In this Francophonie Month, it seems that measles is gaining ground in Montreal, like anglicization, which is spreading like a weed, my grandfather would say.
And yet, last Friday, while I was going to the Super C grocery store in my South-West neighborhood, my ear was caught by a song blasting from outdoor speakers. I recognized it from the first words: “The eyes of a man…” I welcomed it as if it were being played for me, to enhance my grocery store.
I entered humming and headed, dancing, towards the organic fruit display, under the amused gaze of my neighbor who was tasting the green grapes: what is the title of the song? she asked me, all smiles, in her pretty African accent.
A young woman behind me quickly answered: “It’s Annie Villeneuve. She’s my favorite singer. And the title of the song is A man. » And, naughty, we continued, she and I, to hum the ballad. Holding each other by the shoulders, we went to hold on to the African customer who was fidgeting and we formed a jumping trio.
The same weekend, at Jean Coutu, the friendly duo 2Frères sang Would you love me the same?, and, at Winners — who would have thought it? —, I had the pleasure of enjoying lovea masterpiece by the late Karim Ouellet.
Let’s salute the companies that display their belonging to Quebec French in a fun and festive way and, therefore, let’s spread Francophonity, the virus of our cultural wealth, and not just one month a year…