Aunjanue Ellis from The Book of Negroes discusses her starring role

Aunjanue Ellis, who stars in the CBC TV series The Book of Negroes, speaks with Adrian Harewood for Our Ottawa this week about her experience working on the TV adaptation of the novel.

Ellis plays Aminata Diallo, a woman who was kidnapped from her west African home as a girl and sold into slavery first in the U.S. and then in Nova Scotia in the late 1700s.

"She's taught me the value of a courageous and principled waiting," Ellis told Harewood about the role. "What I mean by that is, Aminata, I would call her a war photographer ... She sat back and she watched what was going on ... She knew her value was being able to tell the story, and that was her place with her people in her community."

To hear more about Ellis's experience in the series, click on the video in the player above.

Our Ottawa airs every Saturday at noon, Sunday at 11 a.m. and Monday at 1 p.m.

Also on this week's episode:

• Healthy eating in winter: Guest Jamie Hurst, a registered dietitian with Ottawa Public Health, discusses what produce to buy and how to stay within your grocery budget.
• The Cracking Up the Capital Comedy Festival launches this week. The festival's co-founder, comedian Jim McNally, talks about what to expect.

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