BONAI (Bonaire Archaeological Institute) to Hold Special Evening Onboard The Freewinds on May 28th
The BONAI (Bonaire Archaeological Institute) will hold a special evening presentation on-board the Freewinds on May 28th, 2007. The evening will be both entertaining with a benefit concert and also educational as BONAI presents information regarding recent archaeological investigations.
The image shows a group of American military personnel in the Antilles in 1940.
The historical period in question that will be discussed is the period of World World II, with an emphasis on the visit by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to Bonaire in 1944. This project covers an important phase in Bonaire’s time. Thanks for the coordination of the work to initiate this project go Dr. Jay Haviser, Mr. Raymundo Saleh of the Bonaire Economic Platform, Mrs. Jacki Bernabela of BONAI, Mr. Hubert Vis of SKOL, and Captain Mike Napier of the Freewinds.
With donations that have already been received, the start of the initial phase began with Dr. Haviser spending ten days in Washington, D.C. pouring over the U.S. National Archives and the U.S. Military Archives, specifically looking for data about any U.S. military presences in the Antilles during the Second World War.
The second phase will be to inform the public about his results of the initial archives research; this information will be provided on the Freewinds on May 28th, 2007 at 7:30 PM.
The final phase of the project must take place on Bonaire in the form of interviews with those still living on Bonaire who were involved in the Roosevelt visit along with archeological excavaton in areas specific to Bonaire. This work will most likely be conducted in June and July with the assistance of interested students of the SKB school.
The project will close with a new book by Dr. Haviser on the subject, along with a commemorative plaque to record the visit of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
The combined evening will include the discussion, R&B music by the Freewinds Band with Antillean singer, Debby Beaujon. Cost is FL 15.00 (USD $8.43) per person, and tickets can be purchased at either SKAL or The Tourist Corporation (on Kaya Grandi). (Source: BONAI)
