Africville, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
Africville was a small community located on the southern shore of Bedford Basin
, in the city of Halifax
, Nova Scotia
, Canada
. During the 20th century, the City of Halifax began to encroach on the southern shores of Bedford Basin, and the community was eventually included as part of the city through municipal amalgamation. Africville was populated almost entirely by African Nova Scotians from a wide selection of origins. The community and its dwellings were ordered destroyed, and residents evicted during the late 1960s in advance of the opening of the nearby A. Murray MacKay Bridge
, related highway construction and the Port of Halifax development at Fairview Cove to the west. The community has since become an important symbol of African Nova Scotia identity and the struggle against racism
.
, it all began with a promise to Black Loyalists and War of 1812 Refugees
of free land and equal rights. In 1836, Campbell Road was constructed creating an access route along the north side of the Halifax Peninsula
which may have attracted settlement. The community of Africville was never officially established, but the first land transaction documented on paper was dated 1848. First known as "The Campbell Road Settlement", the community became known as "Africville" about 1900. Many thought it was named Africville because the people who located came from Africa, although this was not the case. One elderly women, a resident of Africville, was quoted saying, "it wasn't Africville out there. None of the people came from Africa...it was part of Richmond (Northern Halifax), just the part where the colour folks lived."
Africville began as a small and poor, but self-sufficient rural community of about 50 people in the 19th century; however, an influx of population and the imposition of industries and facilities starting in World War I
led the community to evolve to a more crowded and neglected urban neighbourhood whose population peaked at 400 at the time of the explosion. The community's haphazardly positioned dwellings ranged from small well-maintained and brightly-painted homes to tiny ramshackle dwellings converted from sheds.
In the late 1850s, the Nova Scotia Railway
, later to become the Intercolonial Railway was built from Richmond to the south, bisecting Africville as the railway's mainline along the western shores of Bedford Basin. A second line arrived in 1906 with the arrival of the Halifax and Southwestern Railway
which connected to the Intercolonial at Africville. The Intercolonial Railway, later Canadian National Railways, constructed Basin Yard west of the community, adding more tracks. Trains ran through the area constantly.
In the Halifax Explosion
of 1917, elevated land to the south protected Africville from the direct blast and complete destruction which levelled the neighbouring community of Richmond
. However the community did suffer considerable damage. A doctor of a relief train arriving at Halifax made note of Africville residents "as they wandered disconsolately around the ruins of their still standing little homes". Four Africville residents (and one Mi'kmaq woman visiting from Queens County, Nova Scotia) were killed in the community. In the aftermath of the disaster, Africville received modest relief assistance but none of the reconstruction and none of the modernization which was invested into other parts of the city after the explosion.
Opportunities were not only lacking in employment, but education was always a problem in the community. In 1883 they received their first elementary school, but were fully responsible for its funding. It was a poor community, so up until 1933 none of the teachers had obtained formal training. However, even with the school, only 40 percent of boys and girls received an education up to grade 6 or less, and only 60 children reached grade 7 and 8, while only four boys and one girl reached grade 10, out of the 140 children ever registered.
To understand Africville, "you got to know about the church" The Seaview African United Baptist Church was established at Africville in 1849 and joined up with other black Baptist Congregations to make the African Baptist Association in 1854. Their social life revolved around the church. Baptisms, weddings and funerals brought a sense of community for the people. Many other black communities would choose Africville as their location of choice for Sunday picnics and events. Everything was done through the church, "clubs, youth organizations, ladies' auxiliary and Bible classes". The church was the centre of their unity and stability for so long. It showed the life and heart of the town.
Throughout its history, Africville was confronted with much racial isolation. The town never received proper roads, health services, water, street lamps or electricity. Simple things all towns received, they did not. The continuing issues and protests for water and sewage, clearly show the relationship between the city of Halifax and the Africvillians. The lack of these services had serious health implications for the lives of the people, and the city's concerns for them was as existent as these facilities they demanded. Contamination of the wells was a serious and ongoing issues, so even the little water they did receive needed to be boiled before use. As the City of Halifax expanded, Africville became a preferred site for all types of undesirable industries and facilities—prison in 1853, a slaughterhouse, even a depository for fecal waste, from nearby Russellville. In 1958 the city decided to move the town garbage dump to the Africville area. While the residents knew they couldn't legally fight this, they illegally salvaged the dump for usable goods. They would get clothes, copper, steel, brass, tin..etc. The dump was the final pin in labelling this area an official slum. In 1870 Africville also received an infectious disease hospital.
The actual relocation took place mainly between 1964 and 1967. The residents were assisted in their move by Halifax literally moving the Africvillians with the city dump trucks. This image forever stuck in the minds and hearts of people and clearly indicated the degrading style in which these people were treated before, during and after the move. There were many hardships, suspicion and jealousy that emerged, mostly due to complications of land and ownership claims. Only 14 residents held clear legal titles to their land. Those with no legal rights were given a $500 payment and promised a furniture allowance, social assistance, and public housing units. Young families would make enough money to begin a new life, but most of the elderly residents would not budge as they had much more of an emotional connection to their homes. They were filled with grief and felt cheated out of their property. However resistance to eviction became harder as more people accepted and homes disappeared. The city quickly demolished each house as soon as soon as residences moved out. The church at Africville was demolished in 1969 at night to avoid controversy. The last Africville home was demolished on January 2, 1970.
After relocation, Africvillians were faced with just as many problems as before. The cost of living went up in their new homes, more people were unemployed and without regular incomes, none of the promised employment or education programs promised were was up, and none of the promises was granted as "benefits were so modest as to be virtually irrelevant...within a year and a half this post-relocation program lay in ruins." Family strains and debt forced many to rely on public assistance, and anxiety was high among the people. One of the biggest complaints was that "they feel no sense of ownership or pride in the sterile public housing projects."
; however, the port development at Fairview Cove did not extend as far east as Africville, leaving the waterfront intact. In light of the controversy surrounding the community, the city of Halifax created Seaview Memorial Park on the site in the 1980s, preserving it from development. Former Africville residents have carried out periodic protests at the park throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The Hermit of Africville, a 2010 book released by Pottersfield Press in Halifax, detailed Africville resident Eddie Carvery
's 40-year protest on the grounds of Africville.
In May 2005, New Democratic Party of Nova Scotia MLA
Maureen MacDonald
introduced a bill in the provincial legislature called the Africville Act. The bill calls for a formal apology from the Nova Scotia government, a series of public hearings on the destruction of Africville, and the establishment of a development fund to go towards historical preservation of Africville lands and social development in benefit of former residents and their descendants. Halifax mayor Peter Kelly has offered land, some money and various other services for a replica of the Seaview African United Baptist
Church. After the offer was originally made in 2002, the Africville Genealogy Society requested some alterations to the Halifax offer, including additional land and the possibility of building affordable housing
near the site. The Africville site has been declared a national historic site in 2002. In February 2010 Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly apologized for the eviction as part of a $4.5-million compensation deal. The City restored the name Africville to Seaview Park at the annual Africville Family Reunion on July 29, 2011. The Seaview African United Baptist Church, demolished in 1969, was rebuilt in the summer of 2011 to serve as a church and interpretation centre. The nearly-complete church was ceromonialy opened on September 25, 2011.
released an album
in 1986 called Africville.
In 1989, a historic exhibit about Africville toured across Canada and evolved into a permanent exhibit on display at Nova Scotia's Black Cultural Centre
in Preston, Nova Scotia
.
In 1991, the National Film Board of Canada
released the documentary film Remember Africville, which received the Moonsnail Award for best documentary at the Atlantic Film Festival
.
Montreal-born jazz pianist Joe Sealy
released a CD of original music, Africville Suite, in 1996. It won a Juno Award
in 1997. It includes twelve pieces reflecting on places and activities in Africville, where Sealy's father was born. Sealy was working and living in Halifax during the time of the destruction of the community, and began the suite in memory of his father.
Canadian jazz pianist Trevor Mackenzie released the album Ain't No Thing Like a Chicken Wing in 1997 as a tribute to the neighbourhood where his father grew up.
In 1998, Eastern Front Theatre produced a play by George Boyd, Consecrated Ground, which fictitiously chronicled the Africville eviction. The story of Africville is also a significant influence on the work of George Elliott Clarke
.
In 2006, Dundum Press published Last Days in Africville (by Dorothy Perkyns), a fictional account of life for a young Africville girl at the time of its destruction.
In 2007, the Newfoundland metal/hardcore band Bucket Truck released a video for their song "A Nourishment by Neglect", which details the events surrounding the destruction of the Africville community.
Also in 2007, Heritage Canada began funding an independently produced documentary "Stolen From Africville" http://stolenfromafricville.com, written and directed by well known Canadian activist and performer Neil Donaldson and Sourav Deb(http://stolenfromafrica.com). Scheduled for a summer 2008 release, the film follows the lives of those displaced from the Africville community over the course of a year.
Additionally, in 2007, Canadian hip hop
group Black Union released a song featuring Maestro
about the historic community of Africville. The music video was recorded in Seaview Park. The video has over 50,000 views on YouTube
.
On June 15, 2009, the Rev. Jesse Jackson was presented with the book about Africville, at the Nova Scotia Alliance of Black School Educators. Irvine Carvery, president of the Africville Genealogy Society, made the presentation in his capacity as chair of the Halifax Regional School Board
.
On February 23, 2010 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
reported that the "Halifax Council ratifies Africville apology" and that the Government of Canada will establish a $250,000 Africville Heritage Trust to design a museum and build a replica of the community church.
Bedford Basin
Bedford Basin is a large enclosed bay, forming the northwestern end of Halifax Harbour on Canada's Atlantic coast.-Geography:Geographically, the basin is situated entirely within the Halifax Regional Municipality and is oriented northwest-southeast, measuring approximately 8 kilometres long and 5...
, in the city of Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. During the 20th century, the City of Halifax began to encroach on the southern shores of Bedford Basin, and the community was eventually included as part of the city through municipal amalgamation. Africville was populated almost entirely by African Nova Scotians from a wide selection of origins. The community and its dwellings were ordered destroyed, and residents evicted during the late 1960s in advance of the opening of the nearby A. Murray MacKay Bridge
A. Murray MacKay Bridge
The A. Murray MacKay Bridge locally known as "the new bridge" is the second suspension bridge linking the Halifax Peninsula with Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and opened on July 10, 1970....
, related highway construction and the Port of Halifax development at Fairview Cove to the west. The community has since become an important symbol of African Nova Scotia identity and the struggle against racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
.
History
Settled in earnest sometime after the War of 1812War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, it all began with a promise to Black Loyalists and War of 1812 Refugees
Black Refugee (War of 1812)
The Black Refugees from the War of 1812 were African American slaves who fought for the British and were relocated to Nova Scotia. The Black Refugees were the second group of African Americans, after the Black Loyalists, to flee American enslavement in wartime and be relocated to Canada...
of free land and equal rights. In 1836, Campbell Road was constructed creating an access route along the north side of the Halifax Peninsula
Halifax Peninsula
The Halifax Peninsula is a community and planning area located in the urban core of Halifax Regional Municipality in the province of Nova Scotia. Halifax Peninsula is home to Downtown Halifax, the financial and economic heart of the region, which was also the site of the original settlement and...
which may have attracted settlement. The community of Africville was never officially established, but the first land transaction documented on paper was dated 1848. First known as "The Campbell Road Settlement", the community became known as "Africville" about 1900. Many thought it was named Africville because the people who located came from Africa, although this was not the case. One elderly women, a resident of Africville, was quoted saying, "it wasn't Africville out there. None of the people came from Africa...it was part of Richmond (Northern Halifax), just the part where the colour folks lived."
Africville began as a small and poor, but self-sufficient rural community of about 50 people in the 19th century; however, an influx of population and the imposition of industries and facilities starting in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
led the community to evolve to a more crowded and neglected urban neighbourhood whose population peaked at 400 at the time of the explosion. The community's haphazardly positioned dwellings ranged from small well-maintained and brightly-painted homes to tiny ramshackle dwellings converted from sheds.
In the late 1850s, the Nova Scotia Railway
Nova Scotia Railway
The Nova Scotia Railway is a historic Canadian railway. It was composed of two lines, one connecting Richmond with Windsor, the other connecting Richmond with Pictou via Truro....
, later to become the Intercolonial Railway was built from Richmond to the south, bisecting Africville as the railway's mainline along the western shores of Bedford Basin. A second line arrived in 1906 with the arrival of the Halifax and Southwestern Railway
Halifax and Southwestern Railway
The Halifax and Southwestern Railway was a historic Canadian railway operating in the province of Nova Scotia. The H&SW was created in spring 1901 when William Mackenzie and Donald Mann approached the provincial government with plans to finish the abortive plans for a railway from Halifax to...
which connected to the Intercolonial at Africville. The Intercolonial Railway, later Canadian National Railways, constructed Basin Yard west of the community, adding more tracks. Trains ran through the area constantly.
In the Halifax Explosion
Halifax Explosion
The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the huge detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, which accidentally collided with the Norwegian SS Imo in "The Narrows"...
of 1917, elevated land to the south protected Africville from the direct blast and complete destruction which levelled the neighbouring community of Richmond
Richmond, Nova Scotia
Richmond is a Canadian urban neighbourhood comprising part of the North End of the Halifax Peninsula in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality....
. However the community did suffer considerable damage. A doctor of a relief train arriving at Halifax made note of Africville residents "as they wandered disconsolately around the ruins of their still standing little homes". Four Africville residents (and one Mi'kmaq woman visiting from Queens County, Nova Scotia) were killed in the community. In the aftermath of the disaster, Africville received modest relief assistance but none of the reconstruction and none of the modernization which was invested into other parts of the city after the explosion.
Daily life
Economically, the first two generations were not prosperous. Jobs were scarce and racism held them down. Many men found employment in low paying jobs, many worked as seamen, Pullman porters, would clean and work on train cars. Only 35 percent of labourers had regular employment, and 65 percent of the people worked as domestic servants. They had limited opportunities. Women were also hired as cooks, to clean the hospital or prison, and some elderly women were hired to clean upper class houses.Opportunities were not only lacking in employment, but education was always a problem in the community. In 1883 they received their first elementary school, but were fully responsible for its funding. It was a poor community, so up until 1933 none of the teachers had obtained formal training. However, even with the school, only 40 percent of boys and girls received an education up to grade 6 or less, and only 60 children reached grade 7 and 8, while only four boys and one girl reached grade 10, out of the 140 children ever registered.
To understand Africville, "you got to know about the church" The Seaview African United Baptist Church was established at Africville in 1849 and joined up with other black Baptist Congregations to make the African Baptist Association in 1854. Their social life revolved around the church. Baptisms, weddings and funerals brought a sense of community for the people. Many other black communities would choose Africville as their location of choice for Sunday picnics and events. Everything was done through the church, "clubs, youth organizations, ladies' auxiliary and Bible classes". The church was the centre of their unity and stability for so long. It showed the life and heart of the town.
Throughout its history, Africville was confronted with much racial isolation. The town never received proper roads, health services, water, street lamps or electricity. Simple things all towns received, they did not. The continuing issues and protests for water and sewage, clearly show the relationship between the city of Halifax and the Africvillians. The lack of these services had serious health implications for the lives of the people, and the city's concerns for them was as existent as these facilities they demanded. Contamination of the wells was a serious and ongoing issues, so even the little water they did receive needed to be boiled before use. As the City of Halifax expanded, Africville became a preferred site for all types of undesirable industries and facilities—prison in 1853, a slaughterhouse, even a depository for fecal waste, from nearby Russellville. In 1958 the city decided to move the town garbage dump to the Africville area. While the residents knew they couldn't legally fight this, they illegally salvaged the dump for usable goods. They would get clothes, copper, steel, brass, tin..etc. The dump was the final pin in labelling this area an official slum. In 1870 Africville also received an infectious disease hospital.
Eviction
During the 1940s and 1950s in different parts of Canada, the federal, provincial and municipal governments were working together to take communities labelled slums and relocate the people to better housing. The intent was to use the land for business and industry. Many years prior to this, and again in 1947, after a major fire burnt several Africville houses, the topic of relocation of Africville had been discussed. Concrete plans of relocation did not officially emerge until 1961. Stimulated by the Stephenson Report of 1957 and the creation of the City's Department of Development in 1961, the topic of relocation finally became a reality. In 1962 Halifax adopted the relocation proposal unanimously, and the Rose Report, published in 1964, was passed 37/41 in favour of relocation. The Rose report finalized everything. It promised free lawyers and social workers, job training, employment assistance, education services, etc. The report never went into details or analyzed how the lives of residents would be in their new homes but was insistent that their best interests were at heart.The actual relocation took place mainly between 1964 and 1967. The residents were assisted in their move by Halifax literally moving the Africvillians with the city dump trucks. This image forever stuck in the minds and hearts of people and clearly indicated the degrading style in which these people were treated before, during and after the move. There were many hardships, suspicion and jealousy that emerged, mostly due to complications of land and ownership claims. Only 14 residents held clear legal titles to their land. Those with no legal rights were given a $500 payment and promised a furniture allowance, social assistance, and public housing units. Young families would make enough money to begin a new life, but most of the elderly residents would not budge as they had much more of an emotional connection to their homes. They were filled with grief and felt cheated out of their property. However resistance to eviction became harder as more people accepted and homes disappeared. The city quickly demolished each house as soon as soon as residences moved out. The church at Africville was demolished in 1969 at night to avoid controversy. The last Africville home was demolished on January 2, 1970.
After relocation, Africvillians were faced with just as many problems as before. The cost of living went up in their new homes, more people were unemployed and without regular incomes, none of the promised employment or education programs promised were was up, and none of the promises was granted as "benefits were so modest as to be virtually irrelevant...within a year and a half this post-relocation program lay in ruins." Family strains and debt forced many to rely on public assistance, and anxiety was high among the people. One of the biggest complaints was that "they feel no sense of ownership or pride in the sterile public housing projects."
Post eviction history
Part of Africville is now occupied by a highway interchange that services the A. Murray MacKay BridgeA. Murray MacKay Bridge
The A. Murray MacKay Bridge locally known as "the new bridge" is the second suspension bridge linking the Halifax Peninsula with Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and opened on July 10, 1970....
; however, the port development at Fairview Cove did not extend as far east as Africville, leaving the waterfront intact. In light of the controversy surrounding the community, the city of Halifax created Seaview Memorial Park on the site in the 1980s, preserving it from development. Former Africville residents have carried out periodic protests at the park throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The Hermit of Africville, a 2010 book released by Pottersfield Press in Halifax, detailed Africville resident Eddie Carvery
Eddie Carvery
Eddie Carvery is a political protester from Africville, Nova Scotia. The mainly black community in Halifax was destroyed by the city in the 1960s as an "urban renewal" project....
's 40-year protest on the grounds of Africville.
In May 2005, New Democratic Party of Nova Scotia MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
Maureen MacDonald
Maureen MacDonald
Maureen MacDonald is a Canadian politician and member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, representing the riding of Halifax Needham for the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party. She was first elected in the 1998 election, and was re-elected in 1999, 2003, 2006 and 2009...
introduced a bill in the provincial legislature called the Africville Act. The bill calls for a formal apology from the Nova Scotia government, a series of public hearings on the destruction of Africville, and the establishment of a development fund to go towards historical preservation of Africville lands and social development in benefit of former residents and their descendants. Halifax mayor Peter Kelly has offered land, some money and various other services for a replica of the Seaview African United Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church. After the offer was originally made in 2002, the Africville Genealogy Society requested some alterations to the Halifax offer, including additional land and the possibility of building affordable housing
Affordable housing
Affordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed "affordable" to those that have a median income. Although the term is often applied to rental housing that is within the financial means of those in the lower income ranges of a geographical area, the...
near the site. The Africville site has been declared a national historic site in 2002. In February 2010 Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly apologized for the eviction as part of a $4.5-million compensation deal. The City restored the name Africville to Seaview Park at the annual Africville Family Reunion on July 29, 2011. The Seaview African United Baptist Church, demolished in 1969, was rebuilt in the summer of 2011 to serve as a church and interpretation centre. The nearly-complete church was ceromonialy opened on September 25, 2011.
Tributes and related media
African Canadian singer songwriter Faith NolanFaith Nolan
Faith Nolan is a Canadian social activist folk and jazz singer-songwriter and guitarist of mixed African, Mi'kmaq and Irish heritage...
released an album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
in 1986 called Africville.
In 1989, a historic exhibit about Africville toured across Canada and evolved into a permanent exhibit on display at Nova Scotia's Black Cultural Centre
Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia
The Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia is located in Cherrybrook, Nova Scotia near Halifax. The Centre serves as a museum and a library resource center for the African Nova Scotian community and the Black Canadian community as a whole. The organization of the Black Cultural Society was...
in Preston, Nova Scotia
Preston, Nova Scotia
Preston is an area in central Nova Scotia, Canada in the Halifax Regional Municipality, located on Trunk 7. The population in 2006 was 2,360 including East Preston and North Preston....
.
In 1991, the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
released the documentary film Remember Africville, which received the Moonsnail Award for best documentary at the Atlantic Film Festival
Atlantic Film Festival
The Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
.
Montreal-born jazz pianist Joe Sealy
Joe Sealy
Joseph Arthur "Joe" Sealy is a Canadian jazz musician. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2010.-Awards:* Juno Awards of 1982 - Nominee for Best Jazz Album - Clear Vision...
released a CD of original music, Africville Suite, in 1996. It won a Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
in 1997. It includes twelve pieces reflecting on places and activities in Africville, where Sealy's father was born. Sealy was working and living in Halifax during the time of the destruction of the community, and began the suite in memory of his father.
Canadian jazz pianist Trevor Mackenzie released the album Ain't No Thing Like a Chicken Wing in 1997 as a tribute to the neighbourhood where his father grew up.
In 1998, Eastern Front Theatre produced a play by George Boyd, Consecrated Ground, which fictitiously chronicled the Africville eviction. The story of Africville is also a significant influence on the work of George Elliott Clarke
George Elliott Clarke
George Elliott Clarke, OC is a Canadian poet and playwright. His work largely explores and chronicles the experience and history of the Black Canadian community of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, creating a cultural geography that Clarke refers to as "Africadia".-Life:Born to William and Geraldine...
.
In 2006, Dundum Press published Last Days in Africville (by Dorothy Perkyns), a fictional account of life for a young Africville girl at the time of its destruction.
In 2007, the Newfoundland metal/hardcore band Bucket Truck released a video for their song "A Nourishment by Neglect", which details the events surrounding the destruction of the Africville community.
Also in 2007, Heritage Canada began funding an independently produced documentary "Stolen From Africville" http://stolenfromafricville.com, written and directed by well known Canadian activist and performer Neil Donaldson and Sourav Deb(http://stolenfromafrica.com). Scheduled for a summer 2008 release, the film follows the lives of those displaced from the Africville community over the course of a year.
Additionally, in 2007, Canadian hip hop
Canadian hip hop
The Canadian hip hop scene was first established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much more slowly than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained largely an underground phenomenon until the...
group Black Union released a song featuring Maestro
Maestro (rapper)
Wesley Williams , better known as Maestro and formerly Maestro Fresh-Wes, is a Canadian rapper, record producer, and actor. His pioneering status and outstanding achievements have led to him being referred to as the "Godfather of Canadian hip hop".In 1989 he became the first Canadian rapper to have...
about the historic community of Africville. The music video was recorded in Seaview Park. The video has over 50,000 views on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
On June 15, 2009, the Rev. Jesse Jackson was presented with the book about Africville, at the Nova Scotia Alliance of Black School Educators. Irvine Carvery, president of the Africville Genealogy Society, made the presentation in his capacity as chair of the Halifax Regional School Board
Halifax Regional School Board
The Halifax Regional School Board is the public school board responsible for 137 elementary, junior high, and high schools located within the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. The current Superintendent of the HRSB is Carole Olsen, who has held the position since 2002...
.
On February 23, 2010 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
reported that the "Halifax Council ratifies Africville apology" and that the Government of Canada will establish a $250,000 Africville Heritage Trust to design a museum and build a replica of the community church.
See also
- Jennifer Rosanne StatesJennifer Rosanne StatesJennifer Rosanne States was a black Canadian child who died at age three in September 1968 and made national headlines when she was refused burial in an all-white cemetery....
, another important Nova Scotia discrimination case from the era
External links
- Africville: The Spirit Lives On - The Africville Genealogy
- CBC Digital Archives - Africville: Expropriating Nova Scotia's blacks
- Gone but Never Forgotten: Bob Brooks' Photographic Portrait of Africville in the 1960s at Nova Scotia Archives & Records Management
- STOLEN FROM AFRICVILLE: Broken Homes, Broken Hearts, a documentary on the lives and history of those who lived in the Africville settlement
- Documentary on the History of Africville
- TheCyberKrib.com Interview by Neil Acharya with author Stephen Kimber about the novel Reparations: A Story of Africville
- Watch Remember Africville at NFB,ca
- Eddie Carvery, Africville and the Longest Civil Rights Protest in Canadian History