Travelling Roundtable of the Francophones and Métis - Batoche (Cultural Performance)
Creator:
Institut français
Subject:
Institut français, Identity, Language
Description:
On 18 and 19 August 2007, the Institut français and its partners, the Assemblée communautaire fransaskoise, the Gabriel Dumont Institute, and Métis Homeland Batoche Local 51, hosted the Travelling Roundtable of the Francophones and Métis of Western Canada at Batoche. The event included two community roundtables, four general interest talks, as well as “Rendez-vous Batoche,” a special cultural evening featuring twelve well-known artists from both communities. The opening roundtable at Batoche brought together Francophones and Métis from central and northern Saskatchewan in order to strengthen the relationship between the two communities, thereby allowing them to learn from each other and better support their respective development. The Roundtable was part of a larger effort to build a dialogue between Métis and Francophones across the three Prairie provinces. This was the second roundtable of this type, the first being held in Regina in 2005. This is the introduction of the First Roundtable - "Who we are...Our Challenges." Peter Dorrington, President of the Organizing Committee, introduces the Roundtable facilitators, Marilyn Poitras and Francine Proulx-Kenzle. They in turn introduce the panelists: Rita Bouvier, Terry Boyer, Lucille Georget, Simone Laliberté, Benoit Perret, Scott Langlois, Susan McKenzie, Ed Bruce, Adèle Gaudet, Paul-Émile L’Heureux, Sophie Ferré, and Henri Gareau.