Pair of concerts to commemorate Truth and Reconciliation Day in Nova Scotia

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is coming up this weekend on September 30. It’s an opportunity for Canadians to reflect upon the mistreatment of Indigenous people throughout the country’s history, and to celebrate their culture and heritage.

Communities across Canada re holding events to commemorate and honour the occasion. In Nova Scotia, Mi’kmaw artist Alan Syliboy is performing two concerts with his band the Thundermakers.

On Friday September 29, they will be in Antigonish at StFX’s Bloomfield Centre. The concerts are open to all ages and Syliboy and his band will take the stage at 7:00 p.m. They will be joined by ECMA winner Morgan Toney, who is from the nearby We’koqma’q First Nation.

The next day, Syliboy and the Thundermakers will be in Liverpool at the Hank Snow Grounds, also at 7:00 p.m. This show will feature special guest Shawnee Paul, a fiddler whose music has taken her around the world.

You might recognize Syliboy from his social media pages where his popular daily drum series has gained quite a following. He is a painter by trade who paints a new scene on a traditional Mi’kmaw drum each day. In the wake of the Wildfires earlier this summer, Syliboy painted a drum on stage at the relief concert hosted at Halifax Scotiabank Centre. He uses his talent for storytelling through spoken word with his band.