AMHERST – The town of Amherst will be celebrating African culture on Friday for the official regional launch of African Heritage Month to be held at the town hall. The launch will include a libation ceremony, an essential ceremonial tradition, and the unveiling of this year’s poster.
The theme for this year’s poster, ‘Then and Now: Our Journey Continues’, recognizes all 57 historical African Nova Scotian Settlements across the province and their impact on their communities.
“It’s important to be able to have an opportunity to not only share our culture and heritage, but to make people more aware of the fact that it’s a part of their history also, not just ours,” said Elizabeth Cooke-Sumbu, executive director of CANSA, about the regional launch. “Each and every day, we live the persons of African decent culture. We carry it, we wear it, we look it and we talk it. I get excited to share it during February, but I live it every day.”
For the heritage month, the county will have different activities and exhibits, including African Beats, airing on CFTA, and a film night to be held at the Highland AME Church.
Brian Martin, chairman of the CANSA board, said it’s great to see how far the event has come.
“It’s something that should have been done when I was a child,” he said. “There has been a lot of changes between then and now and there are more changes to come.”
Martin said more and more people are becoming aware of the significance of African culture in the province and Cumberland County.
“I think their eyes have been opened quite a bit in the last four or five years… it’s starting to grow more and more,” he said.
For more information on African Heritage Month and for lists of events from around the province, visit ansa.novascotia.ca
