You are invited to the forthcoming book launch for “Africville,” a story by Shauntay
Grant illustrated by Eva Campbell. The launch is taking place during the Prismatic Arts Festival on
Thursday September 13th 2018 at 11am at the Africville Museum.
This event is FREE and open to the public.
Africville Book Synopsis
When a young girl visits the site of Africville, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the stories she’s heard from her family come to mind. She imagines what the community was once like —the brightly painted houses nestled into the hillside, the field where boys played football, the pond where all the kids went rafting, the bountiful fishing, the huge bonfires. Coming out of her reverie, she visits the present-day park and the sundial where her great- grandmother’s name is carved in stone, and celebrates a summer day at the annual Africville Reunion/Festival. Africville was a vibrant Black community for more than 150 years. But even though its residents paid municipal taxes, they lived without running water, sewers, paved roads and police, fire-truck and ambulance services. Over time, the city located a slaughterhouse, a hospital for infectious disease, and even the city garbage dump nearby. In the 1960s, city officials decided to demolish the community, moving people out in city dump trucks and relocating them in public housing. Today, Africville has been replaced by a park, where former residents and their families gather each summer to
remember their community.
Prismatic is delighted to host this event. Prismatic showcases and celebrates the work of leading Aboriginal and culturally diverse artists from across Canada and beyond our borders. Since 2008, the Prismatic Arts Festival has featured the work of over 700 artists and arts professionals in over 250 performances and reached over 30,000 diverse and engaged audience members.
Please RSVP to raeesa@prismaticfestival.com or call 902-425-6812.