The english version will follow.
Avant toute chose, il est nécessaire de dire que je ne vise personne ni du comité organisateur ni des participantes, car j’ai passé un très beau rassemblement dans l’ensemble. Je n’ai que des fleurs à lancer au comité organisateur qui m’ont fait vivre des moments extraordinaires.
Malgré cela, j’ai une frustration à vous exprimer. Elle aurait dû être dites lors de la plénière, mais, à ce moment, j’avais le sentiment de ne pas avoir le droit ou l’opportunité de le faire. Le processus d’adoption du manifeste s’étant déroulé pratiquement qu’en anglais, pour pleins de bonnes raisons techniques, je me suis sentie exclue de celui-ci malgré la traduction simultanée.
Premièrement, parce que même si je comprends pourquoi le manifeste a été rédigé qu’en anglais, j’ai trouvé la situation très frustrante et brimante pour les francophones. En plus, de manquer des nuances très importantes, j’avais le sentiment que les spécificités du mouvement féministe anglophone étaient plus présentes, autant dans le premier jet du manifeste que dans le deuxième. Surtout que les résultats de la plénière francophone n’ont pas été repris dans la deuxième version.
Deuxièmement, pendant l’adoption du manifeste, j’avais le sentiment très fort d’être exclue du processus, tellement que je me suis sentie plus observatrice que participante. De plus, même la traduction, qui était quand même bien faite, ne reflète pas, à mon sens, les discussions des francophones pendant le rassemblement.
Troisièmement, tout au long de la fin de semaine, nous avons tenu compte le plus possible de la diversité de notre mouvement, malgré cela, j’ai très peu sentie d’acceptation ou de reconnaissance de la spécificité québécoise. Étant minoritaire, les unilingues francophones étaient très souvent exclues des discussions qui se déroulaient très souvent en anglais. J’espère encore que la version française du manifeste officiel me permette de me sentir incluse, mais mes espoirs sont petits. De plus, je ne sais pas si j’utiliserai le manifeste, même pour créer des outils de mobilisation ou de sensibilisation dans mon milieu.
Finalement, pour toutes ces raisons, je vais ni signer ni défendre le manifeste et j’aurais beaucoup de difficultés à me sentir interpellée par un autre rassemblement pancanadien de jeunes féministes dans l’avenir.
Amélie Charbonneau
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First and foremost, I find it necessary to specify that on the whole I found the gathering very enjoyable, and so do not wish to critize either the organizing comittee or the participants. I have lived some truly extraordinary moments and can only praise everyone’s work.
However, I feel a certain frustration and the need to express it. I should have done so during the plenary, but at the time I felt that I had neither the right nor the opportunity to communicate my views. Since the adoption of the manifesto took place almost entirely in English, for very justified technical reasons, I felt excluded from the process in spite of the simultaneous translation.
Because, for a start, even if I understand why the manifesto was only written in English, I found that situation to be very frustrating and aggravating for the French-speaking participants. Not only did the manifesto fail to make very important nuances, but I also found that it mainly addressed the specificities of the English-speaking feminist movement, as much in the first draft as in the second. Especially since the results of the French-speaking plenary were not included in this last version.
Secondly, during the adoption of the manifesto, I felt strongly that I was being excluded from the process, to the point that I had the feeling of being more of an observant than a participant. I found that even the translation, however good it was, did not reflect the richness of the discussions between French-speakers that took place during the gathering.
Thirdly, throughout the weekend, we made efforts to take into account the incredible diversity of our movement; however, I felt very little acceptance or recognition of the Québec specificity. Due to the fact that they constituted a minority, the unilingual French-speakers were excluded from discussions which often took place exclusively in English. I still hope that the French version of the official manifesto will allow me to feel included, but my expectations are low. Furthermore, I don’t know if I will be using the manifesto, even to mobilize or raise awareness within my own community.
Lastly, and for all these reasons, I will neither sign nor defend the manifesto and I will find it very difficult, in the future, to feel compelled to participate in another edition of the Pan-Canadian Young Feminist Gathering.
Amélie Charbonneau
Comments
I totally can't wait to see
I totally can't wait to see the manifesto be posted on the site and disseminated ! It would be totally cool if posters were made.
posterS anyone!
i was thinking of making posters... will let you know if it materializes... i hope many different kinds of posters will be made with this amaizing manifesto...
solidairement
Thanks for the feedback!
*Could someone do me the humongeous favor of translating this into french? I don't think the google translator stands a chance...*
As part of the manifesto committee, I appreciate the feedback. I am also really stoked that you were so positive about it! Although I am personally a little afraid of criticism, I have found all manifesto input to be very constructive, which has meant the world to me. I will carry that over next time I give someone feedback.
I am so sorry you felt marginalized as a francophone and I can understand why you felt that way. The manifesto was made up of at least one representative from each geographic region in Canada, with the idea in mind that this would represent the feminist movement throughout Canada and that women marginalized by geography (ex/ women from rural areas, women in the northern territories) would be represented. Ironically enough, this meant that there were only two members of the committee from Quebec, and the other committee members all spoke primarily english. It is hard to represent everyone with such a small committee!
If it means anything, there was a lot that the manifesto committee still wanted to expand on, write about and consider. For example, there was an aboriginal woman on the committee that wanted to write something about common themes between contemporary feminism and aboriginal culture. We all loved that idea but in the end we just didn't have time to work it in. Another example - I work with disabled women and homeless women a lot in my life, and for that reason I was passionate about keeping the document in plain language so that the most oppressed women I regularly interact with could understand it (you'll probably remember me...I was the girl with the blue dress, short brown hair and moccasins from the manifesto committee that got up about 40 times and said things to this effect.) In the end, I had to make peace with the fact that it wasn't going to be a perfectly inclusive document that analyzed all aspects of feminist struggle in an accessible, comprehensible way and love it for what it was - the product of three of the most amazing days of my life, discussing and debating and learning and writing and sharing with some of the strongest women I've ever met.
You don't have to hand it out in your community, and I still wonder if I will even, but hopefully you'll find a way of seeing it as a positive tool. Just an idea - maybe you could also use this manifesto as a building block to create a manifesto that addresses some of the more specific womens rights issues of your area and culture! I was hoping our mainfesto could empower women to do that. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the conference on the whole and thank you for your feedback!
Kay
PS - I second everything that the girl with the pink hair said (I forget your name but your image stands out in my mind). You are very articulate!
Organizing Committee & Manifesto Committee: YOU ARE APPRECIATED!
I have deep appreciation for the Organizing Committee and Manifesto Committee. In my opinion, the conference was incredibly well organized and inclusive. As an English-speaking, person of colour, I felt welcome and heard. In a feminist space (third-wave or other), this is not easy.
As I mentioned in the group, many young feminists are irritated by feminism (and feminists) because of personal interests and the need to be heard by every group. As women, we are marginalized. Through the complexities of our intersectionality, we are further marginalized. In such few and far between forums, we are so starved for recognition of our unique voices, we run the risk of losing focus.
Representing the incredibly diverse voices of 500+ women must be a daunting task. As for the process in which the manifesto was created, I think, as attendees, we should be more sensitive to the facilitator’s limitations. I was tired as a participant. I can not imagine how tired the facilitator must have been. In addition, many participants did not follow the guidelines set. For a facilitator, this can be an impossible process to negotiate. I feel she did a fantastic job in general and an amazing job considering the complexities of the situation.
If any of you remember me (brown girl, short pink hair, green eyes), I tend to be very opinionated. At the same time, I feel it is important to share and negotiate space. As such, many of the things I wanted to say, I didn't because there were 500+ more voices to be heard. The manifesto is not my manifesto- it is the collective.
I can appreciate how frustrating the conference must have been for French-speaking participants. For that frustration, I regret my part (the inability to translate). However, correct me if I’m wrong, I do know of any participant who volunteered to translate the manifesto into French. My points being we all have a part. If a participant did volunteer, than that is fantastic! If others did not (especially those particularly frustrated), then maybe it would be helpful to deconstruct our expectations.
The Manifesto Committee (and possibly the Organizing Committee, I don't know) volunteered their time to take on the very difficult task of representing 500+ opinionated women.
I paid $20 to attend the event. Other than my travel costs, I did not pay for much else. The Organizing Committee's attempt to be inclusive even went so far as to offer a travel fund! This kind of thoughtfulness and inclusion is unique in conventional feminist circles.
In closing, please take these comments in the spirit in which they are intended. This is an offer of a different perspective and an attempt to reach an understanding. Constructive criticism has a place and I assume is appreciated by the Organizing Committee and the Manifesto Committee. At the same time, let us give congratulations where congratulations are due.
That being said, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE AND MANIFESTO COMMITTEE! YOU ARE APPRECIATED!
Please feel free to contact me directly at lesi (dot) desi (at) gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns.
In solidarity,
Anita da Costa
I just went over to the
I just went over to the french side of this website, and our 2 coments aren;t posted under hers, that's why there's no reply.
forums
hi!
the forums don't have immediate translation and are separated by language. it looks like the original post was posted in the english forum, rather than the fr one.
good luck!
diandra.
Although I am a bilingual
Although I am a bilingual Montrealer (mother tongue is English though), I too think that the English/French barrier was one of the most difficult things about the gathering, sometimes excluding Anglophones and other times Francophone- and I know everyone did their best to translate. I didn;t realise that in 2008, the divide still seems to be there- there seems to be english femminist organisations and french ones, in Montreal at least I mean. I would like to point out however, that some of the propositions of francophones who made it to the mike were adopted, so there was input. Hopefully at the next conference (hoping htere is one !) we can learn form this one, and maybe have more days so the same situation does not recur. Amélie, I hope the final document we voted on is good enough for you to change your mind.
Je suis une Montrealaise bilingue (ma première langue est anglais mais je comprend et parle français) , et moi je pense aussi que la présence des deux langues était un des plus gros défi de la conférence, et je suis consciente, très consciente que tout le monde a fait leur mieux.Quand même, c'était une barrière- parfois excluant les anglophones, et parfois les francophones.Je n'aurait pas penser que même en 2008, la barrière Anglais/Français existe encore- ça a l'aire qu'il y a des organisations féministes Anglophones et dautres Anglophones- au moins a Montréal. Quand même, j'aimerai mentionner que divers propositions fait par les Québécoises francophones durant la plénière ont été adopte donc la exclusion n'est pas total.J'espère qu'a la prochaine conférence(j'espère qu'il y aura un !) on pourra apprendre des defis de celui qui juste vient de terminer, et peut-être avoir plus de journées pour qu'onm peut avoir le temps pour que cette situation ne se produit pas encore. Amélie, j'espère que le document final est asser impressionnant quie vous changer d'idée.
*I'm going to use Google to
*I'm going to use Google to translate this, so I hope it makes sense!*
As an Anglophone attendee, I'd guessed I was part of the minority. During the auditorium sessions I was sometimes surprised, yeah that there was a lot of English because in my workshops I definitely felt in the minority by FAR. Thanks very, very much by the way to all of the Francophone women who helped me understand what was going on. I really appreciate it!
Amelie, I don't want to imply your point isn't valid. I just didn't realize people were having the same kind of experience, only in from the other side.
I'd like to know more about the distinction you make between the specificities of the English-speaking feminist movement and Quebec's specificity. Is there any easy way to summarize it?
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* Je vais utiliser Google pour traduire ce, j'espère donc que cela a du sens! *
En tant que participant anglophone, je deviné, je faisais partie de la minorité. Au cours de sessions de l'auditorium j'ai été parfois surpris, que oui il y avait beaucoup de l'anglais parce que, dans mes ateliers, je doute sentir dans la minorité et de loin. Merci très, très bien par la voie à toutes les femmes francophones qui m'ont aidé à comprendre ce qui se passait. Je l'apprécie vraiment!
Amelie, je ne veux pas dire votre point de vue n'est pas valide. Je ne s'est pas rendu compte de personnes ayant le même genre d'expérience, seulement à partir de l'autre côté.
Je voudrais en savoir plus sur la distinction que vous faites entre les spécificités de la langue anglaise mouvement féministe et la spécificité du Québec. Y at-il une façon simple de le résumer?