Many of you have contributed to the Riverstone Project and some have asked what was happening with it so I am posting this for you. You can read more about the project at http://www.jamaicanmaroons.com/river-stone/ . The second week of classes starts this evening. I hope you enjoy this little series of posts.
Peace and Guidance
Working in collaboration with Tayshan Wright, an artist in Accompong Town, the Riverstone Project started on November 20th. As with a lot of plans in Jamaica, some minor modifications like the dates, times and venue needed to be fine-tuned to accommodate the school schedules of the students but a major roadblock faced the project. The river where the riverstones were to come from received major damage from Hurricane Sandy but, the resourceful Maroons came up with an alternative plan. The Blue Mahoe was quickly substituted for the stones. The Blue Mahoe is the national tree of Jamaica and a perfect choice for the students to paint upon.
The residents chipped right in with offers of donated labor such as Marshall who donated the use of his chainsaw after walking over a mile out into the Cockpits to bring in some suitable branches to cut.
Another resident, Neville Rowe a woodworker by trade, offered to sand the pieces to make them suitable for painting and finishing.
In a couple of days, the pieces were carried up to the Accompong Primary and Junior High School where the Principal, Garfield Rowe, donated the use of a classroom.
The school’s daily classes end at 4:00pm so the classroom needed to be readied for the 15 children who had signed up for the first session of classes in painting techniques. The door was opened at 5:00pm and now the question was, “Would the children actually show up for the classes?”
To learn more, stay tuned for Part 2 which will “soon come”.
