Among Us is a short film created by Paul Ohonsi (Ohonsi Films) to honour the significance of what Emancipation Day (August 1) means to Black Canadians, by exploring what emancipation is in its essence. The film was created in 2021, the same year that Canada officially recognized August 1st, the date the Slavery Abolition Act was enacted in 1834 to free enslaved Africans and their descendants in colonies of the Caribbean, Africa, South America and Canada.
The history of Canada’s participation in the enslavement of African and Indigenous peoples is one that is still being exposed and uncovered. This seven-minute film views emancipation as the freeing of constraints, and explores our relationship to societal constructs that bind us. The film focuses on inspiring others to let go of certain constraints and what this process looks like.
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Among Us
The history of Black people in Canada is filled with tales of encountering and weathering through the unknown. The history of Canada’s participation in the enslavement of African and Indigenous peoples is one that is still being uncovered. Excavation sites in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Southern Ontario, and Quebec reveal the stories of those who were forcefully bought and traded, who fled bondage from American states, who were promised land to fight in civil wars and then were left with nothing, and who faced great adversity to establish towns and communities where they could feel safe.
