On this snowy winter day, my virtual trip to meet with provincial and territorial coordinators of the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie (RVF) brings me north of the 60th parallel, the Northwest Territories (NWT). “Today, it’s minus 31 degrees and minus 42 with the wind”, says the coordinator Émos Dumas from Yellowknife. While speaking with him I discovered that 1000 Francophones live in the Territories along with many other communities and that 44 000 NWT residents have learned to live and thrive in this unusual cultural mix.
In addition to the 1000 Francophones, 2000 Francophiles make up the NWT French community. Most are concentrated in Yellowknife but some live in smaller towns such as Fort Smith, Hay River and Inuvik. NWT has two French schools and several immersion schools, which probably explains the number of Francophiles who live in the area. Many Acadians and Quebecers make up the French community of the NWT.
Francophones are not the only ones who have chosen to flee north of the 60th parallel. “There are more than 100 countries represented in the Northwest Territories”, says Mr. Dumas. “We have Filipino, Maghreb, French, Cameroonian and Rwandan communities. Almost all religions are represented here. It’s almost a multiethnic microcosm contained in small remote villages. We really have to broaden our horizons and just blend into the crowd. We make friends with people from different backgrounds in order to expand our social network. “
Heavenly splendor
The northern lights dancing in the sky of NWT attract many tourists in addition to the cultural mix already present. According to Mr. Dumas, it’s mainly the Japanese who come to gaze at the sky and its wonders. “The Northwest Territories is the perfect place to see the northern lights and many Japanese tourists come here just for that.”
Rendez-vous
The Rendez-vous de la Francophonie provides all cultural communities in the NWT the chance to celebrate the French language. Like the rest of the country, activities will be held from March 9th to 25th of this year. In Yellowknife, the Association franco-culturelle is holding a weekend (March 16th to 18th) of French only activities in an ice and snow castle, called Snowking. Dozens of other French cultural activities will also be organised, such as film screenings from the National Film Board.
It just goes to show that no matter what our parallel location is the RVF provides us with the opportunity to celebrate and share the love of our language with all communities in the country.
Philippe Daoust
