Invited to perform at the next edition of the Festival international de la chanson de Granby, rapper Samian has learned that his performance should be canceled. The reason? The artist recognized for singing in French and Algonquin refused to comply with one of the conditions imposed by the Festival stipulating that 80% of the songs had to be delivered in French once morest 20% in Aboriginal languages.
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The rapper from the indigenous community of Pikogan, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, publicly shared his frustration and incomprehension by posting a long message on Instagram on Monday. This following learning the news of his withdrawal from the festival by email, just a week following being invited to participate in the next FICG.
“Finally, it is with amazement that I learn this morning that my presence is refused, because my concert would not be 100% in French, wrote the 38-year-old artist. In 2022, should indigenous languages still be considered foreign languages? These ancestral languages from here have nothing threatening for French! »
Joined by The newspaperSamian claimed to have made this publication out of desire and a need to empty his heart and in order to publicly ask social questions whose answers seem obvious to him.
“I made this publication so that people know that it exists and that it should not exist, he explains. It’s frustrating and it proves to me once once more that the fight continues and that we must not give up; there is still a long way to go! Even if we sometimes think that things are going well and that people have finally understood something, I realize that they have not. »
The Aboriginal artist has made the promotion of his language and his culture his hobbyhorse since his beginnings. He insists on the logic of inviting an Aboriginal artist to participate in an event “for who he is and the songs we know regarding him”.
“I come with who I am 100%, regardless of the event, says the man who has often participated in the Francos de Montréal without having to modify his repertoire. From my side, it was take it or leave it and they let it and the reasons are completely unjustifiable. I’m not going to start calculating the percentage of native languages in my show, so let’s see! »
Samian explains that he had a good discussion, through an intermediary, with the direction of the Festival, but without result.
“Me, what I hear are political messages behind all this which say: you are going to do it in our language or not at all, he adds. This is where it shocks me, because I have been fighting for 15 years for us to have this place, for these languages to be recognized and once once more, we find ourselves with restrictions and a mentality that I really feels colonial. »
A predominantly French-speaking festival
Reached by Le Journal au telephone, FICG general manager Jean François Lippé shared his disappointment at seeing Samian removed from its programming and insisted that the event is a “predominantly French-speaking festival whose mission is to promote the French-speaking song”.
“I find it sad what is happening now,” he says. We spoke to the representatives of Samian and this does not necessarily reflect the reality of the discussions since we were open to Samian also performing songs in his first language during the festival. The proportion was 80-20%. If we invited him, it’s because we esteem him a lot. »
Samian claims to have often refused to appear on the scenes of events that imposed conditions on him in relation to his language, his culture and his remarks.
