The High Commission of Canada last Wednesday hosted a screening of the Canadian movie “Je m’appelle humain” (My Name is Human) in celebration of the International Day of La Francophonie, observed on March 20.
According to a statement from the High Commission, the purpose of the screening was two-fold: to celebrate Canada’s French heritage and also to shine more light on the efforts towards language and cultural preservation in Indigenous communities.
The movie follows the life of Indigenous poet Joséphine Bacon, who devoted her life to traditional Indigenous knowledge transfer. “Like many other Indigenous children, as a child Joséphine grew up in the Residential School system in Canada. Throughout the film, she and others explained how the school system forced them to abandon their Indigenous traditions and language but through her work with Elders as translator, filmmaker, and interpreter, she was able to capture some of their knowledge that would have otherwise vanished after their death,” the High Commission explained. “After discovering her gift for poetry, Joséphine managed to become a major contributor to Indigenous cultural preservation through her unique and poetic story-telling. Throughout the movie, Joséphine stressed the importance of preventing further loss of indigenous language, culture, and its traditions.”
The High Commission noted that in recent times Canada has been making efforts to reconcile with Indigenous communities both in Canada and abroad given its challenging history.
High Commissioner Mark Berman, in brief remarks prior to the screening, highlighted that the Francophone community is an integral part of Canada’s national identity and helps to make it unique.
He also spoke about the movie’s Indigenous theme. “We are very proud to showcase a small fraction of the Indigenous culture of Canada with this movie. And I am also very proud to
collaborate with Guyanese indigenous peoples on a number of projects,” Berman was quoted as telling the audience, which included Deputy Speaker Lenox Shuman, representatives of the Indigenous People’s Commission, the President of the Alliance Française in Guyana Dhamatie Goring and her team, other Indigenous guests and members of the diplomatic community.
Alliance Française promotes French culture and language in Guyana.
The High Commission’s statement noted that the International Day of La Francophonie was inaugurated in 1988 to promote and celebrate the French language and the political, educational, economic and cultural cooperation among La Francophonie, which is a group of 88 states that share French as a common language.
It further noted that Canada is bilingual and over eight million people there use French as a first language, including some members of Indigenous communities.
The statement said it is the High Commission’s hope that the interest in the French language will continue to be alive in Guyana and more persons will be interested in learning it.
“Je m’appelle humain” is available for viewing on Amazon Prime Video.
