There are few Canadians that know the history of the 15 sailing ships that set out from Nova Scotia in 1792 to establish a "new" colony in Freetown, Sierra Leone. These were the first freed slaves who returned to Africa, some 1,100 of them, who had been promised land in Canada in consideration of their loyalty to the British, who were being pushed northward out of the 13 US colonies. The promise of land was never realized but these courageous ones, most of whom had been born in slavery and had no knowledge of Africa, participated in this experiment of sorts to begin again in West Africa. They became known as the Krio and even today many Sierra Leonians trace their roots back to these folks. The language has become the trade language in the country and there are some other relics of this time still evident around Freetown. The colony was mostly a failure since these newcomers found it difficult to adapt to this new tropical environment. To catch a bit of this Canadian Black history listen to 15 Ships by poet Afua Cooper
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August 2022
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