Read more A student at École secondaire des Pionniers in Trois-Rivières was unable to recite the entire famous poem Speak White by Michèle Lalonde for his performance at Secondaire en spectacle because it contains the “n-word.” For the student, this represents censorship. A few days after the regional audition for Secondaire en spectacle, Alexis Letarte was informed by the organization that the poem he wanted to recite violated its rules, which prohibit hateful or violent remarks. It should be noted that the author Michèle Lalonde used the n-word in her poem to compare the situation of French Canadians in the 60s to that of black slaves who worked on American plantations.
Secondaire en spectacle asked Alexis Letarte to replace this word with another, which he did. He replaced the n-word with the word "meagre". The student says he did it reluctantly and he denounces what he calls the climate of fear that reigns within educational institutions. He emphasizes that Michèle Lalonde's work tackles oppression in all its forms and colonialism. It is truly a text that is strongly committed to anti-racism, committed to nationalism. And changing this word like that, a word that has importance, a historical connotation, that is part of history, I think that is censorship. It is censoring the past, argues the student.
A reflection requestedSecondaire en spectacle says it needs a guideline, because the debate surrounding the n-word goes far beyond its mandate. The organization wants to avoid offending the sensibilities of people of African descent, but also wants to promote freedom of expression. To play it safe, the organization contacted the Ministry of Education and the Federation of School Service Centers to receive an opinion.
The director of Secondaire en spectacle, Hélène Martin, maintains that everyone agreed to remove the n-word from her performance. Using this word could have created a future that may be difficult. Not necessarily for the artist. Alexis Roy-Letarte was ready to defend his argument. But also for the people who are in the room and who hear this word, who do not have enough perspective to say: "OK, this is part of a historical context." We are ready to sit down with the authorities, to be part of the reflection, but we are not the ones who will decide on this situation.
Education Minister Bernard Drainville was in Trois-Rivières. His point of view is out of step with that of his department. He is of the opinion that the integrity of works like Speak White must be preserved, even if it means releasing them with a warning. The poem was written a long time ago, it is a cultural, artistic work, a major one in the history of Quebec. I think that when it is well contextualized, I think we should keep the work intact, the minister argues.
With information from Jacob Côté
A student at the Pionniers high school in Trois-Rivières was unable to recite the entire famous poem Speak White by Michèle Lalonde for her performance at Secondaire en spectacle, because it contains the "n-word". For the student, this represents censorship.
A few days after the regional audition for Secondaire en spectacle, Alexis Letarte was informed by the organization that the poem he wanted to recite violated its rules, which prohibit hateful or violent remarks. It should be noted that the author Michèle Lalonde used the n-word in his poem to compare the situation of French Canadians in the 60s to that of black slaves who worked on American plantations.
Secondaire en spectacle asked Alexis Letarte to replace this word with another, which he did. He replaced the n-word by the word skinnyThe student says he did it reluctantly and denounces what he calls climate of fear that reigns within educational institutions. He emphasizes that Michèle Lalonde's work attacks oppression in all its forms and colonialism. It is really a text that is strongly committed to anti-racism, committed to nationalism. And changing this word like that, a word that has an importance, a historical connotation, that is part of history, I believe that is censorship. It is censoring the past., the student argues.
A reflection requested
Secondary in show says it needs a tag, because the debate surrounding the n-word goes far beyond its mandate. The organization wants to avoid offending the sensibilities of people of African descent, but also wants to promote freedom of expression. To err on the safe side, the organization has contacted the Ministry of Education and the Federation of School Service Centers for advice.
The director of Secondaire en spectacle, Hélène Martin, maintains that everyone agreed to remove the n-word of his performance. Using this word could have created a future that is perhaps difficult. Not necessarily for the artist. Alexis Roy-Letarte was ready to defend his argument. But also for the people who are in the room and who hear this word, who do not have enough perspective to say: "OK, this is part of a historical context." We are ready to sit down with the authorities, to be part of the reflection, but we are not the ones who will decide on this situation.
Education Minister Bernard Drainville was in Trois-Rivières. His point of view is out of step with that of his ministry. He is of the opinion that the integrity of works such as Speak white even if it means broadcasting them with a warning. The poem was written a long time ago, it is a cultural, artistic work, major in the history of Quebec. I think that when it is well contextualized, I think we should keep the work intact., the minister argues.
With information from Jacob Côté
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