"John Ware Reclaimed," an NFB film by Cheryl Foggo about the Black Albertan pioneer, is one of the films in the "For Viola" series that Hot Docs, the Toronto-based documentary film site, is running this month. During February, Black History month, Hot Docs is streaming all the "For Viola" films from its website at no charge.
From an Avenue Calgary profile:
Foggo laid bare her direct connection to Black history on the prairies in her family memoir Pourin’ Down Rain: A Black Woman Claims Her Place in the Canadian West. A 30th anniversary edition of her landmark work was released last year by Edmonton-based publisher Brush Education. The book weaves a tale of a life changed and marvellously impacted by community, family and an unwavering dedication to recording Black history in Alberta.
John Ware Reclaimed continues to make the film circuit (for the time being, virtually) across the country and with a rise in attention to the perspectives and voices of young Black lives in Canada, this history that Foggo has been sharing for decades seems to be even more timely. “[I’m] searching for a way to make this history widely available to everyone and especially to the young Black people who really need it,” says Foggo.
