Carnaval. It's a party, you know?
Where else might this occur within Canada, than in Quebec, one might venture to ask. Where empathetic concern evolves around imagined slights against the Quebecois, in irritation of their culture of joie de vivre, of their vibrant language, of their history of New France, and the disaster that befell when Great Britain conquered the French on the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.The Province of Quebec and its 'pure laine' population of old stock French Canadians are still one of the prides of the country; a little bit of cantankerous and wonderfully quaint old Europe to brighten up the plodding Anglais effect in the rest of Canada. Quebec prides itself as a 'nation', and Canada has formally, through an overwhelming vote in Parliament given its agreement.
Sensitivities toward the feelings of other ethnic, cultural, religious or traditional groups does not rank particularly high among the Quebecois, however. Unintended insults can occur simply because the French do not evince much concern over slights targeting others; it is only those which they assume are meant for them, to belittle them in some obscure way, that lights their antennae.
And along comes a Canadian Jewish family, visiting the Quebec City Carnaval, only to discover that among the featured ice sculptures is one fashioned painstakingly by a Ukrainian ice sculpture team celebrating a traditional Ukrainian Christmas scene. Ah well, Jews can appreciate the beauty of Christmas. Not, however, inclusive of a full-size caricature of the ages-old hooked-nose Jew holding a money bag.
What, might one rationally ask with some degree of puzzlement, might a Shylock figure be doing in a traditional Christmas scene? And there's the rub. For in many parts of Europe, unlike most parts of North America, anti-Semitism lies deep within the consciousness of a goodly proportion of the population; the eternal scapegoat, the crooked, shrunken figure of a hunched money-lender.
When this peculiarity was brought to the attention of the Carnaval's director of marketing, she protested, "We don't want to agree that we shouldn't [have included the sculpture], because the fact is we have done that. It was a good intention. It's a Carnaval. It's a party, you know?" according to Annick Marchand.
"But if we had known [about the portrayal of the Jew], probably the committee would have stopped this, would have refused this thing. The thing we have to remember is next year we will pay good attention to this kind of situation. That's a good lesson for us." They had no prior knowledge of what the sculpture grouping consisted of?
Jake Burack, the man who visited Carnaval with his wife and children, himself a professor of child psychology and special education at McGill University in Montreal, was given a bonus on attending the fete; the opportunity to present his own young children with a classic illustration of Nazi-era Jewish caricature. Just so they will know, have it on personal experience that such things still occur.
No comfort to him, nor to his wife. He attempted to speak with the sculptors, but they were unable to return English or French. A Carnaval spokesperson, however, helpfully informed him the character was a representative of a money-lender who charged unfairly high interest rates. So much for the event's representatives knowing nothing of the portrayal.
Moreover, a description published beside the sculpture, representing part of the application process explained further: "...a theatrical piece that takes place in our country on Christmas night. The story's characters, the astrologer, the tzar, the warrior, the Jew, Death and the goat, are divided into heroes and villains. They represent, in an ironic and satirical form, peoples' lives."
What marvellous irony, what a tradition to uphold, and to transfer however temporarily to another country, where it can add to the celebratory air, be appreciated, and demonstrate Canada's multiculturalist appreciation of pluralism.
Labels: Anti-Semitism, Canada, Religion, Traditions
posted by Pieface @ Friday, February 13, 2009
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