The Land of Peace Project ties the community of Carbondale and to the Land of Peace Art Village in the Volta Region of Ghana, exchanging resources, artistic development, cultural bridges and intrinsic joy while also addressing environmental challenges between both places.
“We are creating a cultural exchange where we can support each other in meaningful ways, whether through art, storytelling, environmental efforts or simply sharing wisdom,” co-founder Rochelle Norwood stated. “This is about more than charity. It’s about mutual learning and collaboration, a two-way street where we uplift each other.”
The project came about while Norwood was studying abroad in Ghana over 20 years ago. Initially studying sociology, Norwood deepened her passion for African dance. She came across a dance troupe, Africana Dance Ensemble, which later became her found-family. She also grew to care intimately about the area. Then, Norwood met Aziz Mohammed, a man dedicated to keeping the cultural legacy of Ghana alive. Together they founded the Land of Peace Project.
“We have beautiful, healthy and strong traditions in our culture, but at a certain point of time, we realized it was fading,” Mohammed told The Sopris Sun. “We have beautiful clothes that we make and wear ourselves, beautiful music, food and dancing. We try as much as possible to see how best we can bring it back.”
Norwood explained how this collaborative effort focuses on making sure only the best is provided to and from each community. This includes working with local and Ghanaian designers to create unique articles of clothing from sustainable materials, as well as developing programming in the Roaring Fork and Crystal River valleys — through a collaboration with Aspen Dance Connection and Bonedale Flashmob — wherein education events are brought to schools. Dance classes for adults at 13 Moons Ranch, which Mohammed often joins via video call to provide his guidance, also fortify a connection between these distant regions.
“This is just the beginning of a broader vision that invites older students, high school and college aged, to step into leadership through project-based and community-connected learning,” Norwood elaborated. “Dance is the universal language. Through it, we honor Ghana’s traditions, strengthen our local community and celebrate the rhythms of life together with that universal dance piece.”
Norwood also acknowledges how the myriad of local African drummers and dancers scattered throughout the valley have played a major part in making the project happen within the local community.
With the support of its fiscal sponsor, The Serious Type — a nonprofit founded by Nikki Beinstein — as well as The Redstone General Store and Visual Adventures, the Land of Peace Project has produced a film called “Collective Heart.” This 55-minute documentary created by filmmaker Jason Nelson follows Mohammed and Norwood around the Land of Peace Village as they share their visions and goals for spreading the mission of this project across the globe.
“The happiness and strength of character of the folks we worked with in Ghana are a regular reminder for me to keep my head in check and be thankful for this journey of life I am on,” Nelson said. “It’s so easy and sometimes celebrated to be miserable and jealous of others here in the USA. When I see how so many Africans can get by and succeed with so little, it’s a reminder to get up and go do my best every day.”
A screening of this film will take place on May 6 at the Crystal Theatre, followed by a panel discussion at Pollinator Chocolate where Nelson’s photography will be on display until early June.
For more information on The Land of Peace Project, visit www.theserioustype.org or follow this QR code to purchase tickets for the screening of “Collective Heart.”
