Dear Friends of Venture Smith and the Story of Atlantic World Slavery, The Story and Descendants of Venture Smith Return to Africa I am writing to you about a international project that celebrates a remarkable 18th-Century resident of CT, the African slave Venture Smith, who purchased his own freedom and went on to become a prominent citizen and businessman in East Haddam. Our Documenting Venture Smith Project - after nearly a decade of research, scholarship and public attention – has now entered a new and exciting stage that will bring his story from Africa to the Americas, an effort that has been endorsed by the Smithsonian Institute, among others. We are about to launch an unprecedented traveling exhibit that will retrace the route of theAmerican slave ship Charming Susanna, which carried the young slave 275 ago from what is now Ghana across the Atlantic to Barbados, West Indies, and on to Rhode Island. In the first phase, we will open and gift a permanent version of the exhibit on 16 September 2014 in Anomabo, Ghana, home of the slave castles that once held captives destined for the Americas, including the young African prince, Broteer Furro, who was renamed Venture by his new owner in 1739. As co-director of the Project (along with David Richardson, founder of the Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation in Hull, England) I have made two recent trips to Anomabo and have received the enthusiastic encouragement of the elders of the Village and a number of West African dignitaries to gift this exhibit. They are particularly anxious to greet Broteer’s American descendants, already extending to the 11th generation in America. That is the main purpose of my writing. We need financial support to bring these men and women, many of whom live in Connecticut, to Ghana for the occasion. At least 10 of them, spanning four generations, would very much like to come, along with 4 scholars who work with them to tell Venture’s story. They are willing to pay some of their own expenses on the ground, but the plane fare, ground transportation and lodging would be prohibitive. We need to raise $2,000 per person. You can imagine what the significance of such a visit would be to a family that has avidly cherished Venture’s memory and legacy. To get a sense of this - Watch the short video by some of the descendants youtu.be/zM2jf3G7ujE - and the video of the door of no return and the last canoe ride youtu.be/BjHTARGFvKs We estimate the cost of their transportation, plus attendant expenses for the exhibit, to be approximately $40,000. About $23,500 has already been provided or will be paid by the Project, WISE, or myself. You can sponsor one or more individuals in your name or contribute to the general fund. A plaque naming sponsors will be a permanent part of the exhibit, including at the Smithsonian’s African American Museum of History and Culture, due to open in 2016. I look forward to hearing from you and am ready to respond to any questions or requests. Sincerely, Chandler B. Saint, Co-Director, Documenting Venture Smith Project [email protected] Mobile +41.79.929.7027
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 22:22:50 +0000
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