As the old adage goes, history is written by the victors. But what if, instead, history was written by passionate students of historical figures who were committed to unearthing every truth about them?
That’s what Cheryl Foggo aims to do in John Ware Reclaimed, her feature-length documentary now screening at Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) and streaming as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).
The film follows Foggo on her quest to reclaim the narrative of John Ware, Alberta’s famed Black cowboy who settled in Canada in the late 1800s. Through several storytelling elements—including dramatic re-enactments, animation and music—the documentary uncovers who the local folk hero might have been, despite the existing (and unsurprisingly white-washed) information.
“The reason I wanted to do a documentary is because I recognized how little people know about John Ware and what they do know or are able to access doesn’t necessarily sit right. A lot of it is not accurate. You can google John Ware and find a thousand different things,” Foggo reveals to Loose Lips.
What all people who’ve heard the lore of John Ware can agree on is this: he’s the freed slave who settled in Alberta, renowned for his legendary ranching, for whom several geographic locations (ridges, creeks and mountains) are named, and several works of fiction and non-fiction were created.
One such work is the book John Ware’s Cow Country written by revered historian Grant MacEwan. The book is viewed largely as the definitive document on Ware’s origin and life, but for Foggo, there’s deeper digging to be done.
“It was written long ago and it was written through a lens that I didn’t feel honoured John Ware as a person, as much as I would love to have seen,” she admits.
Her desire to connect the dots of Ware’s life has incidentally ended up connecting people intrigued by his mythology.
“John Ware is such a bridge figure,” Foggo explains to Loose Lips. “He brings so many different people together into a room… in particular, young African Canadians who didn’t know about him, who latch onto [his story] and [are] empowered by it. Some of those people being Calgarians who, like me, grew up within that cowboy culture and wondered, ‘What does this have to do with me?'”
For many, Ware’s story is symbolic of the triumph over racism. For others, it’s an homage to cowboy culture.
This isn’t just any cowboy story, however. In John Ware Reclaimed, never-before-published information on the historical icon is revealed, and it’s through Foggo’s narrative genius we get to come along for the ride.
“I wanted to take the audience to John Ware’s land, to both of his ranches. I wanted them to be able to experience John Ware’s presence on that land. That’s why I wanted to work with [rodeo cowboy] Fred Whitfield to embody John Ware. I wanted the animation to help us to sink into John and [his wife] Mildred together, especially in their happiest days.”
Through a depth of storytelling, impassioned interviewing and meticulous research, John Ware Reclaimed peels back years of digging to reveal something truly spectacular.
You’ll just have to catch the flick online starting September 24 to find it yourself.
Virtual screenings are available for streaming at Calgary Int’l Film Festival (Sep 24-Oct 4): Geo-blocked to Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba; and Vancouver Int’l Film Festival (Sep 24 – Oct 7): Geo-blocked to British Columbia.
