Holding out
on heritage

>> Asian festival organizers wonder why some
groups get money and others don’t

by NOEMI LOPINTO

Montreal Asian Heritage Festival director Janet Lumb’s approach to financial aid is to treat the federal and provincial governments like bickering parents. Both governments have their blind spots and their departmental rot which Lumb must work through if she wants her festival to come back every year. Now, after seven years of running her festival on a shoestring budget, Lumb is applying to the provincial government for financial support.
Lumb, however, is not hopeful. She says the Quebec government generally ignores festivals that cater to, or are run by, members of a cultural minority.

"I am aware of the historical context of the province’s protectionist policies," says Lumb. "It was necessary to protect French culture. But this has meant that organizations that represent cultural minorities have had to wait decades before getting any acknowledgement. The province has yet to prioritize the integration of cultural communities."

Not that Quebec lacks for legislation to integrate minorities into government: in December 2000, the Quebec National Assembly passed Bill 143, compelling parapublic agencies under provincial and municipal jurisdiction to implement employment equity for women, visible minorities, ethnic minorities and aboriginals. That, however, has yet to happen, and Lumb believes the lack of ethnic representation in government is affecting which groups get access to money.
According to Fo Niemi, executive director of the Centre for Research Action on Race Relations, (CRARR), the exclusion of cultural and ethnic minorities from government is systemic and deliberate. "The government said they wanted to improve representation 20 years ago," says Niemi. "But representation hasn’t gone above two per cent. This is not a coincidence, or an act of God. It’s a very clear lack of will."

Suzanne Rousseau, executive director of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, says her festival began to receive aid from the province in 1996, nine years after the festival’s creation. "We worked hard promoting these events for many years," says Rousseau. "The public is always the first to respond." However, according to Caroline Alain, public information coordinator for the Francofolies, that festival has been funded by the province since its very inception 14 years ago.

Also contributing to Lumb’s lack of faith in the province’s goodwill is a case brought before the Quebec Human Rights Commission by CRARR involving accusations of racism and harassment in the Ministry of Culture and Communications. CRARR lawyer May Chiu is also handling two other cases against the province both on the grounds of systemic racism.

Lumb believes a lack of representation has a clear influence on government decisions. The Montreal Asian Heritage Festival received $18,000 this year from the Canada Council for the Arts as well as an employment grant from Canada Equity. The province, on the other hand, refused their one application for financial aid in 1998.

"On the federal level we’ve had lots of support," says Lumb. "A number of key people hooked up with grassroots organizations like ours. Without that there is no way we would still be in existence."

For more information >> Montreal Asian Heritage Festival