Information/Write-up
Faith Nolan’s landmark album Africville is both a personal and political act of remembrance—an uncompromising tribute to Canada’s oldest Black community, whose tragic destruction in 1969 remains a symbol of systemic racism in Canadian history. The title track, written in 1986, reflects on the 150-year-old Black settlement on the Bedford Basin in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where Faith herself lived for a time. Denied basic services like clean water, sewage, and transportation—while nearby white communities were granted them—Africville was razed by the city under the guise of urban renewal. Its residents were displaced, their homes demolished, and their legacy ignored for decades.
Nolan's songwriting channels this painful history through powerful blues, folk, and jazz-inflected songs, each rooted in resistance and resilience. She sings of Mary Ann Shadd, Josiah Henson, Marie-Joseph Angélique, and Edith Clayton—figures often omitted from traditional histories. With razor-sharp clarity, Nolan’s voice rings out as both witness and warning.
The musical backing is sparse but effective, driven by Nolan’s acoustic slide guitar and harmonica, anchored by veterans like drummer Archie Alleyne and pianist Kingsley Etienne. Lionel Williams not only contributes bass and Fender guitar but also co-arranges and co-produces the album. Diana Braithwaite lends harmony vocals, deepening the gospel-tinged urgency of Nolan’s message.
In a city that erased its Black history, Africville reconstructs it through song. The record stands as a vital cultural artifact, a reclamation of memory, and a declaration of survival.
In February 2010—24 years after this album’s release—the City of Halifax issued a formal apology to the displaced residents of Africville. Faith Nolan was telling this story long before the rest of the country was ready to listen.
-Robert Williston
Faith Nolan: lead vocals, acoustic slide guitar, harmonica
Archie Alleyne: drums
Kingsley Etienne: acoustic piano
Lionel Williams: bass, Fender guitar
Tony Ellington: congas, cowbells
Diana Braithwaite: background vocals
Faith Nolan: background vocals
Music and lyrics by Faith Nolan
Arranged by Faith Nolan and Lionel Williams
Executive producer: M.W.U.C. (Multicultural Women In Concert)
Associate producer: Lionel Williams
Pre-production by Accusound Studio, engineered by Paul Gabriele
Recorded and engineered by Lynn Lyons at Sound Design Studio, Toronto
Graphics by S.S.
Special thanks to: Lenny and Gwen Johnson, Third World Bookstore and staff, Lacey Latchman Ltd., Alan Kushnir (Sasi Point), Lionel Williams, Glenn, Band: Archie Alleyne, Kingsley Etienne, Lionel, Tony and Bobby Hovan, Mary and Lilly Turner, Regina, Joey, Teresa and Will Nunan, Shane Fernandez, Mary Ann Shadd Singers, Catherine and Vera, Paul Gabriele (Thanks!), Cross-Cultural Communication Centre, Dwaida Ross, Lynne Ferrie (Robert Typo), Immigrant Women’s Centre, The Toronto Board of Education, Xochitl, The North York Board of Education and The Ministry of Multiculturalism, Canada.
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