Africville in Black and White
Review by Michelle Brunet, Halifax
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as I entered St. Matthew’s
Church in Halifax on Tuesday evening. The FIN Atlantic International Film
Festival production was advertised to be a “live documentary” to tell the
beginning, life and tragic end of Africville, Canada’s largest, historic
African Canadian community that was located in the north of Halifax for over
200 years. Gazing around the packed church in anticipation, I noticed colourful
cardboard dog cutouts, two large screen televisions mounted at the front, and a
clothesline with laundry hanging to dry.
The production opened with live guitar and banjo, and actor
Justin Carter (whose biological mother grew up in Africville) inviting us to
imagine we were sitting inside Africville’s Seaview Baptist Church. The meaning
of “live documentary” format quickly became apparent: the feature consisted of
both pre-recorded and live interviews with former residents of the community,
academics and politicians, intertwined with dramatic interpretations of the
vibrant village, all weaved together by compelling vocalists and musicians
crossing various genres, from negro spiritual to reggae.
As we watched from the pews at St. Matthews, the entire
combination of already filmed and on-the-spot vignettes were in turn being documented
by several camera operators under the guidance of writer/director/producer Cyrus
Sundar Singh.
Save for a few technical glitches with sound quality,
Africville in Black and White proved to be a cohesive and consistently
intriguing look at the community’s chronology. Heads shook in shame when the
many examples of blatant oppression against Africville residents were pointed
out: like how residents paid property taxes but had no access to running water
or sewage; the City’s garbage trucks never serviced the community but showed up
on eviction day to drag the Africvillians away; and Halifax called
Africville an eyesore, yet it was the City who decided to put a dump there in
the first place.
A true highlight of the evening
was the presence of people who actually lived or were descendents of
Africville. Those in the audience sang along and clapped to reminiscent gospel
tunes. Irvine Carvery stood up and shared his memories growing up in the community:
of the penny stores, the strength of the mothers and never having to lock your
door. His brother Eddie Carvery, who has been living in a trailer on historic
Africville land for all these years in protest, was also there. His
proclamation that just as the City took the residents out of Africville, it
should now bring them all back, was met with enthusiastic applause.
The night closed with a woman
in the audience standing up and saying to Director Singh, “Thank you for
keeping our story alive.”
Africville in Black and White
Director/Producer/Writer:
Executive Producer: Vanessa Laufer, Salaam Shalom Production Inc.
Co-Producer: Juanita Peters, and San Family Productions, NS
Associate-Producers: Daniel Boos, Shelley Hamilton, Justin Carter, Irvine Carvery
Executive Producer: Vanessa Laufer, Salaam Shalom Production Inc.
Co-Producer: Juanita Peters, and San Family Productions, NS
Associate-Producers: Daniel Boos, Shelley Hamilton, Justin Carter, Irvine Carvery
