The One Million Bones project seeks to raise awareness of ongoing genocide and humanitarian crises in areas such as Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burma through the creation of one million handmade human bones. The bones are being fabricated using a variety of materials (clay, paper, plaster) by students, educators, and activists across the country, and will be part of a large-scale installation event on the National Mall in Washington D.C. June 8-10, 2013, where we expect over 4,000 volunteers to help lay down the bones for display. The installation provokes, recalling a mass grave and serving as a visual petition against ongoing atrocities. The bones symbolize the lives lost to these conflicts, those still fighting to survive them and also, more hopefully, our shared humanity and responsibility towards one another. In this spirit, each bone made generates a $1 donation from The Bezos Family Foundation, up to $500,000, towards CARE's relief work in the Congo and Somalia
Take a moment to watch these videos of the two 50,000 bones preview installations organized in both Albuquerque and New Orleans, as well as a talk by founder Naomi Natale at the 2012 Oslo Freedom Forum.
Albuquerque-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGUlB81MKOI
New Orleans-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S3UpNnCiUo&list=UUe2ntJZeXoCC3MvJbk34HiA&index=2
Oslo Freedom Forum-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbUJiKKWdsc
Join us on June 8 on the National Mall for the bone-laying ceremony and an afternoon program including international speakers, performers and testimonies. The 3-day event will also include educational workshops and an evening candlelight vigil on Sunday, June 9 and an opportunity to advocate on Capitol Hill with our partners at the Enough Project on Monday, June 10.
For a detailed schedule, see below and register to participate at www.onemillionbones.org!
(Remember: please dress in white for the installation event!)
Saturday, June 8, 2013:
9:00 am – 10:00 am – Volunteers arrive, dressed in white, and go through a brief orientation with their section leaders
10:00 am – 2:00 pm – The laying of the bones
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Meal break. Food trucks will be in the area.
4:00 pm – 6:30 pm – Speakers and performers at the National Mall, including Neema Namadamu, John Dau, Mukesh Kapila and local band Elikeh!
Sunday, June 9, 2013:
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm - Educational programming and workshops
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Candlelight Vigil featuring Carl Wilkins, Eva Kor, and John Prendergast
9:00 pm – 10:00 pm – Reflection
Monday, June 10, 2013:
8:00 am - 10:30 am - Advocacy orientation/training and kick-off led by the Enough Project
11:00 am – 4:00 pm – Congressional meetings on Capitol Hill during the Act Against Atrocities advocacy day, led by the Enough Project
2:00 pm – Begin the reclaiming of the bones
Pre-Installation Preparation:
Thursday June 6th and Friday June 7th:
ALL DAY: Beginning at 9:00 am on both Thursday and Friday, we will be preparing for the installation by bringing the bones from a local warehouse to the National Mall. We will need volunteers to help us unpack the bones and prepare them for the installation.
Post-Installation Preparation:
Tuesday June 11th and Wednesday, June 12th:
ALL DAY: Continue to reclaim the bones and prepare them for their final destination.
