Journey through rough waters

It is his love for the West Indian people of the past and the present that motivates Marcel-François Rapon to continue with the team Karisko project.{{more}}

Speaking at a conference on Wednesday 19, 2010, at the National Trust Headquarters, Rapon, the designer and manager of the Karisko team, indicated that it was his love for the West Indian people that drives him, adding that the journey is not only about traveling to destinations, but about cultural exchange between the islands.

The project, which began four years ago, retraces the journey of the indigenous people of the Caribbean from the Orinicoco river to Martinique.

The group traveled to St. Vincent and the Grenadines from Bequia on a sixty foot traditional dug out canoe on Monday, May 17, 2010.

During the conference, a video presentation of the team’s journey was presented by Professor of Archeology Benoit Beraid. The video displayed the team’s reception at Carib villages and by Chiefs of the Carib villages in the various countries that they visited.

The ability of the canoe to journey through rough waters was also seen through the video. Beraid disclosed that the four-hour trip from Bequia to St. Vincent was difficult as the waters were rough. The rain which was present during the journey was not a problem for the team, he said.

Beraid also explained that the team is also involved in educating the schools on the indigenous people of the Caribbean, and it also assists young people who are unemployed to become part of the project.

The project entitled “The Kytangomingo project Phase two: Our Ancestors Ways” concluded on May 22 in St. Lucia.