While many independent festivals in Quebec suffer from a lack of funding, Toronto’s only French-language cultural event is also struggling to stay afloat. As the 42nde Franco-Fête, this edition could well be the last of the largest French-speaking festival in the Queen City if its situation does not improve.
“We don’t know if the 2025 edition of the Franco-Fête will take place, because with the budget we have today, we wouldn’t be able to do it [l’an prochain] ” says the chairman of the festival’s board of directors, Abel Maxwell, in an interview with Duty.
A non-profit organization that has existed since 1983, Franco-Fête de Toronto celebrates the diversity and richness of Francophone culture through music, dance and the arts. “Emerging and established talents from the local and international cultural scene” participate, Mr. Maxwell notes.
Last year, the budget for this Toronto celebration of the Francophonie was cut by 73.3% compared to the pre-COVID-19 budget of $375,000. The annual budget now stands at $100,000, an amount that is “almost insignificant,” according to Abel Maxwell. “On an individual level, imagine having your salary reduced [de] 75%. You understand the urgency.”
The Franco-Fête has therefore launched an appeal for help by distributing an opinion letter in the hope that the upcoming edition, whose theme is Cri du coeur, will not be its swan song. “The time has come for accountability and general mobilization,” the members of the board of directors wrote.
“We are starting, we hope that our cry from the heart will be heard by the public authorities,” says Abel Maxwell. “I think that French speakers are also aware of what is happening.”
“Public and private donors are turning a deaf ear to the funding crisis that the event is going through and which threatens its existence,” the publication states.
Mr. Maxwell denounces in this sense the government investments which, according to him, are made with a view to “profitability”. “We must not only look at it from an accounting perspective, but also from an identity construction perspective,” maintains the president of the festival’s board of directors.
“I think that culture is really the social glue of communities, and it is important that we mobilize so that it continues, so that we can continue.”
Right now, the festival survives thanks to “the selflessness and resilience of a few volunteers,” explains Abel Maxwell. He himself, as president of the board, is not paid. “We also have little hands on the ground, volunteers who are active, who lend a hand for the vitality of our communities,” he continues.
According to Mr. Maxwell, the “more than 40 years of existence” of the Franco-Fête testifies to its “importance”. “Otherwise, it would have stopped after the first or second year,” he says.
“This is an important celebration for us, Francophones and Francophiles,” said the chairman of the board of directors. “That is why, right now, Francophones need to come together.”
The 42e edition of Franco-Fête is scheduled to take place on Saturday and Sunday, August 24 and 25 at Stackt Market in Toronto. Admission is free.