Today, Lena Metlege Diab, Member of Parliament for Halifax West, commemorated the national historic significance of the Jamaican Maroons in Nova Scotia with a special ceremony to unveil a plaque at Halifax Citadel National Historic Site. The announcement was made on behalf of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Steven Guilbeault.
In April 1796, more than 500 Maroons from Trelawny Town in the mountains of northwestern Jamaica were forcibly transported to the British colony of Nova Scotia. Their experiences exemplified the insecure rights and freedoms of African-descended British subjects in the late-18th-century Atlantic world. The Maroons of Trelawny Town were formerly enslaved peoples of African ancestry and their descendants who had lived in the Cockpit Country region of Jamaica until their exile following the second and final Maroon War (1795-1796). Almost everyone from the town-approximately 150 families or more than 500 adults and children-were forcibly transported to Nova Scotia. Many people became sick and several died during the voyage.
The Maroons moved a few months after they arrived to lands in Preston township purchased with funds from the Jamaican government. There, they faced considerable pressures to convert to Christianity, adopt settler agriculture, and undertake hard manual labour for low wages. They contributed to the building of roads, highways, canals, bridges, buildings, and fortifications in Nova Scotia, including the third fortification on Citadel Hill in Halifax, which was later replaced by the fourth and final Halifax Citadel (designated a national historic site in 1935). To reflect this direct connection, the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site was chosen as the location for the commemorative plaque.
For years, the Maroons tirelessly petitioned for the freedom to leave Nova Scotia. In the end, the British arranged for their migration to Sierra Leone, and 177 women, 151 men, and 222 children were aboard the transport ship HMS Asia when it anchored off the coast of Freetown on 30 September 1800.
A small number of Jamaican Maroons remained in Nova Scotia. The pride, resistance, self-determination, and unique cultural identity of the Maroons gained new significance in the second half of the 20th century within the contexts of social movements for greater civil rights and recognition of the diverse histories, cultures, and achievements of African-descended peoples. Today, the historical presence of the Jamaican Maroons still holds a prominent place within the collective memory of African Nova Scotians.
The Government of Canada, through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, recognizes significant people, places, and events that shaped our country as one way of helping Canadians and youth connect with their past. The designation process under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration is largely driven by public nominations. To date, more than 2,240 designations have been made nationwide.
National historic designations illustrate the defining moments in the story of Canada. Together, they tell the stories of who we are and connect us to our past, enriching our understanding of ourselves, each other, and our country. Heritage places provide a wide range of cultural, social, economic, and environmental benefits to their communities.
Today's ceremony coincides with Emancipation Day, the day the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 came into effect in the British Empire and ended the practice of slavery for millions of African People and their descendants around the world (August 1, 1834). The unveiling is one part of a larger event to honour and commemorate this important day alongside the Office of African Nova Scotian Affairs, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, and the Jamaican Cultural Association of Nova Scotia.
