There was a real community called Africville, and much of the awful tale of its destruction happened as I described it in Reparations. Former residents — in fact as well as in fiction — have filed a civil suit seeking compensation for the loss of their community. And a recent United Nations’ report really did urge the Canadian government to offer reparations to the displaced families.
Over the years, I’ve done a number of stories and columns about the struggles of Africville’s former residents. Here are a few of them:
From The Coast, July 27, 2006
From The Daily News, July 26, 2007
If you’d like to know more about the real Africville, you may also want to check out these web sites.
STEPHEN KIMBER, a Professor of Journalism at the University of King's College in Halifax and co-founder of its MFA in Creative Nonfiction Program, is an award-winning writer, editor and broadcaster. He is the author of two novels and eight non-fiction books. Buy his books
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