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Our Music is YOURS - The "CONSTITUTION" is our first CD - recorded 2019

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The Afro-Métis Nation's 'Constitution' Album

The Afro-Métis Nation's 'Constitution' album is a collection of songs created by a group of Canadians with mixed Black, Indigenous and European ancestry.

The album features George Elliott Clarke, Sugar Plum Croxen, Shelley Hamilton, Russ Kelley and Chris White, with additional musical contributions from Karen Ashton, Shari Clarke, Gilbert Daye, John Somosi, John Showman, Ken Whiteley and Brent Williams. The album was produced by Ken Whiteley and The Afro-Métis Nation, and engineered by Darren van Niekerk in Halifax and Nik Tjelios in Toronto. The album was nominated for a 2020 Canadian Folk Music Songwriting Award.

The members of the Afro-Métis Nation are committed to honouring their Black, Indigenous and European ancestors and celebrating their own identity in ways that are both entertaining and informative. The songs draw on numerous musical traditions – including folk, blues, country, jazz, gospel and spoken word – to tell stories of people with Black and Indigenous ancestry who have struggled, survived and made contributions to this country for hundreds of years under adverse conditions. The group members have all released solo albums prior to this project.

The Songs
1. Skin (by Shelley Hamilton and George Elliott Clarke)
"Where do I fit in?" ... a question of colour ...
2. O Canada (by George Elliott Clarke)
A revised national anthem that includes everyone.
3. More Of This Land (by Shelley Hamilton)
A defiant assertion of belonging sung by a proud Afro-Métis citizen.
4. Bannock And Beans (by Sugar Plum Croxen)
In praise of a traditional Native meal.
5. It's A Wonder (by Russ Kelley)
A testament to the courage and tenacity of our marginalized ancestors.
6. Rootz (by Shelley Hamilton)
Our Black and Indigenous ancestors speak and sing through us.
7. People Are People (by Sugar Plum Croxen)
A song that encourages all listeners to "live and let live".
8. For The Murdered And The Missing (by George Elliott Clarke)
Troubling and urgent questions about murdered and missing Aboriginal women.
9. We Need A Lot More Love (by Russ Kelley)
A plea for more caring, respect and acceptance in the world.
10. One and One Is Two (1+1 = 2) (by Sugar Plum Croxen)
The mathematics of love!
11. The Garlic And The Rose (by Chris White)
A tale of cooperation... in the garden!
12 and 13. '1871 Census' and '1881 Census' (by Shelley Hamilton)
Historical evidence of the Afro-Métis reality: the blending of Black and Indigenous families.
14. Singing For Viola (by Chris White)
In praise of Nova Scotian entrepreneur and civil rights champion, Viola Desmond (1914-1965).
15. William Andrew (by Chris White)
The story of Rev. Capt. Dr. William Andrew White II (1874-1936), the son of slaves.
16. Hymn To Portia White (by George Elliott Clarke and Chris White)
Celebrating the remarkable achievements of Canadian contralto, Portia May White (1911-1968).
17. Ain't You Scared Of The Sacred? (by George Elliott Clarke)
An invitation to look inwards on questions of justice and morality.
18. Pass Me Not (by George Elliott Clarke)
A heartfelt prayer for spiritual recognition.

With Gratitude: FUNDERS

Toronto Arts Council (TAC) is the City of Toronto’s funding body for artists and arts organizations. Since 1974, TAC has offered innovative and responsive programs, enabling artists and arts organizations to explore, create and thrive. With funding of over $25 million annually, TAC grants lead to exhibitions, performances, readings and workshops seen each year by over 5 million people across the city. TAC is proud to play a leadership role in fostering Toronto’s dynamic and diverse arts scene.

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LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the ANTHEM campaign exists in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.”

Now, we “Africadians” include multiple African diasporas as well as mixed-race progeny, whose DNA is both cosmopolitan and truly indigenous—due to Cherokee and/or Mi’kmaw admixture, thus creating the “Afro-Métis.”

“Indigenous Blacks”—or “Africadians”—or “African-Nova Scotians” have resided in Nova Scotia—originally (and still) Mi’kma’ki—for over 400 years, since 1605. First brought as enslaved people to Louisbourg, Cape Breton (1713-1760), then as enslaved “Planters” to Halifax and the mainland (1749-1760), their ancestors were also anti-slavery Black Loyalists (1783), Maroons (1796-1800), War of 1812 Black Refugees (1812-1816), and free workers and miners in industrial Cape Breton (early 20th Century).Hailing historically from colonial New England and Dixie, then Jamaica, and then the British West Indies, this polyglot and multicultural Black people are a distinct North Atlantic offshoot of the African Diaspora.

Their landed presence connects Nova Scotia to pre-and-post-revolutionary United States, Bermuda (via the Royal Navy), Jamaica (via the Maroons), Sierra Leone (via Black Loyalists and Maroons), and the British West Indies (especially Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad), and to the United Kingdom.

A resilient people, the African-Nova Scotians—despite slavery, racism, and segregation—built 52 communities, all anchored by a self-instituted church, all about Mi’kma’ki, but on the worst possible land provided by racist governments. Still, this land-base allowed a powerful culture, specific form of English, and spirited faiths to take root and thrive. \

They have astonished the globe as acclaimed athletes, singers, musicians, artists, warriors, scholars, and preachers.Now, we “Africadians” include multiple African diasporas as well as mixed-race progeny, whose DNA is both cosmopolitan and truly indigenous—due to Cherokee and/or Mi’kmaw admixture, thus creating the “Afro-Métis.”