Bimini Peace Retreat: A Gathering of Leaders for NonViolence and Social Justice Tired of all of the violence and social injustice of today? Then joining others in seeking solutions with spiritual foundations on a serene island is for you. Organizational heads, spiritual leaders and others for the promotion of peace and nonviolence are invited to join a global peace retreat taking place in Bimini, Bahamas this November 1st3rd. The purpose of the retreat is relaxation, rejuvenation, spiritual renewal and the contemplation of ideas to counter the violence and social injustices. Retreat participants will also get to visit the memorial bust of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that was set up by the Bahamian government last year. Leaders will be able to network, exchange ideas and experience culture heritage tourism in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. African Diaspora Tourism is organizing the retreat in coordination with Bahamas Tourism and the AD King and Joe Beasley Foundations as lead conveners. Kitty J. Pope, publisher of AfricanDiasporaTourism says that a retreat in Bimini is ideal because this is where Dr. King went to reflect, pray and convene with nature. "This peace retreat is about the same thing. This is not a conference, but a spiritual retreat where leaders of organizations will go for contemplation and reflection as King did, " says Pope. The bust of Dr. King was erected in Bimini because this is where King wrote two of his most noted speeches including his final ‘mountaintop’ speech . When Dr. King visited Bimini, he was accompanied by noted boat builder and prizewinning bone fisherman Ansil Saunders, who took him out to the mangroves for quiet time to write. “King used to say that he felt like he could reach out to touch the face of God when he was in Bimini,” says Saunders, who is the honorary host for the upcoming peace retreat. “Even though King said he lived under the threat of death, he got a sense of peace and relief from pressure when he was in Bimini. Dr. King was killed several days after his last trip to the islands. Dr. Babs Onabanjo, CEO of AD King Foundation will serve as chair of the convening organizations. Honorary cochairs are Ms. Naomi King, cofounder of AD King Foundation and sisterin law of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and Mr. Joe Beasley, a world renown humanitarian and civil rights leader. The Honorable Obediah Wilchcombe, Minister of Tourism of the Bahamas, who is a proponent of cultural heritage and faithbased tourism, will also serve as honorary chair of this tourism project. Dr. Onabanjo says that he wants Ms. Naomi King to visit Bimini to experience some of the tranquility and to see the bust of her brotherinlaw. “I also feel that if Dr. King came to Bimini, his brother AD probably went with him. Rev. A.D. King was at the forefront of the civil rights and nonviolence resolutions with his brother. The AD King Foundation is helping to convene this retreat to mark a renewal of what both brothers stood for,” says Dr. Onabanjo. Other convener organizational heads include Wesley Kalaiba of Los Angeles, chiefofstaff of Friends of the African Union and Janine Bell of Richmond, Va., founder /director of the Elegba Folklore Society. Serving as hosts Kalaiba and Bell will help to render a Africentric spiritual libation which will be conducted by Oba Shola Akinrimisi, a Yoruba Priest from Atlanta. Already on board as coconveners also are Gerald Rose of the New Order National Human Rights Organization of Atlanta, Rev. Eugene Franklin, founder of the Pan African Cultural Heritage Institute Pensacola, Florida and Kenneth Woods of Coach Speaks in Atlanta. In addition to the Africentric libation, the Bimini Peace Retreat will include other spiritualrelated activities and a luncheon where some key organizational heads will serve as featured panelists. Renown yoga instructor Yirser Ra Hotep, founder of the YogaSkills School of Kemetic Yoga will conduct group yoga sessions. Ansil Saunders will read an inspirational poem that he wrote about God greatness and the nature of the universe that he also recorded on DVD for distribution. No spiritual retreat is complete without prayer and meditation. The retreat will include a group prayer and meditation session on the ocean front. Other activities will include African and other dance forms as body movement is a part of spiritual oneness. In addition to spiritualrelated activities of the peace retreat and visiting the memorial bust of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., participants will get to experience some of the culture of Bimini through mingling with the locals to support sustainable tourism and enjoy what the islands have to offer. They can visit the newly opened Resort World Casino and visit Big John’s, a popular nightspot among tourist and locals. Retreat participants can also check out the Bimini Straw Market where there are dozens of vendors, the Bimini Museum where they can view island artifacts and celebrity momentos. Bimini’s signature attraction, the “Healing Hole,” a pond that swimmers have reported to have healing properties will also be on tap for those interested in checking it out. Retreat participants will convene in the Fort Lauderdale/ Miami area in order to travel together by high speed ferry to Bimini, the closest Bahamian island to the US that is only about 50 miles away. Groups will travel by bus from Atlanta and other cities in Florida and the south to connect with the ferry.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 02:36:38 +0000
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