African Heritage Month: A Recap of All You Missed

This month of February marked the annual celebration of African Heritage Month, and the StFX Black Student Advising Office had a number of engaging and captivating events to mark the occasion. The provincial theme for African Heritage Month this year is ‘Our Smiles, Our Joy, Our Resilience as African Nova Scotians.’ The theme honors the African Nova Scotian community's diversity, vibrancy, and resilience, highlighting their contributions to the cultural and social fabric of Nova Scotia and beyond. It promotes unity, empowerment, and recognition of their unique experiences and strengths.

African Heritage Month (AHM) is a time dedicated to celebrating and honoring the rich cultural heritage, achievements, and contributions of people of African descent worldwide. StFX began its celebration of the African Heritage with The Town Flag Raising. The Town Flag Raising acknowledges the struggles and triumphs of African Nova Scotians, honors their resilience and perseverance, and fosters a sense of belonging and pride among community members. Overall, the flag-raising ceremony serves as a meaningful gesture of recognition and support for the African Nova Scotian community, reaffirming the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the town or municipality.  

Not long after, on February 1, 2024, the Town of Antigonish hosted the official opening of African Heritage Month to commemorate and celebrate the achievements and contributions of African Nova

Scotians, as well as to unveil the month's poster and theme. According to Akua Amankwah-Poku, StFX Black Student Advisor, "it was a wonderful community event where many people came out to celebrate AHM, from elementary and high school students, community members, university students, and staff."  

A film showing of Ninth Floor at the StFX library quickly followed. Ninth Floor is a 2015 biopic that accurately captures one of Canada's largest student occupations in the country's history. In 1969, a group of students occupied a ninth-floor computer lab in protest of their Montreal university's allegedly racist administration. This film recounted the events that led up to the occupation and the events. After the movie there was an interesting conversation about the education system and racism and the effect this had on students of African heritage.

On February 7, the StFX Black Student Advising Office hosted a speaking by Margaret L. States at the Keating Center Conference Room A. Margaret gave an insightful and captivating speaking centered around her book, Gooseberries Have Thorns, “which chronicles everyday experiences, relationships, and major events in the lives of Maggie’s ancestors in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The narrative focuses primarily on Maggie and how she navigates various circumstances in racialized Nova Scotia in the early twentieth century.” Despite the heavy snow, many showed up virtually thanks to the hybrid nature of the event.  

The rest of the month was filled with interactive sessions and activities. From the dinner to the paint and sip as well as drumming sessions coupled with the dance classes, this year’s theme of ‘Our Smiles, Our Joy, Our Resilience as African Nova Scotians’ was indeed a reality. The Advising Office still has one more event in store for us: The Black student Banquet which promises to be a time of fun and healthy interactions. The gala will give Black students an opportunity to dress up and attend a banquet that celebrates Black culture and excellence. There will be small activities, educational pieces, music, and culturally relevant food. Not only is this a good way to end the month, but also an avenue to reflect on the month’s events and honor the rich cultural heritage, achievements, and contributions of Africans worldwide!

This year’s celebration of African Heritage Month did not fall below expectation at StFX. From the academic sessions to the social ones, everything was geared towards one purpose: ‘Our Smiles, Our Joy, Our Resilience as African Nova Scotians.’ The poster and images from the month's activities may be found on Instagram at @stfxblackstudentadvising.