Abstract

In national as well as international terms, Canada holds the image of a savior of African slaves, even though in the recent production The Book of Negroes (CAN/USA 2015) a more critical depiction of Canada is presented. The question, however, remains whether the miniseries, with its admission of discrimination and racism, actually rebuts previously established myths of Canada’s relation to slavery. Due to the virtual absence of Canada from the screen when it comes to slave narratives, very little attention has been paid so far to a Canadian perspective in analyzing such artifacts. By looking at the representation of Canada’s relationship with black slavery on film and television, I search for patterns and discursive moves which maintain a distance from addressing the country’s own slaving past. I apply a critical discourse analytical approach in order to unveil the meanings and cultural implications of information-omission from screen. The overall purpose of my argument is to show that by focusing exclusively on the significantly larger contribution of the United States to the practice, artifacts reinforce the popular notion of Canada’s innocence in the enslavement of human beings.

Highlights

  • The trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery have become popular topics to be dealt with on screen since after the Civil Rights Movement

  • As far as cinematic treatments are concerned, Canada’s relation to slavery is almost exclusively represented by fugitive slave narratives, providing safe refuge to slaves fleeing from the United States while remaining in the background all along

  • The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 of the United States enabled the seizure of runaway slaves in Northern states, which meant that entering a free state no longer provided security from re-capture

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Summary

Introduction

The Book of Negroes (CAN/USA 2015), shows a significant improvement in depicting the harsh realities awaiting freed slaves in Canada. Despite admitting to racism, discrimination and even racist violence as everyday experiences, The Book of Negroes still fails to question the myth that Africans came to Canada by choice, and reinforces the popular notion of Canada as solely the liberator of black slaves by conveniently placing the practice of slavery itself to the southern side of the border. I attempt to show that The Book of Negroes takes an important step towards deconstructing the myth of Canada as the provider of security and opportunity for fugitive slaves. I will use this analysis as a basis on which to compare the achievements and improvements presented by The Book of Negroes with its critical view on Canada and its population. The overall purpose of my argument is to show that stories of slavery still fail to discuss Canada’s slaving past by focusing exclusively on the significantly larger contribution of the United States to the practice

Background Section
The ‘Promised Land’
The Land of Loss
The Land of Denial
Conclusion

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