Film, theatre and a human library mark intercultural week in Gatineau

Tashi Farmilo

The Semaine québécoise des rencontres interculturelles (Quebec Intercultural Encounters Week) runs across the province from November 2 to 8, but in Gatineau it will stretch to 17 days, as the city and a network of community organizations present film, theatre, music and conversation from Old Aylmer to Hull between October 30 and November 15 to bring together residents of every background and strengthen their sense of belonging to the city they share.

The program opens October 30 with a celebration of the Day of the Dead at the Maison du citoyen, running through November 2. UNAM-Canada, joined by the Embassy of Mexico, the Modern American School and the city, will set up a traditional ofrenda, the altar on which Mexican families honour those they have lost, along with workshops, face painting and guided tours from 10 am to 4 pm each day.

The film collective Ciné-Jonction presents a double bill at Cabaret La Basoche in Old Aylmer on November 3. Nitassinan, at 6 pm, was directed by the Innu poet Joséphine Bacon and the filmmaker Kim O’Bomsawin and examines Innu history and resilience; its title is the Innu-aimun word for “our land.” It is followed at 8 pm by Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Appunti per un’Orestiade africana (Notes Towards an African Orestes), a 1970 film in which the Italian director scouts locations for an African adaptation of Aeschylus’ Oresteia that was never made, then screens his footage for African students in Rome and asks for their views.

The Carrefour jeunesse-emploi de l’Outaouais (Outaouais Youth Employment Centre) hosts Rhythms and Cultures Meet! on November 5, a midday gathering at which cultural groups will share their dances, music and traditions, from 11:45 am to 1:45 pm. That evening, from 7 pm to 9 pm, Galerie Montcalm opens an exhibition the city lists in English as Sowed in the Stars, Here Are a Few Flowers to Remember Me, which explores welcome, belonging and migration, with the artist in attendance.

Accueil-Parrainage Outaouais (Outaouais Welcome and Sponsorship) presents Roots and Flowers, a play about the many paths and identities that make up the community, at Salle Jean-Despréz on November 6 at 7:30 pm.

Accompagnement des femmes immigrantes de l’Outaouais (Support for Immigrant Women of the Outaouais), which opened an office in Aylmer last year, will hold a human library at the Maison du citoyen library on November 7 from 2 pm to 4 pm. In place of books, participants meet one on one with people who share their histories, cultures and life stories.

The provincial week ends November 8 at La Cabane en bois rond, where the Centre islamique de l’Outaouais (Islamic Centre of the Outaouais) will host booths, activities and cultural displays from 11 am to 4 pm under the title Quebec Together: One Table… A Thousand Stories!

Gatineau hosts Welcome Home! on November 11, an evening at the Maison du citoyen where newcomers and longtime residents can learn about local resources and meet community partners, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. The program closes November 15 with Your Passport to Gatineau, a family day of performances and participatory activities at the Maison du citoyen, from 10 am to 4 pm.

The full schedule is available at:  https://calendrier.gatineau.cloud/calendrier/evenement.aspx?langue=fr-ca&id_evenement=46654.