a whale shark on a journey organized by Baja Expeditions. It was such a life transforming and magical experience that it inspired me to propose swimming the 1000 km Baja coast in an attempt to protect whalesharks and other marine life. Having now swum the Costa Rica Pacific Coast 2 times for Marine Sanctuaries, and thus having acquired a track record for endurance and 2 world records for long distance swimming in the open ocean (the first time, 750 km, the second time, 876 km)
I would like to propose a swim with similar environmental objectives along the inside coast of the Baja peninsula.
As we see the decline of marine life world wide due to overfishing and poor marine management, it is more urgent than ever to arouse the general public to the need to create more and more protected marine areas, or marine sanctuaries, so our seas can heal and recuperate and reestablish some of the lost biodiversity.
It is amazing how nature can balance and recover given a chance, as we have seen in all the marine sanctuaries established so far.
THE ONLY TIME I SAW A LOT OF MARINE LIFE IN COSTA RICA WAS IN PROTECTED AREAS!
Education of the public is of prime importance to aid in marine protection, and to that end I propose a highly publicized long swim similar to the 2 I have already successfully completed.
AS IN COSTA RICA, I WOULD GIVE MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION WORKSHOPS ALL ALONG THE ROUTE TO SCHOOLS AND OTHER INTERESTED GROUPS.
To swim the entire Baja peninsula would take in the vicinity of 50 swim days at appx. 20 km a day.
I hope to inspire networking by marine protection and conservation organizations as well as financial sponsors.
In order to swim this vast coast, I WOULD NEED MOTORIZED BOAT SUPPORT, ideally a sailboat, but it could also be done accompanied by a fishing boat and either camping along the beaches or , whenever possible, staying in bases sponsored by local hotels along the route.
I would like to inspire sponsorship by an airline, as happened also in Costa Rica, for my flights to and from Baja from Victoria, BC, Canada.
looking forward to your response, please feel free to peruse my website
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