In keeping with the theme of this edition of the Festival, ‘Words to Understand Each Other,’ two gripping and passionate discussions about Québécois identity and who can claim it. Two consecutive and uninterrupted discussions in English and French.
First discussion: What does it mean to be a Québécois? Is being born here enough? Whatever success you may have here, however many generations you are removed from those who arrived here, are you ever fully accepted as l’un des nôtres? Last year, author Kim Thúy suffered dramatic backlash after speaking out about the injustice she has witnessed – and experienced – in spite of being widely lauded as an iconic author in francophone Quebec. Award-winning journalist Toula Drimonis has written movingly about the challenges for immigrants and their descendants in Quebec, both in her column in The Gazette and in her 2023 book We, the Others (Nous, les autres, translated to French by Mellisa Verreault). Be a fly on the wall as they share their ideas about where Quebec is on this issue, and where it might be going.
A partnership between Blue Metropolis and the Quebec Writers’ Federation (QWF).
Followed by a second discussion: Immigrants or those who are considered “outsiders” have had to face the different challenges of trying to make Quebec their home. Over time, they have begun to experience a strong sense of belonging and become fully integrated into their adoptive chez nous. They have subsequently seen changes in Quebec that have made them question that sense of belonging. Writer and director Guy Rex Rodgers transformed Quebec’s linguistic landscape with his book,What We Choose to Forget, an account of a three-year tour of his film What We Choose to Remember. Journalist Francine Pelletier has reflected on the question of who Québécois in her essay Dream Interrupted: The Rise and Fall of Quebec Nationalism (translated from French by Marianne). Discussion in English and French.
- Refunds
- Until the event starts
- Access for persons with mobility impairment
- Yes
