Story by Claire Okeke and Photos by Franco Festival
Calgary: The Franco Festival Calgary took place on July 18 to 19, 2018, at the Shaw Millennium Park. The festival is an event dedicated to celebrate and showcase the diverse cultures of the French community in Calgary through music, food, and art. Speaking to Michelle Mendez Holmes, Coordinator of Extracurricular Activities, in a Q & A with Diversity Magazine on the objective of the festival and impact it has within the community;
Q: How the Franco Festival came to be?
A: Franco Festival Calgary is the celebration of scope of multiculturalism that exists within the francophone community in Calgary. The creation of a Franco Festival Calgary is to promote and share our diversity with all Albertans. However, Franco Festival Calgary is mostly seen as a time for francophone communities to get together and enjoy themselves. It is purported to be a time when friends, families and diverse communities can get together without any concern of language or ethnicity, although how much this holds true in reality is debatable. That said, there are certain groups that take its language elements more seriously than others.
Q: The impact of the festival with the French community and across Calgary as a municipality?
A: Calgary’s vibrant multiculturalism and varied landscapes make this a great place to live and to visit. The Franco Festival is an opportunity for people to celebrate amongst family and friends. However, a deeper look at the impact of the festival on the French-speaking community of the city might prove to be an interesting exercise. ∙ When participants are asked what they most preferred at the festival, the answer that came up most often was meeting old friends and family. ∙ The many activities and shows are only a backdrop for the encounters that take place. ∙ The celebrations provide a festive environment rather than the usual day-to-day meetings that are already a part of community life. ∙ The fact is that everyone present can feel at ease to speak French without fear of being judged or being misunderstood.
Q: What challenges have you faced over the years in trying to create a successful festival?
A: We have dealt with many challenges throughout the year to create a successful festival. The three challenges we see every year is the site of the festival, permanent funding, and Francophone artists in Alberta. The festival has changed venues throughout the years which poses the problem of site planning. Every year we have to figure out how to plan on a new site. We are hoping to keep this year’s venue Olympic Plaza for next year as this will help us for easier site planning. Since we are non-profit organization, we run solely on funding. Every year we need to apply for funding for FFC. We run the festival every time in hopes that we will receive the funding at the end. We are always in search of talented Francophone artists in Alberta. Most of our artists come from Edmonton and we would like to see more come from Calgary. Artist’s become costly when we have to continue our search eastbound to Quebec as now we have to deal with airplane costs and hotel costs.
Q: Where do you see the festival in the years to come?
A: In the next 5 years, we would like FFC as; the first summer French speaking event, a festival that last more than one day and to include international artist’s.
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