Fête nationale like no other
Celebrations head online this year
It is going to be a very different Fête nationale this year and nowhere is that difference more apparent than in Safia Nolin’s alternative online-only event Saint-jeanne.
Because of the COVID-19 crisis and the provincial government’s banning of all major sporting and cultural events until Aug. 31, there will be no big Fête nationale parade in Montreal. Nor will there be the usual public outdoor concerts in Montreal and on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City.
Instead, the Quebec and Montreal Fête nationale organizers have teamed up together to present one show, Tout le Québec à l’unisson, which will be pretaped at L’amphithéatre Cogeco in Trois-rivières and broadcast on the four main francophone TV networks — Radio-canada, TVA, V and Télé-québec — on June 23 at 8 p.m. It will be hosted by Ariane Moffatt and Pierre Lapointe and will feature performances by Michel Rivard, Patrice Michaud, Lara Fabian, Gregory Charles, Louis-jean Cormier, Marie-mai and Coeur de pirate.
Nolin’s event, in sharp contrast, is a much more inclusive affair that is designed to underline the diversity of Quebec society. The outspoken openly gay singer-songwriter from Quebec City says her show was created to shine the spotlight on the kind of people usually shut out of the traditional St-jean-baptiste celebrations. It’s about cultural and ethnic diversity, but it is also meant to highlight the province’s LGBTQ community.
“It was inspired by everything that’s happening right now, with the anti-racism movement,” said Nolin in a phone interview Friday from Lyon, France, where she has been since the start of the COVID pandemic.
“It raised a lot of questions for me,” Nolin said. “Who am I? What have I done about racism? I was feeling a bit guilty. After many, many discussions, I thought that I should try to do something positive.”
Nolin grew up in a Muslim family in Quebec City and she has often spoken about the racism she was confronted with at the time, particularly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The Saint-jeanne event will be pre-taped and broadcast on her Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube sites June 24 at 8 p.m. The lineup includes Nolin; Montreal rapper Backxwash; Montreal singer, comedian and writer Tranna Wintour; Quebec actress Gabrielle Boulianne-tremblay; Quebec author Karl Hardy; Montreal singer and producer Annie Sama; and drag queens Matante Alex and Gisèle Lullaby. The event will be hosted by Montreal drag queen Kiara.
“It’s all about being more inclusive,” Nolin said. “It’s not about insulting the traditional St-jean celebrations. My show is about showing all of Quebec, and my image of Quebec doesn’t just include white heterosexuals. The queer community really isn’t well represented in Quebec. But really, at the end of the day, the lineup is full of artists who just don’t get enough attention in the media here.”