Immigration is often presented as a problem in political debates, and yet, immigration is also synonymous with hopes, possibilities and encounters, both for the host society and for newcomers. As part of this election campaign, The duty went to meet various communities in the regions to better understand their reality. Today: the black community of Chicoutimi and Alma.
In Alma, there are only two families of Togolese origin and a handful of members of the black community. “But here, it corresponds to what I was looking for,” says Marthe Kedjeyi, who left Togo in 2013 to come and settle in Canada. It is a small town where everything is close. »
When her husband got a job at the Nutrinor agricultural cooperative in 2017, he had to settle alone in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean for the first year. “But before it started, we came to visit,” says the mother of four children. Charmed, the family immediately changed their plans and decided to buy a house in Alma outright.
“It really is a beautiful region. The people are friendly and nature is within walking distance! adds the 41-year-old lady enthusiastically.
In winter, a neighbor clears their driveway with a snowblower while another helps them set up their carport. “Our integration went very well,” she sums up, although some derogatory comments were made about her children at school. “It may be related to ignorance. »
On this Saturday afternoon, Marthe is gardening, pitchfork in hand, with her friends from the Collectif des femmes immigrantes du Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, which has about a hundred members. “Among immigrants, we help each other. We share our difficulties and our joys. »
In the community garden, these newcomers can also create links with members of the host community. The gardening then continues around a beer or a cake. And you quickly realize — looking at the shy plants emerging from the ground — that gardening is in fact only a pretext to break isolation and make friendships bud.
A rallying ball
An isolation that other Africans are also fighting – tens of kilometers away – in Chicoutimi. Four evenings a week, they put on bibs and cleats to play soccer games on a field offering a bird’s eye view of the Saguenay River.
Many of these football scholars are doing a master’s or doctorate at the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi (UQAC). “Here, it’s a great environment to study,” notes Marc-Alain Andoh, an Ivorian of origin enrolled in a doctorate in electrical engineering. The city is not too busy and getting around is easy. »
Interactions with the local population are limited, however, say several students. “It’s not easy,” slips Smith Ndongla, originally from Cameroon, who is studying computer science. “When we talk to them, they don’t understand us, and when they talk to us, we don’t understand them. »
Prejudices
A barrier – whether linguistic, cultural or nourished by prejudices – which tends to discourage Ferry Bakongo, who arrived from Cameroon a year ago. Although the man holds a position as a computer engineer in Chicoutimi, he does not believe that he will remain in the region long term.
“I don’t know if it’s just in Saguenay or if it’s everywhere in Quebec like that, but it’s very difficult socially,” he laments. Ties with Quebecers are hard to forge and the rare exchanges are sometimes disconcerting, he says.
“For example, when I go to the pharmacy and ask for a product, they show me the cheapest one. But who said I wanted the cheapest? he says, lamenting this stigma.
Words also heard by Francis and Ariane, originally from Cameroon and met in their apartment in Chicoutimi-Nord. “When you see a dark-skinned immigrant, you think [d’entrée de jeu] that he is miserable,” laments Francis, a computer engineer who earns a good living.
The couple also had great difficulty finding accommodation upon their arrival in Saguenay. “We had the impression that the landlords did not want to rent us accommodation,” said the father of three children, citing a situation of discrimination. It wasn’t until a Quebec acquaintance picked up the phone on their behalf to gain a landlord’s trust that the family was able to sign a lease.
Although punctuated by upheavals, their experience in the region is nevertheless positive, they believe. “It’s good to start in a small town,” says Ariane, who works in a daycare centre. Everything is close and the children adapt quickly. »
Immigration retention
For immigration to flourish in the region, the government should do much more to increase the retention of newcomers, say the members of the black community met. A community, in Saguenay, composed mainly of Africans, but which also includes some members from Haiti.
Josué Blanchard, a Haitian artist and activist who was forced to leave the Caribbean island for security reasons, would like to settle down in Saguenay for good. “I made friends here, I integrated myself, I recreated a stability, he says. But the laws make me unstable again. »
The man, who has just completed a master’s degree in art at the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi, finds himself entangled in the administrative maze that could force him to leave the country. “There are so many foreign students like me who leave the region after finishing their studies because of their immigration situation,” he laments.
Immigrants who nevertheless have a lot to bring to the region. “We are a lot of foreign students to have worked at the hospital [de Chicoutimi] during the pandemic, he notes. When we have seen people being killed at home, when we haven’t always had food on our plate, it’s not COVID that will scare us. »
Live together
Marcellin Gbazaï, originally from the Ivory Coast, also believes that much more must be done to increase the retention of newcomers. “The government attracts immigrants to the region, but then it does nothing to keep them,” says the man who settled in Saguenay 12 years ago to join its artistic community. “Dancing and music made my job easier,” he says gratefully. When you play the djembe, even the most racist in the world comes to dance with you! »
A door of entry to which it is however not limited. To combat prejudice and create more channels for exchange between the local population and the immigrant community, the friendly Ivorian offers workshops on living together in schools in the region.
“I use the word ‘living together’ rather than ‘racism’ because today, when we talk about racism, it’s as if we were attacking people, whereas living together is unifying. “, he explains.
The best way to break down prejudices, “is to explain, it’s patience”, he says. “And we have to take our place. Otherwise, we will always feel singled out. The man also preaches by example, he who opened an African grocery store in Chicoutimi, who was a dance teacher, taxi driver and bus driver, among other things.
“I always work in contact with the community,” he summarizes. I do all this for my children too, [pour faire tomber les préjugés]. The task is not always easy, but it must be done, believes Marcellin Gbazaï. “Because here is the region of hope, it is very fertile. There is so much to do,” he says, driving through the undulating roads of the Saguenay.