The Festival international de la chanson de Granby (FICG) is in turmoil after refusing rapper Samian’s participation in its 2022 edition. The artist from the Abitibiwinni First Nation refused to comply with the festival’s instructions, namely to sing 80% of the songs in his show in French and 20% in Anishinabemowin.
Samian’s latest album, released last year and titled Nikamo, is however almost entirely written in this Algonquian language. Reached by phone, the singer deplores the festival’s decision to exclude him from the program because of his refusal to comply with the required quotas. “When they told me that they would accept a show that was 80% French-speaking and 20% in the Algonquian language, I told them that I couldn’t do that. I told them that they had invited me knowingly,” explains Samian. He adds that “it’s as if I were asked to be 80% Quebecois and 20% Algonquin on stage. »
The FICG declined the interview request of the Homework. However, he indicated in a press release that he was “sincerely sorry for the turn of events” and hoped “that the dialogue with Samian and his representative will continue so that he can be part of the next edition. »
“I would be surprised if I went there this year,” says the rapper.
In a press release, the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador said it was “dismayed” by the FICG’s decision.
A “purely political” decision
It was in a status posted on his Facebook page on Monday that Samian communicated the news to his followers. The status has been shared over 2000 times. “In 2022, should indigenous languages be considered foreign languages? », writes the artist. In an interview, he claims to consider this decision of the festival as “purely political”.
In any case, it is not a decision made to obtain more subsidies. Reached by telephone, SODEC’s director of communications, Johanne Morissette, confirms that there is no quota of French-language songs required of festivals so that they can obtain government subsidies.
“As part of our variety distribution assistance program, which finances the Granby festival, there is no eligibility rule related to such a quota, she specifies. It’s really the festival that makes the choice to set up its programming and the constraints in relation to its guests. She adds that SODEC funds the FICG to the tune of $125,000.
Languages at risk
For Samian, the FICG’s decision comes in a crucial context. “2022 is the year the UN declared indigenous languages to be official languages. Governments recognize that, they talk about reconciliation and openness,” he recalls. He claims to “understand the point of view of the festival”, but nevertheless recalls that he does not sing in English. “There is still a long way to go,” he sighs.
This is also the opinion of content creator Xavier Watso. The dynamic high school drama teacher and Abenaki activist is known for his TikTok videos, in which he promotes the Abenaki language. “It’s already extremely difficult to keep our indigenous languages alive,” he says, lamenting that “our language was almost extinct in the early 2000s.”
He recalls the importance of making the language known, particularly to young Aboriginal people who speak it less than their elders, according to him. He sees at least one bright spot in the controversy surrounding the FICG: “Twenty or 30 years ago, this whole thing wouldn’t have created a stir. »
As for Samian, he considers that we must “continue to fight” for the promotion of First Nations and Inuit languages. “Indigenous languages are not threatening, they are under threat,” he says.