The Sankofa is an adinkra symbol signifying the importance of learning from the past, adopted here along with the expression “return and get it” to emphasize that African Nova Scotia history is our shared history. Nova Scotia has been home to people of African descent for over 400 years, centuries that saw struggle, achievement and the formation of communities that thrive to this day. Nova Scotia Archives is proud to care for and make available archival records that are powerful touchstones to this past, helping us to understand the present and allowing us to move together toward the future.

Vast collections, digitized in their entirety, come together here with the addition of transcripts wherever available. This allows for increased accessibility, comprehension, and engagement with the African Nova Scotian narrative.

This resource will continue to grow over time, as new materials are acquired and collections are digitized. We have made it a priority that these records be accessible to all Nova Scotians, to everyone, so that we might recognize our shared history and have a foundation to move forward from.