The public came in large numbers on August 11, 2024, to the Marc-Lescarbot Hall, in the municipality of Clare, to attend the special screening of the first documentary by director Natalie Robichaud, originally from Saulnierville. Entitled Trécarré: A la source du son de la Baie Sainte-Marie, this short documentary is the project of which Natalie is most proud, because it tells the little-known story of the musicians of her Acadian community of Clare. She hopes that her film will be a tool to raise awareness among young Acadians about the evolution of their music in Clare. Moreover, her concern for preserving local and Acadian heritage has earned her the choice of Francopresse as one of the ten influential personalities of the Canadian Francophonie in 2023. A well-deserved reward…
Natalie is currently the Executive Director of the Société acadienne de Clare (in French) and Vice-President (and Past President) of the Fédération culturelle acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse, representing the Southwest Region. She is also a master’s student in Francophone cultures and spaces at Université Sainte-Anne, with a strong focus on community involvement. As a result, it is in an ideal position to encourage Clare’s Acadian and Francophone community to flourish in its culture and language. However, Natalie is thinking even bigger. She wonders a lot about what has forged the collective identity of her community and seeks to revive forgotten local history and traditions. Her documentary on the history of the musicians of Clare and the important preliminary work of transcription and archiving of their works that she supported are a perfect illustration of this. Of course, Natalie has other projects that are just as exciting…
Get in on the dance
What if we entered the dance? Natalie dreamed of reviving the traditional “câllées” dances, that is, guided by a dancer or “câlleur” (from the English call), which were once very popular in Baie Sainte-Marie, but which had almost disappeared. After an intense period of familiarization with these dances in Quebec and Cape Breton, Natalie reconstructed, with the help of the memories of the elders, the Réel à huit or French Eight (dance for four couples), specific to Baie Sainte-Marie. Today, Natalie organizes a monthly workshop (in French) of “callée” dancing, with several dances in the repertoire, much appreciated by young and old as a moment of conviviality and well-being, where they contribute together to the social bond.
And what about the Francophonie in all this? Although Clare is the only municipality in the province to offer its services in both French and English, signage, especially private signage, is still too unilingual in English. Natalie is well aware of this and strives to give young Acadians a taste for getting involved in community life and becoming familiar with the workings of the provincial government. For example, she encouraged four students in the civics class at Clare Secondary School to obtain a change in road signs (in French) thanks to their tenacity. This exemplary project is indicative of Natalie’s commitment to young people. In her resolute actions to defend the French language, revive traditional dances or preserve Clare’s musical identity, Natalie gives a primordial place to transmission between generations. This is perhaps what most characterizes this tireless defender of the Acadian language and culture.
Header photo: Natalie Robichaud, by Charlene d’Entremont.
Jean-Marc Agator
Paris, France