Research For A New Play

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Dominic

Guest
I'm currently writing a play about The Second Coming of Christ--the main character is born a peasant in The Dominican Republic. I would appreciate any specific information about all aspects of Dominican life: Cultural, religious, slang terms, geography, etc.
 
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arcoiris

Guest
I am also researching for similar purposes. The info you ask for is best gotten at a library, and at sites which would give you more info than this site is designed to give. The Texas U. website that Dee posted is an excellent one, and the book JC recommended is an excellent one, if you check those posts. It sounds like a very interesting project. The DR would make an excellent setting for such a play. You might start with Columbus, himself, as he supposedly introduced Christianity to the DR, though the example he gave and the Church people in general was a misrepresentation of Christianity. You might also study Bartolome de las Casas, who became a priest and tried to defend the Indians, and Fr. Montesino, one of the early Dominicans. Santo Domingo is the name of the patron of the Dominican Order and of the country. The Catholic Church remains strong there, though changed much since Columbus' time - thank God. There also are groups that practice voodoo, santeria, brujeria, and Satanism.
 
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sean

Guest
You should also read about Liborio, an early twentieth century peasant from the San Juan de la Maguana area of the Dominican Republic who many rural Dominican farmers in the area still believe was a second coming of Christ. He ran a commune in a town called Maguana Arriba north of San Juan, but ran into trouble with the Americans when they occupied the country and was shot to death by them. A wild rumor swept the entire San Juan area immediately afterward that Liborio had risen from the dead, and the Americans quelled it by digging up his body driving it around the streets of San Juan in the back of a truck and displaying it in San Juan's Parque Central.

There's a great book called "Great Power of God in San Juan Valley" that is all about Liborio, but its published in Sweden and is expensive. You can order it through either amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com -- I forget which -- but it costs around $40 and takes a couple of months to get. It's worth it though -- a terrific book and there's little reliable information on Liborio available in book form elsewhere.
 
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Chris

Guest
That Texas site would be <A HREF="http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/cb/dr">http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/cb/dr</A> Don't forget the Pentecostal and Evangelical churches, and the Episcopalians active in the country. Padre Fantino is worth looking up. It would also be worth a couple of trips down with mission groups that work with the "peasant" community to get to know their lifestyles
 
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Dee DeMusis

Guest
Dominic--

It seems that this must be "in the air"...I love your idea!!! Arcoiris is right: starting with Columbus and De Las Casas are two of the best sources from which to begin. It's not exactly that "on these hand all the law and the prophets" but from the Discovery stemmed all the good and bad and indifferent that makesup our wonderful adopted country.

Keep us posted on your findings and your work!

Dee