The Chacachacare Leprosarium is now isolated and derelict. It is a neglected place. It is a place of death and a place of beauty, a place governed by a haunting silence but rich in the history of service and sacrifice.
On the island of Chacachacare which borders the Boca Grande of the north-west coast of Trinidad, our social history stands naked, amidst the ruins of an abandoned leprosarium and the graveyard of the nuns who once served that leper colony.
The Chacachacare Leprosarium is now isolated and derelict. It is a neglected place. It is a place of death and a place of beauty, a place governed by a haunting silence but rich in the history of service and sacrifice. The outside world remains unaware of its mysteries and its secrets, including the knowledge of the happy marriage that occurred there between the sacred and the secular.
This documentary travels rapidly through time to explore how the religious missionaries,aided by the colonial government served the lepers of Trinidad & Tobago 1926-1955. Utilizing a braided time scheme that entwines the past and the present, this documentary blends historical photographs and newspaper articles with illustrations, video footage and still photography to reveal the complex social history, which is part of our cultural heritage.
On the island of Chacachacare which borders the Boca Grande of the north-west coast of Trinidad, our social history stands naked, amidst the ruins of an abandoned leprosarium and the graveyard of the nuns who once served that leper colony.
The Chacachacare Leprosarium is now isolated and derelict. It is a neglected place. It is a place of death and a place of beauty, a place governed by a haunting silence but rich in the history of service and sacrifice. The outside world remains unaware of its mysteries and its secrets, including the knowledge of the happy marriage that occurred there between the sacred and the secular.
This documentary travels rapidly through time to explore how the religious missionaries,aided by the colonial government served the lepers of Trinidad & Tobago 1926-1955. Utilizing a braided time scheme that entwines the past and the present, this documentary blends historical photographs and newspaper articles with illustrations, video footage and still photography to reveal the complex social history, which is part of our cultural heritage.
