EKWE NCHE ORGANIZATION
"Ibo Landing" - Program of Events.
Fear not; for I am with thee; I will bring thy seed from the East, and gather thee from the West; I will say to the North, Give up; and to the South, keep not back; bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the Earth;
Isaiah 43 : 5 - 6.
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August 29 2002 evening:
Participants arrive at St. Simons Island in Georgia.
Closest Airports: Savannah in Georgia or Jacksonville in Florida (both airports are about 65 miles from St. Simons Island and both provide shuttle services to "Epworth by the Sea" and other hotels in St. Simons Island.
Phone number of "Epworth by the Sea": (912) 638 - 8688
August 30 2002:
7:00 am -9:00 am Breakfast in "Epworth by the Sea" (Corporate breakfast at 8 a.m.).
8.00-9:45 a.m. Registration of Participants in the lobby or dining area of "Epworth-by-the-Sea" in St. Simons Island.
10.00-11.00 a.m. Breaking of the Kola nut.
11:00-11:15 Proceed to meeting room
11.15-Noon Welcome Address by:
* Ekwe Nche Organization
Noon-2:00 pm Fellowship Meal.
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm Address by Elder-Statesman Okechukwu Ikejiani (Dr.)
2:30 pm-4:00 pm Presentation of the connection of Ndi Igbo and the Hebrew nation. Who are Igbo, Ibo, Ebo, Egbo, Hebrew?
4:00-4:30 p.m. Igbo Presentation
4:45-5:15 p.m. Haiti Presentation
5:30-6:00 p.m. African American Igbo Presentation
6:15-6:45 p.m. Hebrew Presentation
7:00- --- Presentations by Groups/individuals.
(Note: presentations must be about these great brethren, where they came from or the personal story of the narrator as passed down the generations)
August 31st 2002
8.00-9.00 a.m. Gather at designated site.
9.00-10.00 a.m. Breaking of Kola Nut.
10:00 a.m.-10:15 Procession to "Ibo Landing" site led by Ekwe Nche organization.
10:15 a.m. - 1:1:30 p.m. Dedication Rites:
• EzeNri Designee: Okpala Eze Nri Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh.
• Hebrew: Rabbi Capers C. Funnye Jr. and other Rabbi/Moreh.
• Christian: Christian ministers.
• Godianism: Nchuaja Onyioha.
1:45 pm Procession back to Epworth-by-the-Sea for closing remarks.
**** end of ceremony ****
The Awakening & In-Gathering
"From deep within the coastal marshes of Georgia comes a powerful story of human resistance to oppression."
"Near the mouth of Dunbar Creek on Georgia's St. Simons Island, there's a section of swampy marshland where some fishermen refuse to cast their lines. In the daytime, it doesn't look any different from the other vast marshes stretching across Georgia's coastal islands. Elongated white herons call to one another over the endless plain of reeds and mosquito infested marsh grasses. Fiddler crabs scurry across the sands. Unseen creatures plop into the black waters.
But when night falls, it is said that one can hear a different sound entirely. Swamps are known to make strange sounds at night. But if you listen closely, you may hear what sounds like the faint rattling of chains drifting across the marsh, followed by an eerie chant:
'The water brought us; the water will take us away.'"
The Igbo(Ibo) community worldwide invite you to join it in St. Simons Island in Georgia, USA, on the 30th and 31st of August, 2002. These dates will mark the sanctification of the first “Ibo Landing” site in the New World. Ibo Landing sites are locations where some Igbo slaves on disembarking from slave ships following their arrival in the U.S., plunged into the seas rather than face a life of slavery. Igbo culture mandates that we accord proper respects to the spirits of these and other courageous departed ancestors so that their souls will finally get the peaceful repose they need and without which good harmony between the living and the dead, as Igbo philosophy goes, does not exist. The ceremony will also cement and celebrate the cultural continuity between Igbo and our brothers and sisters all across the world, including those in America, Jamaica, Haiti, …
Spiritual Leaders who will officiate in this rite of cleansing include:
· Representatives of Eze Nri, High Priest and ultimate spiritual Leader in Igbo Land. Eze Nri is a critical Igbo institution that goes back thousands of years. Eze Nri has to be represented by representatives because, as Igbo custom has it, this spiritual leader never travels out of Igbo Land.
· An African American Rabbi, signifying Igbo Hebrew heritage.
· Christian priests and or/pastors, signifying the numerous Christian denominations in Igbo Land.
· The High Priest of the Godian religion, a religious faith based on Igbo and African way of life.
For more information:
Contact: Ekwe Nche Organization.
P. O. Box 408250
Chicago, IL 60640
E-mail: ekwenche@hotmail.com
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