ROOTS ACTOR JOHN AMOS PARTNERS WITH AMISTAD AMERCIA TO PRODUCE FILM PROJECTS

Amistad Atlantic Freedom Tour | Amistad Freedom Schooner | Departure from Halifax | Roots Actor John Amos | Amistad Calendar

Joint venture to cover Freedom Schooner Amistad’s 14,000 mile trans-Atlantic voyage

NEW HAVEN, CT—May 24, 2007   AMISTAD America, Inc. announced today the partnership with world renowned actor John Amos to develop film productions of the Freedom Schooner Amistad’s upcoming Atlantic Freedom Tour retracing the Atlantic Slave Trade Triangle.  The film products, including a serialized documentary, will follow the voyage narrative of the Amistad- The Vessel for Change-- and use the voyage as context for informing viewers about the infamous slave trade.  The new venture is to be called Amistad Voyages, LLC.[TBD]

“Including Roots, this is the most exciting project I have ever been involved with”, stated Amos who portrayed the adult Kunta Kinte in the mini-series that still ranks as the most popular ever released.  “Amistad Voyages bring the history and values of the Amistad into today’s world.  The ship, Amistad, represents social justice, collaboration, racial equality, freedom and human rights.  This story needs to be told in a way that everyone feels they own a part of the ship and her voyage.”

The Freedom Schooner Amistad will be departing its home port of New Haven on June 21st for its 2007-2008 Atlantic Freedom Tour.  This historic transatlantic voyage- an epic 18-month journey commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the United Kingdom and next year in the United States- will promote the values of resistance and unity represented by Amistad itself. The Freedom Schooner Amistad-- the Vessel for Change-- is a replica of the original ship that was commandeered by Africans who had been captured in 1839. 

AMISTAD America, Inc. Chairman William Minter observed “This collaboration matches two global icons embracing a shared mission: to tell the story of Amistad and its message of survival, strength and freedom.  Amistad could not have a better partner than John Amos who gives so much to the global community through his work and his Halley’s Comet Foundation”.

John Amos has a rich history of portraying pivotal characters in both television and film productions.  Currently co-starring with Anne Heche in ABC’S hit dramedy Men in Trees,  Amos is best known for his role as the adult Kunta Kinte  in the hit TV mini-series ROOTS, James Evans on the CBS hit sitcom Good Times, and as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace /Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on The West Wing. His celebrated film credits include Coming to America, Die Hard 2, Let’s Do It Again co-starring with Bill Cosby, Dr. Dolittle 3, and Men in Trees.  In addition to TV and Film success, Amos performs his critically acclaimed one man show HALLEYS COMET worldwide, with over 480 cities toured to date. Amos is the founder of the children’s nonprofit, THE HALLEYS COMET FOUNDATION, a unique children’s mentorship program using sailing as a tool for inspiring youth worldwide. See: www.thehalleyscometfoundation.org.

The Amistad Atlantic Freedom Tour will retrace the now infamous Atlantic Slave Trade Triangle.  From New Haven, the ship will go to Halifax, then on to the United Kingdom to participate in their observance of the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition Act. The vessel will be in Liverpool for the opening of the International Slavery Museum in conjunction with UNESCO’s Slavery Remembrance Day on August 23rd.  Amistad will then travel to Lisbon, the Canary Islands, and Dakar Senegal before arriving in Sierra Leone.

In December the Amistad will sail into the harbor of Freetown, Sierra Leone, the original West African homeland of many of the Amistad captives. This symbolic “homecoming” will be a capstone event of the Atlantic Freedom Tour.  Much of the mission of the current Amistad is to replenish what West Africa lost to the slave trade.  Amistad’s first Captain, circumnavigator Bill Pinkney, describes the effort as a way to recognize that “The slave trade took the best and the brightest from Africa and brought them to the Americas.  Their strength is evident in their ability to survive and contribute to what was then the New World.  We want to give back, in some measure, what they lost”.  When Amistad sails into Freetown, she will be bringing with her education equipment and supplies for a newly constructed elementary school in Freetown.

Education is a key element of the Atlantic Freedom Tour. A total of 50 students from countries around the Atlantic Basin will participate as Amistad student/crew during the voyage. Through live web casts and email correspondence to participating schools and museums across the globe, students aboard the ship will share their learning experiences with other students of all ages. The web casts and email are expected to connect several million students worldwide.  

The Amistad will return to the United States via the Caribbean and Bermuda in spring of 2008 and travel to multiple ports coming up the East Coast as the US commemorates the bicentenary of legislation to ban the importation of slaves.

Amistad America, Inc. is not-for-profit US based charity that promotes improved relations between races and cultures through educational programs and Amistad schooner port visits.