Departure point: Nova Scotia
The first episode of the documentary series The forgotten people takes viewers to Nova Scotia to shed light on an Afro-descendant community still little known in the rest of the country. From the end of the XVIIIe century, Black Loyalists, Jamaican Maroons and then Black Refugees from the War of 1812 — the ancestors of Canada’s largest black population — arrived at the port of Halifax, willingly or unwillingly, awaiting a better life, far from the slavery then raging in the United States. But then, the colonial authorities of the time did not welcome them with open arms and flouted, for the most part, their rights. It is on these sad premises that Africville was built, abused, but still today tightly woven, from which originates a large family with a fascinating story, the Colleys.
The forgotten people is fascinating in that it challenges our view of Canadian history by including that of black populations from coast to coast. An episode is also devoted to Montreal, which shines internationally thanks in part to its Afro-descendant artists, such as Oscar Peterson.
First broadcast on ICI Télé, Afro-Canada, by Judith Brès and Henri Pardo, is coming to ICI RDI and ICI Tou.tv. The documentary series encourages the public to observe society with fresh eyes and from a decolonized point of view, so that every Canadian can reclaim the history of Afro-descendants, who have been present in the country since day one, contrary to what is believed popular suggests. We learn, for example, that mixed-race Aboriginal and black families still live in Nova Scotia and the rest of the Maritimes. Never moralizing, the program wants to show that the blackjoy has never left the various communities and continues to spread.
Racism on icethe documentary by Hubert Davis (Hardwood, Giants of Africa), for its part, examines the problem of racism against blacks in the world of hockey. From the origins of sport to today, discrimination has spared no non-white player, whether amateur or professional. Women and men from the major and minor leagues, such as Akim Aliu, Sarah Nurse, Saroya Tinker, Mark Connors, Wayne Simmonds or even PK Subban, thus deliver their testimonies, often chilling and exasperating, but, unfortunately, never surprising about of this systemic marginalization and racism.
Racism on ice is particularly notable for its foray into a Nova Scotian team like no other, the Seaside, which owe their existence and their name to the heritage of Africville. Hockey instruction is intended to be inclusive and safe for young people from diverse backgrounds, but also for their families and volunteers. Beyond the painful truth of racism, and even if the documentary does not forget to denounce other evils that corrode the institutions of hockey, such as cases of sexual assault, this one presents examples full of hope for the future.
The forgotten people
Historia, starting February 4, 9 p.m.
African Canada
ICI RDI, Tuesdays, February 7, 14, 21 and 28, 8 p.m. and ICI Tou.tv
Racism on ice
RDS and Crave, starting February 2, 9 p.m.
But also…
Ruth Berry’s documentary (At the origins of humanity) for the PBS NOVA series, Star Chasers of Senegal, proves that space exploration is not just for the West and Russia. The Senegalese Maram Kairé was indeed commissioned by NASA to observe an asteroid near Jupiter from the facilities of his native country in West Africa.
Finally, a new documentary from Netflix shines a spotlight on the life of NBA icon Bill Russell, multiple champion with the Boston Celtics, who died in the summer of 2022 at the age of 88. Bill Russell. NBA legendby filmmaker Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI), highlights unpublished personal archives of the man who was also a fervent civil rights activist in the United States.
NOVA: Star Chasers of Senegal
PBS, starting February 8, 9 p.m.
Bill Russell. NBA legend
Netflix, from February 8