Rencontres AfroRésonances

The AfroRésonance Meetings will bring together various stakeholders with a common goal: to move from words to action.

Initiated by researchers from the UNESCO Chair in Communication at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), the AfroRésonance Meetings (part of Black History Month celebrations) provide an exceptional opportunity for collective reflection, bringing together committed, critical, and creative voices to not only make a clear diagnosis, but also to explore concrete courses of action to promote living together and build a more just, inclusive society that is aware of and appreciative of the contributions of its diversity. The two-day event (February 24 and 25) will bring together academics (professors and students), community leaders, media professionals, artists, cultural entrepreneurs, public decision-makers, and citizens.

At a time when digital platforms, media, and institutions play a decisive role in shaping collective imaginaries, the panels and conferences held as part of these Rencontres aim to critically analyze representations of Afro-descendant communities in Quebec, as well as the mechanisms and dynamics of invisibility and stereotyping in the media and cultural spheres. The event will highlight research, experiments, initiatives, and best practices related to communication practices, cultural practices, and the power of narrative in transforming collective narratives and imaginaries about people of African descent in Quebec, particularly the realities related to their immigration and integration trajectories, intercultural dialogue, and the fight against racism and systemic discrimination in Quebec. The exchanges also aim to promote intersectoral dialogue (academic, media, community, artistic, institutional) and to develop concrete solutions (mobilization, awareness-raising, advocacy, improvement of public policies and professional practices), transforming findings into levers for change to build a more inclusive Quebec society in the long term.