Minister Offers Condolences on Death of Maxine Tynes

Acting African Nova Scotian Affairs Minister John MacDonell today, Sept. 14, expressed condolences on the death of acclaimed Nova Scotia poet Maxine Tynes.

"Maxine Tynes used her powerful words to tell stories of the triumph of hope over oppression and taught us that we could transcend difference to celebrate the beauty of the human spirit," said Mr. MacDonell. "Her legacy will continue to inspire Nova Scotians to build a world where we celebrate the ways diversity strengthens us."

Ms. Tynes was born in Dartmouth in 1949 and, in addition to being a poet, was a high school English teacher and contributed to CBC Radio. She was the first African Canadian to be appointed to the board of governor's of Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Her poetry drew on her own experiences growing up in Dartmouth and the lives of African Nova Scotians, bringing attention to the resilience of the residents of Africville in the face of discrimination.

She received the Milton Acorn People's Poetry Award in 1988 for her ground breaking book of verse Borrowed Beauty. Ms. Tynes went on to publish two more works of poetry and prose, Woman Talking Woman in 1990 and The Doors of My Heart in 1993. In 1991, she published a children's book, Save the World For Me.