MEDIA RELEASE
Halifax (Kjipuktuk), NS – On Friday, September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC) is honoured to launch DELIGHTFUL DOWNTOWN at Grafton Park, with a special event at 7 p.m., that will include the world premiere of the “Mi’kmaq History Month Light Show.”
This special light show will be DELIGHTFUL DOWNTOWN at Grafton Park’s first of many vivid productions and pays tribute to this year’s theme for Mi’kmaq History Month, ‘Mi’kmaw Beadwork & the Art of Beading.’
The “Mi’kmaq History Month Light Show” was designed in partnership with the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre, Mi'kmaw musician Raymond Sewell, Nick Iwasko of Wasko AV, and the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).
“This collaboration, the design, the stories, the music, all celebrate the Mi’kmaq elders who have contributed to the upliftment of the Nova Scotian indigenous community,” says Cheryl Copage-Gehue, Indigenous Community Engagement Advisor, with HRM’s Diversity & Inclusion office.
“Our goal with this show is to create a safe space for everyone wanting to learn and reflect, as the collective work continues towards Truth and Reconciliation,” says Theresa Meuse, Cultural Educator, Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre (MNFC.)
DELIGHTFUL DOWNTOWN at Grafton Park, started last year as an effort to brighten up Downtown Halifax. It featured dazzling light shows projected on the former Halifax Memorial Library building. The light shows return this year, and will run until March 31, 2023, with the shows changing to reflect relevant cultural and seasonal themes.
“Bringing this project to life was an extremely collaborative effort. Ensuring the people of Nova Scotia felt represented in this work was important to us,” says Paul MacKinnon, CEO, Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC). “We received a $25,000 grant from the Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing to make the DELIGHTFUL DOWNTOWN at Grafton Park light projections a reality.”
Friday’s event at Grafton Park is open to the public and starts at 7 p.m. The event will feature designated speakers, and drumming and song from MNFC. The premiere of the “Mi’kmaq History Month Light Show” projection on the former Halifax Memorial Library will wrap-up the event at sunset, around 7:30 p.m.
For more information on Friday’s event and the whole DELIGHTFUL DOWNTOWN series, including the show schedule visit: https://downtownhalifax.ca/delightful.
To learn more about Mi’kmaq History Month visit: https://mikmaqhistorymonth.ca.
Land Acknowledgement:
Downtown Halifax Business Commission acknowledges that we are in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This territory is covered by the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) Peoples first signed with the British Crown in 1725. The treaties did not deal with surrender of lands and resources but in fact recognized Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship between nations.
About Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC):
Downtown Halifax Business Commission represents over 1,600 businesses located in the central business district of Halifax, Nova Scotia. DHBC’s mission is to passionately pursue a more prosperous and vibrant Downtown Halifax, through good development, Downtown mobility, membership services, DHBC leadership, and Downtown placemaking. For more information, visit downtownhalifax.ca.
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For more information, and media inquiries please contact:
Jayme Lynn Butt
Communications Manager
Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC)
jayme@downtownhalifax.ca