Marooned In Nova Scotia

Kwabena Bene, the gallant warrior, finds himself among the hundreds of Maroons dumped unceremoniously by the Governor of Jamaica in Nova Scotia, British North America, in 1796.A hero of the just-ended conflict with the British Militia in Cudjoe Town, Jamaica, Kwabena refuses to call Halifax home. He must lead the battle to be sent back to the rolling hills of Jamaica, to rejoin his people and to continue their struggle against colonial oppression.Kwabena begins a resistance on all fronts. The British on one hand, a rival Maroon leader on the other, and two women, who're caught in the middle. It doesn't take him long to realize this is no ordinary fight. It's a fight for his reputation as a warrior, a leader; a fight for trust, a fight for honor. When betrayal rears its ugly head and his mission seems destined to fail, Kwabena must prove that not even iron bars can stop him from returning to Jamaica. As the mission comes under scrutiny, the daring warrior discovers he's sinking deeper and deeper into a sea of despair that not even his enemies would want him to be. Kwabena Bene despises failure!

Many Black Nova Scotians proudly claim ancestry from the Jamaican Maroons exiled to these shores in the last decade of the 18th century: this book recounts the fascinating story of their migrations. Scholar and teacher John Grant chronicles the Maroons' struggle to maintain their proud and independent culture in the harsh conditions of Nova Scotia, and traces their contributions to the development of colonial society. He describes attempts to establish Maroon communities, attempts thwarted by racial and cultural tensions, hostility and indifference. He brings together the elements that show how many Maroons finally arranged for passage to Sierra Leone, leaving Nova Scotia's hard shores behind them. This lively and well-documented text illuminates an important passage in African-Canadian history, combining historical records and modern research to present a substantial portrait of the times, the people and the events that comprise the Maroons' saga in Nova Scotia.

One Canada is a vision of creating a strong and united Canada, out of the dysfunctional federation of 10 provinces and three territories, leading to the greatest country on Earth. Canada was created to be a strong country, nurturing the regions, eventually becoming greater than its parts. As Canada grew from infancy, the provinces, the aunts and uncles of Confederation, also grew and aspired to become independent countries on their own. Since the Centennial in 1967, the young Canada grew, exerting the rights given to it by the Constitution. The aunts and uncles, having designs of nationhood, began resenting the young adult, forcing it to gradually ceding its control and now is a nearly impotent custodian of Canadian citizenship, and almost equal to the aunts and uncles in stature. The Canadian Federation has devolved into a state of feudalism, where "passing the buck" is the common denominator between the federal and provincial governments. Municipal governments blame the provincial for their ills; the provinces then blame the federal government with the buck passing in a vicious circle. Inside the vicious circle are the people of Canada bound in red tape while being taxed to death to pay for the ineffectiveness of governments. With each provincial government determined to create its own kingdom within Canada, One Canada will never be a reality, unless a new paradigm of governance is developed for all of Canada. The new paradigm is governance at the local municipal level, supervised by the national government. The Fathers of Confederation clearly defined the powers and responsibilities of the federal Parliament and the provincial legislatures. Had the clear division of powers been followed, Canada would, today, be greater than the sum of its regions. For the first 100 years of Confederation, the provincial governments, like aunts and uncles, helped nurture Canada through the adolescent years and into nationhood. Like the Jamaican Proverb, "Two bull caan reign in a the same pen"*, the 10 provincial and one federal government have been locking horns together. Now the time has come for the provinces to remove their blinders, let Canada grow into maturity, bringing greater prosperity to its people. * (Two bull caan reign in a the same pen) Jamaican patois (Two Bulls cannot reign in a herd) English (There can only be one leader) The Meaning.

Loyalists in Nova Scotia hoped that their anticipated prosperity, to be achieved with British aid, would show that the American rebellion had been a terrible mistake. But prosperity was elusive. The loyalists were disappointed not only by their treatment at the hands of the British government - their reluctant benefactor - but also by the apparent unwillingness of the government and the people of Nova Scotia to recognise their sacrifice and encourage their advancement. This sense of opposition from the existing community made their experience different from that of loyalists elsewhere and contributed to the intensity and longevity of Nova Scotia's loyalist tradition. The early period of loyalist settlement came to a close shortly after Britain gained portable pensions and withdrew free provisions, a turn of events which led many of the exiles to return to their homeland. By 1791 relations with the old settlers and the provincial government, changing attitudes toward the United States, and conflict among themselves had modified loyalist opinions and expectations in ways they would never have imagined a decade earlier.