“Whether botanist, zoologist, entomologist or geologist we can, by working with sound methodology, make our modest contribution. And it is drops of water that make up the sea. The great works of natural history are built upon the patient analysis of the accumulated material of countless researchers.” – Brother Marie-Victorin (translated) I’m a bit of
Category: Culture
Starting a new business is challenging at the best of times, but it’s especially so when a pandemic comes along and changes your plans. Alèthe Kaboré is a Francophone Canadian originally from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. She moved to Alberta in 2006 to pursue a bachelor of science and a master’s degree in Public Health at
“Joe Fafard: Selfie“, a documentary about one of Canada’s best-loved visual artists, is a finalist at this year’s Gemini Awards. These awards recognize the achievements of Canada’s television industry. A nationally and internationally acclaimed sculptor, Fafard, was born in a log house in the tiny French and Metis farming community of Ste. Marthe, Saskatchewan. The
Michif is a contact language that was developed by Métis people through the mixing of Plains Cree and Canadian French vocabularies, mixed with words and phrases from English, Ojibwe, and other Indigenous languages. Different dialects of Michif are spoken throughout Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and the states of North Dakota and Montana. The Michif from the
Tout pour la musique, a four-day celebration of some of our country’s most accomplished artists, is happening from June 24th to Jun 28th on TFO (Télévision française de l’Ontario). This week I will introduce you (if you don’t already know them) to some of the artists who will perform. Isabelle Boulay I’ve always had a
Ah, poutine. A Quebec cultural phenomenon immortalized in popular music, literature, and board games — who dreamed up this delicious combination of french fries, cheese curds, and gravy? The details are up for debate, but we know that by the 1950s one could order poutine in roadside diners and cabanes à patates in the Centre-du-Québec
Someone vandalized three bilingual traffic signs in Calgary’s historic Rouleauville neighbourhood last week. They sprayed-out “Arrêt”, leaving only “Stop” visible. Sheila Risbud, president of the Association canadienne française de l’Alberta, said the act showed a “flagrant lack of respect for one of the country’s two official language communities.” That May is Alberta’s Francophonie Month adds
On May 15th, residents of Yukon celebrated Journée de la francophonie yukonnaise, a day that recognizes the contributions of Francophones to the territory. French Canadians and francophone Métis first settled on the lands of the Gwich’in, Hän, Kaska, Tutchone, Tagish, Tanana, and Tlingit people almost 200 years ago. These first visitors were fur traders working
The third edition of Slame tes accents is happening now. This international competition, put on by the Centre de la francophonie des Amériques, invites Francophone teachers and students from all over the Americas to create a “slam poetry” video reflecting the diversity and multiplicity of French accents in the Americas. You can watch the 60-to-90
April 23 was UNESCO’s World Book Day, so I’ve had a look at Quebec’s French-language book industry. Would it surprise you to hear that French-language Canadian books outsell English-language Canadian books two-to-one? Why is this? It has a lot to do with Quebec’s effective cultural policies. Quebec isn’t the only province that publishes and sells
