Welcome to AfriCana Village
WELCOME TO AFRICANA VILLAGE....WE HAVE A DREAM TODAY!!
Our VISION is to develop an iconic African-Canadian and African Diaspora Heritage Tourism and Entertainment destination on the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Golden Horseshoe Waterfront. AfriCana Village & Museum is a proposed Afri-centric themed destination inspired by the "Underground Railroad" story,it will also showcase African-Canadian/ American and African diaspora arts, history, culture, music and cuisine. If you love Africentric/Caribbean art, music, history, culture, cuisine, then AfriCana Village is your DESTINATION!. Our vision is to create a for-profit business with a social enterprise purpose and mandate. Supported by public/ private partnership investments, AfriCana Village will represent a significant investment in African-Canadian and diaspora history, heritage and culture in North America. AfriCana Village & Museum will be part of the cultural renaissance now taking place in the Greater Toronto Area and will be a unique and dynamic addition to the cultural- heritage tourism offerings and product mix in the GTA Golden Horsehoe Region. From enslaved Africans to the Black Empire Loyalists of the mid 1700's to "Underground Railroad Freedom Seekers" African-Canadians were some of the first non- aboriginal First Nations settlers and residents in the Greater Toronto Area and Niagara Falls Region. We believe variety and diversity is indeed the spice of life and we intend to tell their stories at AfriCana Village. We strongly believe Canadians, Americans, Europeans, Caribbean,Asians and African travelers of all racial and ethnic background is looking for some thing fresh, inspiring and different when they visit Canada and the GTA- Golden Horseshoe Region. From leisure travelers to meetings and conventions visitors,we believe AfriCana Village will bring a refreshing cultural heritage experience to the attractions- destinations product mix in the GTA-Golden Horseshoe Region, as well as some diversity that reflects the true historical cultural heritage of the GTA- Golden Horseshoe Region.
We envision a world class Afri-centric "Underground Railroad" and Caribbean-themed tourism destination on the Greater Toronto Area/Niagara- on- the- Lake Waterfront featuring The National Museum of African-Canadian History & Culture (NMACHC). Our vision is of a leading cultural heritage/entertainment destination that will tell the story of a people who AGAINST ALL ODDS endured the trials and tribulations, the pain and the glory of 400+years of African-Canadian and Diaspora history, and their defining cultural and intellectual contributions to Canada, America and indeed the World.
African-Canadians are one of the "Founding Peoples" of Canada, the Province of Ontario and in particular South Western Ontario,we look forward to working with all levels of the Canadian government to establish an African-Canadian Healing & Development Fund in order to make a contribution to this noble venture. The African-Canadian Healing & Development Fund will be used for the economic and cultural development of African-Canadians and the African Diaspora.
AfriCana Village will tell the story of a people, from" Slaveships to Championships" in Canada and the African Diaspora, we believe its the greatest story NEVER told!.
We look forward to you,your family and friends visiting AfriCana Village in the near future, our wish is to Entertain, Enlighten, Educate and inspire you while you Explore and Experience the rich and varied Afri-centric cultural heritage of African-Canadians at AfriCana Village!!
First black people in Canada:The history of blacks in Canada prior to the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, though extensive, is rarely mentioned in Canadian media, tourism studies, or educational circles. Seemingly African Canadians have been virtually wiped out of official Canadian history. The first recorded black person to set foot on land now known as Canada was a free man named Mathieu de Costa, who travelled with explorer Samuel de Champlain, or arrived in Nova Scotia some time between 1603 and 1608 as a translator for the French explorer Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Monts. The first known black person to live in Canada was a slave from Madagascar named Olivier Le Jeune, who may have been of partial Malay ancestry. As a group, black people arrived in Canada in several waves. The first of these came as free persons serving in the French Army and Navy; some were enslaved. Later, some were indentured servants, as were some white immigrants. (Wikipedia 2008)
