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AfroCubaWeb
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Ivanoa Ivonnet, the granddaughter of
Pedro Ivonnet
October, 2013
Pedro Ivonnet was one of the founders of the
Independent Party of Color,
the first black political party in the Americas outside Haiti, a party
with a modern, progressive platform. He and thousands of party members were massacred by the Republic of Cuba
and its army in 1912.
Ivanoa Ivonnet is the granddaughter of Pedro Ivonnet and is interviewed in
Gloria Rolando's film,
Breaking the Silence, Chapter 2.
The Santiago home of Ivanoa Ivonnet was damaged by Hurricane Sandy --
her dining room caved in. As mentioned in the letter below, AfroCubaWeb
provided resources through anonymous donors in conjunction with the
Caribbean American Children's Foundation to help her recover from this
event.
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Homage to Pedro Ivonnet, 7/13/2016
On July 13, General Ivonnet's birthday, the Ivonnet family held a
commemorative event at the Santa Efigenia cemetery in Santiago de Cuba for Pedro
Ivonnet. They prepared a power point presentation and sent it to AfroCubaWeb for
distribution. We converted it to a PDF file, which you can download and view:
Homenaje a Pedro Ivonnet.
Ivanoa Ivonnet, now with grey hair, can be seen in a white shirt with black
enlaced design. The event was publicized, but no press attended.
Caribbean American Children Foundation Letter
concerning Ivanoa Ivonnet and her grandfather Pedro Ivonnet, 4/9/2016
Caribbean American Children Foundation
PO Box 353593, Palm Coast, Fl., 32135
(386) 446-4921 cacf2_AT_aol.com (_AT_=@)
Alberto N Jones DVM
President
April 9, 2016
To our members, friends and supporters,
It is with great pleasure and pride I wish to inform you that the courageous
work displayed by renowned Afro Cuban filmmaker Gloria Rolando, who with limited
financial and material support from a handful of friends, was able to document
the partially hidden, horrendous massacre of over 3000 blacks in Cuba in 1912 in
her masterful documentaries “Roots
of my Heart” and “Breaking
the Silence”. Many had hoped time would erase these memories.
Thanks to Aline Helg's epic
book, “Our Rightful Share” in 1995, Gloria Rolando was able to assemble a team
of volunteer historians, librarians, technicians and ordinary citizens across
Cuba, who opened their homes, fed and supported this monumental piece of
history.
Afrocubaweb.com played a pivotal role in sharing this transformative piece of
history with the world.
Ivanoa Ivonnet, the
surviving Granddaughter of General
Pedro Ivonnet,
founder and second in command of the Partido Independiente de Color (PIC) or
Independent Party of Color, who was murdered in Micara, Cuba, is seen crying in
the documentary, but never stopped fighting for justice denied and the
recognition her ancestor deserved.
Hurricane Sandy in 2012, partially destroyed her modest home in Santiago de
Cuba, but she continued her tireless struggle in 2013. No local, provincial or
national government, cultural or history leader in Cuba escaped her demand for
justice.
The epilogue of this difficult road to victory took place in the year 2013
during the commemoration of the Independent Party Of Color Martyrdom in the
Heredia Theater in Santiago de Cuba. At the end, Ivanoa raised her hand and with
tears in her eyes posed the question to those presiding this event “How was it
possible that a banquet celebrating this massacre could take place in front of
Jose Marti statue in Central Park in Havana?
Dr. Abel Prieto former Minister of Culture and now President Raul Castro
adviser, got up from his chair on the podium, comforted her and said, Justice
will be made. Shortly after, she learned that famous sculptor
Alberto Lescay from
Santiago de Cuba had volunteered to develop with Ivanoa the art piece that will
memorialize her Grandfather.
Rather than a monument in La Maya, site of one of his last battle, Ivanoa has
chosen a sculpture with a Cuban flag will one day fly on the family tomb in
Santa Efigenia cemetery in Santiago de Cuba.
Because Colonel or General Pedro Ivonnet (which is being reviewed in historical
documents) was a Cuban of Haitian descent, the French Alliance in Cuba has
offered to contribute financial support to erect this memorial.
Ivanoa expressed her gratitude to Aline Helg, Gloria Rolando for their works and
to those anonymous friends in the US, who through AfroCubaWeb gracefully
extended a helping hand to her family after hurricane Sandy ravished their home.
Just released: Gloria Rolando's documentary on the
1912 massacre of over 6,000 members of the Independents of Color, the
first black political party in the Americas outside Haiti -
1912, Breaking the
Silence, Chapters 1, 2 & 3 (1912, Voces para un silencio), in Spanish
with English subtitles. A major event in Cuban history, long passed
under silence. Ivanoa Ivonet is interviewed in Chapter 2 of this film.
1912 Massacre
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