Seas of Struggle: African Heritage Month launches in Nova Scotia

A poster for African Heritage Month 2023 is pictured. (Source: Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia)

The theme of this year’s African Heritage Month in Nova Scotia commemorates the struggles people of African descent faced from the shores of Africa to the shores of Nova Scotia.

Russel Grosse, executive director of the Black Cultural Centre of Nova Scotia, says this year’s poster design plays homage to the long-standing history people of African descent had in the development of Canada and the role seafaring played in it.

“We think of the legacy of translator Mathieu Da Costa or shipbuilder and naval hero able-seaman William Hall,” said Grosse in a video announcing this year’s African Heritage Month theme, released by the province Monday.

“But yet, there is much more to discover and understand, such as the role seafaring played in supporting the outmigration of Blacks from Nova Scotia to Sierra Leone, transportation of the No. 2 Construction Battalion overseas, or remarkable seafaring contributions to our Maritime fisheries, fish processing, shipbuilding and naval service from past to present.”

The lone ship seen in the poster’s foreground speaks to the struggle of Black people, said Grosse, while the ships in the distant shadows remind us of our long-standing heritage and the future we have before us.

“The poster also illustrates the struggle and adversity that was overcome and examines the negative effects of slavery and the successes of seafaring in the African Nova Scotian community,” said Grosse, in the video.

Arthur J. LeBlanc, lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia, says for hundreds of years, African Nova Scotia communities have played a key role in the development of the province and Canada as a whole.

“One anchoring characteristic has remained constant: our relationship to the Atlantic Ocean,” said LeBlanc.

“The sea plays a vital role in the history of people of African descent, particularity as they travelled from the shores of Africa to the shores of Nova Scotia.”

He says these journeys influenced the formation of Nova Scotia’s collective identity and hold stories that should be remembered and told for generations to come.

“We also acknowledge that people of African descent experience and continue to face racism and inequalities,” said LeBlanc.

“While there is work left to be done, we recommit to learning from past failures, and upholding the values of inclusion over discrimination and diversity over intolerance.”

For his part in Monday’s announcement, Premier Tim Houston read a proclamation naming February as African Heritage Month in Nova Scotia.

“Our province is proud to recognize the contributions, culture and history of African Nova Scotians and people of African descent,” said Houston. “We must remember that this is our shared Nova Scotia history.”

“Diversity, inclusion and equity are fundamental to our collective growth and prosperity. We are committed to working with all Nova Scotians to build a stronger, more prosperous province. Learning from the past and acknowledging the present will help us move forward for a better future.”

Gordon Earle, the first Black member of parliament elected in Nova Scotia, says African Heritage Month is important, but is something that should be thought of all year round.

“When it comes to dealing with matters of racism, I think sometimes people feel powerless to do anything about it,” said Earle.

“But one of the greatest powers that we have, and we need to use more often, is the power of love. Because this is a power everyone can put forward in the struggle.”

While serving as a member of parliament, Earle met former South African President Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned for 27 years by the apartheid government for his activism before being elected.

“I saw this magnificent man standing there in front of me. It was just like it was him and I, everything else disappeared in the background,” said Earle.

“It just made me feel so grateful. And when he shook my hand, I could feel the power in the handshake, it was powerful and loving.”

“For me, Nelson Mandela emphasized that power of love and what it can do when the odds seem impossible.”

For more information on African Heritage Month 2023 and its theme “Seas of Struggle - African Peoples from Shore to Shore” visit the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia's website.