Growing through culture

As soon as they arrive in the nascent capital, Francophones establish a tradition of reading and writing. They grant themselves institutions to support the tradition, which quickly spread throughout French Canada. This is the way Ottawa quickly attracts poets, novelists, storytellers, playwrights. Their words become important vehicles for affirming French presence in the region, for rallying Francophones when conflicts break out in the early twentieth century with the Anglophone majority.

As much as it is singular and committed, the culture shaped by Ottawa artisans is also current. In the 1970s and 1980s Francophone literature starts to explore uncharted worlds. Francophone theatre in Ottawa is daring. The voices of its singers, the lyrics and the music of its writers and composers resonate well beyond regional boundaries. They are performed on more and more stages, to increasingly diverse audiences.

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Liaison magazine – a quarterly publication of information and opinion regarding cultural creation – was founded in 1978 at the initiative of Théâtre Action. With time it has become the cultural magazine of French Ontario, Ottawa, 1984. 

Source : University of Ottawa, CRCCF, Fonds Les Éditions L’Interligne (C86), Ph167-3483.

Black and white photograph of four children, each one reading a copy of Liaison magazine, which they hold in their hands. They are outside. Two girls and a boy sit in a row on log stumps, with another boy standing behind them.
The first cultural institutions
Poster printed in French. It features a black and white drawing of a building, as well as text inviting people to attend the featured event.
Patriotic writers
Black and white studio photograph of a mature, balding man with a mustache, in three-quarter view. He wears a gray suit, with a black tie and white tie pin, along with a serious expression.
Theatre life, Act 1
Sepia photography of a group of around thirty men, standing in a semicircle, posing for the camera. They wear suits and ties, except for two who wear kilts. In the centre, a man sits on the floor in front of a drum set. Behind the group, five men sit on a platform draped with a British flag.
The music scene
Sepia photograph of a middle-aged man wearing a uniform and a large mustache. He stands in front of a richly carved lectern which holds music scores and a trumpet. The name and title of the subject are handwritten at the bottom of the picture.
A literature for everyone
Colour photograph of a mature woman, three-quarter view. She has short brown hair, and she wears glasses, a red and black printed blouse, a red jacket, and a pearl necklace. She sits, arms crossed on a table, a pen in her right hand. In the background, a book display.
Authors in search of publishers
Black and white photograph of a middle-aged man and woman sitting at a table in front of a book display, featuring the magazine Liaison. Standing next to them, a younger woman.
Ottawa in Daniel Poliquin’s words
Colour photograph of a middle-aged, smiling man in a dark suit. He sits with his left index finger resting against his temple, and his left thumb against his jaw.
New scenes for drama
Black and white photograph of three middle-aged women in bathrobes on stage. One of the women has a hand on her hip. Another has her eyes closed and her hands behind her head. The last woman is carrying a towel over her arm. Behind them a sofa; on the wall, a banner.
Encountering the visual arts
Colour poster, with text printed in French. It contains a reproduction, on a white background, of an abstract painting depicting three men and three women in a dance club. The artist’s name appears in large print at the top of the poster. The announcement of the exhibition appears below the image.
Our songs
Black and white photograph of a group of five young men in a wooded park. Three have beards, and two have long hair. They wear casual clothing – suspenders, overalls, chequered shirts – and they are walking toward the camera. Next to them, an older man picks up garbage.
The Festival franco-ontarien
Colour photograph of a young woman, in three-quarter view, holding a wreath of flowers and a large Franco-Ontarian flag. She is dressed all in white and wears carnival attire. In the background, the Chateau Laurier, Ottawa's iconic hotel.