This past December 2 and 3, a symposium on textiles was held in Montreal, and not just any symposium, an international symposium in parallel with an exceptional one-off exhibition organized by the Design Center of the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM ). Its title: “Textiles beyond craftsmanship”. A first for a highly specialized interest group, whose initiative we salute.
So, a wonderful subject to attract everyone who is interested or passionate about textiles. But what do we learn, to our total dismay? That in Montreal — where we are still struggling for the survival of our language, where several public and private organizations strive to promote it, as countless artists and creators do with strength, talent and devotion, their hand on the heart —, the said symposium was held in English, in the largest French-speaking university in North America! And that in addition to the Quebec speakers, even the Swiss and Parisian speakers gave in to the exercise of linguistic acrobatics, and this…. in the French-speaking metropolis of Quebec, in principle proud of it.
However, the organizing committee for this event was made up of two representatives from Montreal universities (UQAM and Concordia) jointly with an American university and the scientific committee, two professors from UQAM and a professor from Munich. So a majority well aware of the linguistic context of Quebec and Montreal.
The question of the costs of simultaneous translation should not be an obstacle; the search for funds in the private sector or in partnership is done elsewhere or should be included in the requests to grantors.
Alerted by discouraged participants — we are artisans, creators, museologists, actors who believe that, if culture and textile design can speak to the world, both are rooted in places and societies, and are often inspired by it – we therefore express how sorry we are (from rage, incomprehension or shame, or all three together) in the face of so little energy, with the meager consolation that we still have to shout, like Pauline Julien at the conference on the Francophonie in Niamey in 1964: Long live Quebec free… Or, otherwise: Long live Quebec freed from its identity timidity!