Human Interest, Photojournalism Gallery > Kalaupapa
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Exiles
in Paradise
Kalaupapa
(Hawaii) Exhibit
Opens
at Molokai Museum and Cultural Center
Robin
F. Pendergrast, Prairie Grove, Ill., presents a 33-piece, limited-edition
photographic exhibit honoring those victims of Hansen's disease (leprosy) who
were persecuted and exiled to the tropical paradise of Kalaupapa on the island
of Molokai, Hawaii over a 130-year period.
The
color and black-and-white photographs of the 'Exiles in Paradise' exhibit opened
on December 28, 2002 and will be on permanent display at the Molokai Museum and
Cultural Center in Luaii, Molokai, Hawaii.
The
'Exiles in Paradise' collection depicts the serenity of Kalaupapa and reflects
on more than just the exotic scenery.
The photographs depict a journey of valiant people through an artful and
sympathetic lens. The exhibit
results from 15 missions that Pendergrast has made to Kalaupapa from 1981 to
2002.
Enforced
physical isolation
The
collection reflects centuries of painful human experience juxtaposed on an
island of beauty. From 1866 to
1969, more than 6,000 leprosy patients from many countries throughout the world
were exiled to Hawaii. This
compulsory segregation forced thousands of men, women and children to the lush
island of Molokai�isolated from the Kalaupapa peninsula by 1600-foot
cliffs.
Father
Damien, a Belgian priest, was a great advocate for leprosy patients and served
them from 1873 until 1889. He
helped to tell the world about the settlement and the social and physical
banishment of its people.
In
a modern-day example, today's AIDS patients mirror the stigmatization and
victimization of yesterday's leper colonies. Grouped with American-Indian
reservations and WWII Japanese-American internees, the sufferers of Hansen's
disease on Molokai represent a population tragically separated from
society.
Today,
the beautiful country and peninsula on the north coast of Molokai are lined with
thousands of graves and form part of the National Park Service. Seventeen patients still live in the
colony.
A
book that will present more photographic images and the Kalaupapa story is
scheduled for publication.
Related
Articles
For additional information please contact Robin F. Pendergrast.
This
breathtaking, full-color 20'x24' Kalaupapa photographic montage poster is
available for $50 unsigned or $100 signed by the artist.
Order
Now!
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