KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – This weekend’s video is Black Mother, Black Daughter, by the amazing poet, artist, historian and filmmaker Sylvia Hamilton. 

Made in 1989, and featuring her own mother and other strong women that have blessed the African Nova Scotian community, Hamilton wanted to offer her own daughter and other youths “something to hold on to, to rest against. So she needs to know her history, and to be strong in the knowledge that she, like her mother and her grandmother, is bound to something larger than herself.”

Click here to watch the video.

Hamilton’s poetry, documentaries and installations remind us how Nova Scotia is shaped by slavery, and that until white people come to terms with our racist roots and start to make reparations that history will continue to haunt us. The other theme that runs through all her work is the notion of resistance, how Black Nova Scotians have fought back and stood firm through all these years.

See also: The Passage, a poem by Sylvia Hamilton

Recently Hamilton was awarded the 2019 Governor General’s History Award for Popular Media, The Pierre Berton Award, for all her work.  That was so well deserved!

Black mother, black daughter. Directed by Sylvia Hamilton and Claire Prieto, produced by Shelagh MacKenzie, music by Four the Moment.  

See also Weekend Video: The Little Black Schoolhouse (trailer)

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The post Weekend video: Black mother, Black daughter, by Sylvia Hamilton appeared first on Nova Scotia Advocate.

On Thursday night (May 3) Cain will be one of the artists featured at the Sankofa singer/songwriter circle, four artists paying tribute to the legendary a capella group Four the Moment. Other artists performing that night are Pat Watson, Kwento, and Zamani.

By the way, Thursday’s performance is part of the Mayworks Halifax festival, with lots of pretty amazing performances and exhibits that runs from May 1 to May 12. Check out the program here.

See also: Weekend video: The legacy of Four the Moment

The post Weekend video: Cyndi Cain – Stand up appeared first on Nova Scotia Advocate.

Things clicked among singers Delvina and Kim Bernard, Jackie Barkley, and Deanna Sparks, and although membership of the band changed over the years, the group continued to appear at rallies, women’s events, and Black culture celebrations in Nova Scotia.

As the group became better known they appeared at festivals all across Canada. Songs remained fearlessly political throughout the quartet’s decade-long career. The group also made an excellent record in 1987.

This weekend’s video features an interview with Delvina Bernard, one of the constants during the band’s existence. The video is produced by Zamani Millar.

Just in case you’re hungry for more, here are two songs by Four the Moment, from the Rocky Jones tribute concert at the Rebecca Cohn on October 27, 2013.

Check it out!

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