In honor of Black History Month, the West Indian Social Club of Hartford, Inc. will be hosting a program which will is scheduled to be held on Sunday, February 28th at 5pm. This event will feature the screening of the documentary “Queen Nanny: Legendary Maroon Cheiftainess” a film by Roy T. Anderson. The documentary has been shown in a handful of places including the University of West Indies in Jamaica, The United Nations in N.Y.C. and the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, CA.

This is an educational film about the Maroons of Jamaica and their leader, Nanny, who remains the only recognized National Heroine in Jamaica. She was a queen captured in her homeland, forcefully transported across the Atlantic Ocean in the belly of a slave ship. In the New World she would eventually rise up to become the leader of a new nation. Sadly, not many people outside of Jamaica know of the Legendary “Nanny,” warrior chieftainess of the Jamaican Maroons, who led a band of former enslaved Africans in the rugged mountains of Jamaica to a decisive victory over the mighty British army during the early to mid-18th century and are still in existence to this day.

Maroons have maintained a continuous presence in Jamaica for more than three hundred years; living on the same treaty lands gained as a result of their epic 80-year plus battle with the vaunted British military. Their proud African-based language, culture and governance are still very much alive today.

In addition to this screening, the program will include literary and musical performances from locally based groups such as the Caribbean American Dance Company, The MLK Freedom Drummers, Janice “Miss Mattie Lou” Hart, among others. The program will also feature readings from authors Karl A. Mitchell “Afrika’s Struggle: His Experiential Journey”, and Vangella Buchanan “The Master’s Daughter”. The program will come to a close with a panel discussion which will delve into the film and matters of cultural relevance.

The event is open to the public with a contribution of $5.00 which will be allocated to the Memorial Scholarship Fund. Refreshments will be served. For more information please contact (860)317-2745.