Museum of Atlantic Celebrates African Heritage Month

Renowned cultural heritage expert John Franklin will speak at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic on Tuesday, Feb. 15, one of the highlights of the museum's slate of activities celebrating African Heritage Month in Nova Scotia.

Mr. Franklin is the director of Partnerships and International Programs at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C.

He has spoken and presented in countries from Bermuda to Senegal, and he will share his thoughts on preserving African culture and heritage in a talk called Perspectives on the Black Museum Movement on Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the Maritime Museum, 1675 Lower Water St., Halifax.

"I've had the privilege of hearing John Franklin speak, and he is a wealth of information on preserving and promoting African heritage," said African Nova Scotian Affairs Minister Percy Paris. "We're thrilled to have him here this month. We think he'll be a real asset to some of our own community groups who are developing sites and resources that tell their stories to a wider audience."

While in Nova Scotia, Mr. Franklin will meet with university students and faculty, as well as cultural organizations such as the Black Loyalist Heritage Society, the Black Cultural Society and the Africville Heritage Trust.

He will also give a free lecture, Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m., at Cole Harbour Public Library, 51 Forest Hills Parkway.

The Maritime Museum will host two other African Heritage Month events in February:

• Safe Harbour will tell the stories of Nova Scotian immigrants of African descent, from the Black Loyalists in the 1780s to War of 1812 refugees to more recent arrivals from the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Feb. 5, 2-4 p.m.)
• Author Jon Tattrie will present The Africville Explosion, a discussion on how rebuilding efforts after the 1917 Halifax Explosion revitalized north-end Halifax while largely ignoring Africville. His tale of two cities will shed light on the events that led to Africville's eventual razing in the 1960s. (Feb. 8, 7:30 p.m.)

The Maritime Museum's events are free. Visitors are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food donation for Feed Nova Scotia.

For more information on museum events and other African Heritage Month activities, visit maritime.museum.gov.ns.ca or www.gov.ns.ca/ansa.