The stories and contributions of African Nova Scotians to marine industries is the focus of a new collaborative project between the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg, the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown and the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia in Halifax.
Officially announced on April 29, the provincial government is investing $150,000 to the project that will produce a travelling museum exhibit scheduled to launch next spring in Birchtown. The total cost of the project is estimated at $200,000.
Still in the early stages, the project is aimed at elevating the stories and experiences of African Nova Scotians in their connection to the sea, said Adrian Morrison, Curator at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, and will culminate in a province-wide travelling exhibit on this important and under represented part of history.
African Nova Scotians have contributed to every aspect of the marine industry as fishers and processors, sailors and shippers, shipbuilders and navigators, said Morrison.
There are more than 50 African Nova Scotian communities in Nova Scotia, with 71.8 per cent of African Nova Scotians having roots in the province going back three generations or more.