Le Collectif, 50 ans de fierté : le prochain chapitre (Celebrating 50 Years: The Next Chapter)

In Sudbury, the memory of past struggles for the French language now meets new journeys, new cultures, and new generations. Le Collectif, 50 ans de fierté : le prochain chapitre created a space where these experiences could be shared, connected, and used to imagine the next chapter of Franco-Sudburian history together.

During the major community gathering held on May 30, 2026, artists, cultural leaders, and community members came together to listen to stories, exchange ideas, sing, move, and create. Visual arts, music, dance, and video offered multiple ways to explore the relationship with the French language, intergenerational transmission, and the evolution of the community.

At the heart of the project is Greffer au Cep, a sculptural, sound-based, and participatory installation created by Ange Ngadjeu. A collective song and a documentary extend the experience, while the voices, gestures, and messages of participants become directly integrated into the memory of the project.

A Memory Taking Root

Before the gathering, Ange Ngadjeu met with Marie-Pierre Proulx, Denise Truax, and Danielle Tremblay, three influential figures in the Franco-Sudburian cultural community who experienced and helped lead the struggles for the French language in Northern Ontario since the 1970s.

Their stories informed the artist’s sketches, colour choices, and creative reflection. During the event, conversations and contributions from the community then enabled the installation to take on its collective form.

Made of cardboard, papier-mâché, and wool, this imposing installation measuring 230 × 330 × 400 cm depicts an anthropomorphic tree composed of four figures connected to a single trunk. At the back, a seated maternal figure holding a baby supports the structure and evokes the roots and previous generations. At the front, two united silhouettes extend their arms like branches reaching toward the present, the future, and encounters with others.

Throughout the day, messages and musical scores written on sheets of paper were added to the sculpture. Voices and spoken words recorded during the gathering were also grafted onto it, transforming the work into a collective trace of the event.

According to Ange Ngadjeu, the blue and orange evoke the meeting of different cultures, continents and experiences. The title Greffer au Cep evokes a connection to a source that allows growth and fruitfulness, an image that Ange Ngadjeu associates with spiritual grounding, creativity, and the life of an evolving community.

Voices and Gestures in Motion

participating in the gathering.

Éva Irié guided the creation of a collective song, composed and recorded on site. The combined voices preserve the memory of that day and of the moment when those present became performers in a shared creation.

Together with Pierre-André Kayembé, dance and movement offered participants a way to engage with the project through the body. Accessible to different levels of experience and ability, the activities invited each person to move, observe, and connect with others at their own pace.

Through song and movement, stories circulated in new ways, through voices, gestures, and interactions among participants.

The Gathering Captured on Film

Ivan Diro documented the events of the day, from the first testimonies to the evolution of Greffer au Cep, as well as the creation of the collective song and the movement activities.

Brought together in a documentary, these images show how stories moved between different artistic practices and how the community took part in the creative process. The video also preserves the atmosphere of the gathering, the conversations, and the gestures surrounding the work.