SPECIAL EVENT: Le goût des autres

Words and music come together in celebration of cultural diversity in the arts

Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, Montrealers converged on the outdoor terrace of Place des Arts on Saturday, October 1, to mingle with activist artists and cultural workers. Percussion group Zuruba got things moving and captured the attention of the hundred or so people gathered around the festival tent set up for the occasion by the Journées de la culture, for the event Intercultural Encounters.

A debate was then held in the tent, with four panellists offering up opinions and sharing their experiences on the subject of cultural diversity in the arts. The debate, under the title “Café corsé,” was organized by Culture Montréal and was moderated by actor and Journées spokesperson André Robitaille. The panellists were Orlando Arriagada, associate producer at Tutti Frutti Films; Sylvie Lachance, artistic director of Montréal, Arts Interculturels; actor Didier Lucien; and Milton Tanaka of Accès-Asie Festival.

After a participatory show by Ollin Teatro Transformación, hip-hop band Nomadic Massive gave an energetic performance that sent a thrill through the audience gathered under the tent.

SATURDAY October 1^st, 2005

// BIBLIOTHÈQUE NATIONALE DU QUÉBEC

Prête-moi ta langue pour voir
Multilingual reading by writers and artists from various cultural backgrounds: Marie-Célie Agnant (créole), Francis Catalano (italian), Carole David (italian), Abla Farhoud (arabic), Vitali Makarov (russian), Mauricio Segura (spanish), et Lian Kui Zhand (chinese). A rare occasion was given to the public to discover the musicality of some of the languages spoken in Montréal and Quebec. The presentation concluded with a discussion with the audience.

// CONSEIL DES ARTS DE MONTRÉAL + CLAUDIA BERNAL +
LINA CRUZ

11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Lina Cruz - Fila 13
Columbian-born choreographer and dancer Lina Cruz presented open rehearsals of two recent productions with dancers and musicians from her company, Fila 13. Audience members were invited to participate and try out some of the steps!

Pictures and text: Catherine Couturier

1 to 3 p.m.
Claudia Bernal - Identity and self-representation
This interdisciplinary artist, born in Columbia, hosted a workshop on the theme of identity, combining theatrical exercises and visual art experiments to create personal images.

Pictures: Julie Perron

// NATIONAL THEATRE SCHOOL + ONDINNOCK

Like an open book
On this theme, the National Theatre School opened its doors and welcomed Ondinnok, a First Nations theatre company. Directed by Yves Sioui Durand and Catherine Joncas, Ondinnok's mission is to create a Native mythological theatre that integrates initiatory traditions and contemporary theatre practices.

Students from the Ondinnok theatre program.

// MONTRÉAL, ARTS INTERCULTURELS + POP MONTRÉAL

Pop & Politics
The "Pop & Politics: Music Making Change" Conference was two days of activities, conferences and workshops on the role of music in mobilizing communities and promoting human rights. A local and international reflection on music, diversity and globalization, organized with the support of POP Montréal International Music Festival, The Guava Collective, Rights and Democracy, MAI and FACTOR.

// MUSÉE D'ART CONTEMPORAIN DE MONTRÉAL + YAYO

The Art of the Cartoon
Yayo (Diego Herrera), an illustrator and cartoonist of Columbian origin, explained the art of creating cartoons to the young and not-so-young and then invited them to participate in a group effort to produce a series of cartoons and comic strips on various themes.

Pictures and text: Catherine Couturier

// PLACE DES ARTS + FESTIVAL DU MONDE ARABE (FMA)

Arabesque
An overview of the rhythms of the Middle East, hosted by Sofia Benyahia, coordinator of FMA's Salon de la culture. Musicians from Morocco (Omar Lazrak, luth), Lebanon (Samy Rizkallah, nay; Nizar Tabsharani, qanoun) and Egypt (Magdi Abdallah, tar) presented their instruments and performed excerpts. Three dancers from the Montréal troupe Tywalline, directed by choreographer Khadidja Jabiry of Moroccan origin, invited the public to dance the baladi and other Middle Eastern dances.

Tywalline. Picture: Michel Lefebvre

// SOCIETY FOR ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY (SAT) +
LAND INSIGHTS
+ WAPIKONI MOBILE + NATIVE FRIENDSHIP CENTRE

ELECTRONIC TURTLE

According to the First Nations, North America is carried on the back of Great Turtle, a symbol of wisdom, generosity and steadfastness. A group of artists used this theme to present a creative media happening for a cross-cultural and multidisciplinary encounter at SAT and Parc de la Paix.

The day was officially launched by Sky Bellefleur and the Drum group form the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal. A series of media arts interventions took place all afternoon and evening.

Sylvie-Anne Trudel in performance. Picture: Martine Koutnouyan

Great Turtle and Sky Woman
Christine Sioui Wawanoloath, an Abenaki-Huron-Wendat artist, presented her multimedia and visual creation, produced in-house at SAT in collaboration with Joseph Lefèvre and with the participation of actor Sylvie-Anne Siouï from the Company "Aataensic Masques et Théâtre" and Mexican musician Coyotzin. According to Huron and Wendat mythology, during the creation of the world, Sky Woman falls to Earth and is welcomed by GreatTurtle. This theme was explored through digital images, mimes and music.

// THÉÂTRE DE QUAT'SOUS + NERUDA

A moment with Pablo Neruda
In the intimate setting of the theatre's small café, Chileanborn actors Marcelo Arroyo and Marcela Pizarro Minella read poems in French and Spanish by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. A prelude to "Une ardente patience" to be presented at Quat'Sous in October 2005, this reading also provided an introduction to the moving works of one of the 20th century's most influential poets.

// TOHU + LISA NDEJURU et NISHA SAJNANI

Tuganire - Parlons ensemble
Experimental performance/workshop that introduced participants to "playback theatre" as a method of encouraging dialogue and building bridges between different communities. A collective work by Rwandanborn artist Lisa Ndejuru and actress Nisha Sajnani, who is also the co-director of the Creative Alternatives Centre.

SUNDAY October 2nd, 2005

// BIBLIOTHÈQUE NATIONALE DU QUÉBEC

10:30 to 12:30 p.m.
Ensemble et différents
A collective writing workshop led by Marie-Célie Agnant, Sylvain Dodier and Sylvie Massicotte on the theme "Ensemble et différents pour réaliser le Québec de demain". The final text produced during this workshop was presented the same day at the launch of the Semaine québécoise des rencontres interculturelles, organized by the Ministère de l'Immigration et des Communautés culturelles.

2 to 3 p.m.
L'Heure du conte: des contes venus d'ailleurs
Stories and storytellers from far away lands were told in French as well as in their original languages. A surprising voyage of words and images for the entire family during the Semaine québécoise des rencontres interculturelles.

// CINÉMATHÈQUE QUÉBÉCOISE + MARTINE CHARTRAND

Painting-on-glass animation
The Cinémathèque welcomed Haitian-born painter, illustrator and filmmaker Martine Chartrand. She has developed an unusual technique of painting on glass directly under the animation camera. Her second animated film, Âme noire, has won some 22 prizes, including the prestigious Golden Bear from theBerlin Film Festival for best short film in 2001 and the Jutra for best animated film in 2002.

// CONSEIL DES ARTS DE MONTRÉAL

FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

The Conseil des arts de Montréal was opening its doors for a journey into the world of movement of the body, images and words. A day of activities and discovery for the entire family.

Ciné-débats
Selected by Vues d’Afrique (www.vuesdafrique.org), two short sessions of films presenting African legends and folk tales. Yannick Dutelly hosted discussions with the children.

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Contes animaliers
- for 4 years and up

1:30 to 3 p.m.
Contes et légendes
- for 6 years and up

11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Emmanuel Jouthe - Danse Carpe Diem
Together with four dancers from his company, this choreographer revealed the artistic process that goes into the creation of a new work.

Picture: Jocelyne Bonnier

1 to 3 p.m.
Galitcha
Interactive workshop for young people on the cultural differences between Eastern and Western music, through an analysis of various musical rhythms and traditional instruments from India (harmonium, vocals, tablas, dulcimer) and from the West (flute and guitar). Songs were mainly in Punjabi, Urdu and Hindu with musicians Kuljit Sodhi (lead vocals, percussions), Chris MacLean (harmonium, guitar, dulcimer, vocals), Linsey Wellman (flute, soprano and alto saxophone) and Shawn Mativetsky (tablas, percussions).

Galitcha / Picture: Susan Bernard

2 to 3:30 p.m.
Contes et jeux créoles et africains
Storyteller Franck Sylvestre of French and Martinique origin invited young people to find the parallels between Quebec sayings, expressions and proverbs and those of African and Caribbean origin. He encourages people to try and understand that human feelings are in fact universal.

// GESÙ + ACCÈS-ASIE

1 to 2 p.m.
Chorale de la prophétie
Under the direction of Kettia Massenat, the Haitian Gospel Choir performed a repertoire of varied music including rhythm and blues and Caribbean soul in French, English and French creole.

Source: Chorale de la prophétie

3 to 4 p.m.
Lion Dance
Accès-Asie presented the Lion Dance, with Chinese-born artist Hailin Sun, an acrobat formerly with Shanghai's Troupe and his son Jinj Xi. Deeply rooted in Chinese culture and mythology and possibly descended from the Tang, Han or Ch'in dynasty, this dance is used to chase away monsters and bring good luck, prosperity and longevity.

Picture: Alain Chagnon

// NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA + PAROLE CITOYENNE

Parole citoyenne offered two meetings with filmmakers as well as an opportunity to view their works. Click on "Images interculturelles" on the Parole citoyenne Web site for film excerpts, links, comments, forums and chat rooms athttp://citoyen.onf.ca

4 to 6 p.m.
Un quartier à livrer
Screening of a film by Indian-born filmmaker Feroz Mehdi, followed by a discussion with the director and other contributors on multiculturalism, immigration, poverty and the search for identity.

7 to 9 p.m.
Cinéma engagé
Round table hosted by Mahalia Verna with Diego Briceño-Orduz (Columbian-born producer and director), Valérie Boudreault (Innu anthropologist, journalist and filmmaker), Hyacinthe Combary (Burkina Faso-born filmmaker) and Maryse Legagneur (Haitian-born filmmaker) on the subject of activist filmmaking and citizen participation. The meeting included film excerpts and questions from the audience that are now posted to the Parole citoyenne Web site along with a transcript of the discussions.

Picture: Eva Quintas

// THÉÂTRE DU NOUVEAU MONDE + ACCÈS-ASIE

Poetry P.M.
Accès-Asie presented a meeting of four poets who introduced the audience to Iranian, Lebanese and Quebec poetry from yesterday and today. Paul Blanchet, poet and literary director at Éditions du Noroît hosted these encounters: authors Bahman Sadighi, Hossein Sharang and Nadine Ltaif presented readings of selected poems in French and Persian, accompanied by musician Claude Maheu. A discussion with the audience follows.

The Secrétariat des Journées de la culture thanks all the artists and organizations that made this first edition possible.

Intercultural Encounters will evolve over the next three years. Introduced in Montréal during the Journées de la culture 2005, the Encounters will expand throughout Quebec in 2006 and 2007.