African Heritage Month, celebrated in February, officially kicked off Tuesday morning at Province House with the Lt. Gov Arthur J. LeBlanc and African Nova Scotians Affairs Minister Twila Grosse.

According to the province, this year’s theme, “Our Smiles, Our Joy, Our Resilience as African Nova Scotians,” captures the spirit and resilience demonstrated by people of African descent throughout the centuries in our province.

“As we celebrate African Heritage Month, we are reminded of the remarkable journey of our 52 historic African Nova Scotian communities and the various journeys of people of African descent who now call Nova Scotia home – these journeys are defined by resilience, wisdom and hope,” said Grosse. “We continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the voices of African Nova Scotians are heard, their rights respected and their contributions celebrated not just during this month, but every day of the year.”

There will be several events throughout the month of February.